After a disappointing World Cup in Qatar, the Costa Rican soccer team will begin a new stage in 2023 with young players who aspire to guarantee the necessary generational change.
Led by Colombian coach Luis Fernando Suárez, whose contract was renewed before the World Cup for a period of 4 years, the Costa Rican team must consolidate the renewal that it has been promoting for some time.
The retirement of number 10 and captain Bryan Ruiz after the end of Costa Rica’s participation in the World Cup, and the age of several of the soccer players in the team’s backbone pose a challenge for Suárez, who has repeatedly expressed his confidence in the youths. The first test for Costa Rica in 2023 will be the League of Nations, in which they will have to face Martinique as a visitor and receive Panama on dates to be defined in March.
Later, from June 24 to July 16, it will be the turn of the Gold Cup, the highest tournament of the North, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation (Concacaf) and that Costa Rica has not been able to conquer. Experienced players with three World Cups on their resume such as goalkeeper Keylor Navas, defender Óscar Duarte, striker Joel Campbell and midfielder Celso Borges have expressed their intention to continue in the national team if the coach considers them.
They are part of a generation that has made history in Costa Rican soccer and had a brilliant participation in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when Costa Rica reached the quarterfinals for the first time.
Among those called to command the generational change are the defender of the Colombian Millonarios Juan Pablo Vargas, the right-back of the local Alajuelense Carlos Martínez, the midfielder of the English Nottingham Forest Brandon Aguilera, and the forward of the English Sunderland Jewison Bennette.
The Dutch Twente forward Manfred Ugalde, who had resigned from the national team due to differences with coach Suárez, and the Belgian Lomel attacker Alonso Martínez, who was not called up to Qatar 2022, are also two possible letters to return to the team.
In the last two World Cups, Costa Rica did not make it past the group stage and suffered its worst defeat in the 6 World Cups in which it has participated: a 7-0 debut with Spain in Qatar. Subsequently, Costa Rica defeated Japan 1-0 and finally fell 4-2 to Germany.
The disappointing participation in Qatar provoked harsh criticism from the press towards coach Suárez and towards the Federation, but everything indicates that the coach will continue in his position.
“I have relative peace of mind. In the next four years you have to do different things based on what has been shown in these four years. There are guys with a great future to start showing things,” said the coach on December 1 after the match with Germany.
EFE
