Costa Rica World Cup 2018 profile: Ones to watch, best bets and more

By Sporting Life

15:55 · THU July 21, 2022

They shocked the world by reaching the quarter-finals in 2014, and the Costa Ricans will be hoping for a repeat result this time around.

Costa Rica Factfile

FIFA World Ranking: 25
Sky Bet outright winner odds: 750/1
Best Bet: Marco Urena - Top Costa Rica Goalscorer – 9/2
World Cup appearances: 4
Best World Cup finish: Quarter-finals (2014)
Nickname: Los Ticos (The Costa Ricans)

Coach – Oscar Ramirez: Ramirez was handed the Costa Rica managerial job in somewhat bizarre fashion. After initially being recruited as Paulo Wanchope’s assistant manager in 2015, Wanchope then resigned as manager following a post-match brawl with a steward at an U23 match against Panama. Ramirez was handed the reins a week later.

Legend – Paulo Wanchope: The man, the myth, the legend. Wanchope is an enigmatic character probably best remembered for his wonder goal for Derby County against Manchester United in 1997.

Derby aside, Wanchope also had spells at West Ham and Manchester City in the Premier League before moving to Malaga in 2004.

On the international stage Wanchope is Los Ticos’ all-time leading scorer, netting 45 goals from 71 appearances including two goals against Germany in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup.

Star Man – Bryan Ruiz: Formerly of Fulham, the now Sporting wideman has recently joined the 100-cap club for his country. Elegant and sophisticated on the ball, Ruiz’s time in England was a mixed bag with glimpses of quality pitted against frustration and a perceived lack of work ethic.

The Costa Rica skipper bagged two goals in the 2014 World Cup including a shock winner against Italy in the group stages. He also scored his team’s only goal in the last 16 1-1 draw with Greece before converting his penalty in the shootout to see his side through to the uncharted territories of the World Cup quarter-finals.

Did you know? In the 2014 World Cup quarter-final, Costa Rica were on the receiving end of a debatably inspired substitution by then Holland manager Louis van Gaal. After Jasper Cillessen survived 120 minutes of the match with his goal unscathed, the goalkeeper was then substituted for Tim Krul deep into added time. Krul saved two Costa Rica penalties to send the Netherlands through to the semi-finals.

Fun Fact: Costa Rica were one of three unbeaten teams (before penalties) at the 2014 World Cup, along with Germany and the Netherlands.

Qualifying: Los Ticos finished second to Mexico in their qualifying group, four points ahead of the USA.

Group E Fixtures: Serbia (1pm, June 17, Samara), Brazil (1pm, June 22, St Petersburg), Switzerland (7pm, June 27, Nizhny Novgorod)

Costa Rica squad

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Patrick Pemberton (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense), Leonel Moreira (C.S. Herediano).

Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (Celtic), Ian Smith (Santos de Guapiles F.C.), Ronald Matarrita (New York City), Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland), Oscar Duarte (Espanyol), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Bologna), Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Acosta (Rionegro Aguilas).

Midfielders: David Guzman (Portland Timbers), Yeltsin Tejeda (FC Lausanne-Sport), Celso Borges (Deportivo de La Coruna), Randall Azofeifa (C.S. Herediano), Rodney Wallace (New York City), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting CP), Daniel Colindres (Deportivo Saprissa), Christian Bolanos (Deportivo Saprissa).

Forwards: Johan Venegas (Deportivo Saprissa), Joel Campbell (Real Betis), Marco Urena (Los Angeles FC).

Costa Rica Profile

Locally known as Los Matacampeones – The Champion Killers – Costa Rica really will have to live up to that name if they hope to replicate their performance at the last World Cup. Drawn against five-time world champions Brazil as well as an improving Switzerland team, the Central Americans will have their work cut out for them if they hope to progress from Group E.

Costa Rica hero Paulo Wanchope

Shock victories are not alien to Los Ticos though, with their 1-0 win over Italy four years ago eliminating England from the group-stage and all but cementing Costa Rica’s place as Group D winners.

Ramirez’s men have struggled to build on the success of the 2014 World Cup with their next generation of players struggling to break through. Their experienced but aging squad struggled in qualifying, held to draws by Honduras and Panama. While they were fresh and exciting four years ago, a lack of new blood has left this team in realistic danger of an early exit.

Who to watch out for

After a knee-injury suffered while playing for Costa Rica, Joel Campbell will be hoping to get back to full speed to try and replicate the form he showed in 2014. Arsenal forward Campbell was one of the surprise stars of that year's World Cup but has struggled to maintain that level of performance since. World Cups have a habit of propelling careers and at 25, Campbell still has a lot of football left in him. He will be looking to put himself firmly in that shop window.

Having said that, Campbell may struggle for a starting place even if he does win his race to be fit as Los Angeles FC striker Marco Urena has been Costa Rica’s joint-top scorer in qualifying.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas is Costa Rica’s only squad member in the starting XI of an elite team. The rollercoaster keeper has come in for his fair share of criticism this season but put in a magnificent performance in the Champions League semi-final to keep out a rampant Bayern Munich.

How did they qualify?

Qualifying for countries from North, Central America and Caribbean is not the most straightforward process as there are three rounds before the six top ranked teams even join the process. In round four they are joined by the six teams who made it through the previous three rounds to form three groups of four. Group winners and runners-up then form a final qualifying group of six in which three teams will qualify and one team will enter an inter-continental play-off.

Costa Rica defeated the humiliated USA 2-0 and 4-0 as well as beating Trinidad and Tobago twice to finish group runners-up and book their place at this year’s finals.

What will I hear when they play?

Somewhat unoriginal but the main chant coming from the Costa Rican occupied terraces will be “Ole, ole, ole, ole…ticos, ticos”. Known throughout the football universe, this catchy chant could not be easier to join in with.

Any interesting facts about Costa Rica?

While in Britain we may refer to our partners as our “other half” the Costa Ricans go one step further, referring to their significant others endearingly as “the other half of my orange”.

Rather worryingly, speed bumps are known as “son muertos”, which translates to dead people.

The sun rises and sets in Costa Rica at the same time every day 365 days a year, due to its close proximity to the equator.

Any famous football moments?

Without doubt Costa Rica’s greatest World Cup moment came four years ago in Brazil. Rank outsiders to qualify from a group containing England, Italy and Uruguay, Los Ticos shocked Uruguay 3-1 in the group's opening game before Bryan Ruiz scored a first-half header to give them a 1-0 win over Italy and take them to the top of the group after two games.

A 0-0 draw with an already eliminated England secured their place as group winners and set up a last 16 meeting with Greece.

Bryan Ruiz’s second-half strike looked to be sending the Costa Ricans through before a 91st-minute equaliser from Greece’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos sent the tie to extra time and ultimately penalties. The team in red held their nerve to secure a quarter-final against Holland.

As mentioned above, Holland triumphed on penalties after a tense 0-0. Tim Krul was deployed by Louis van Gaal as substitute goalkeeper in the dying minutes of extra time and saved two penalties to break Costa Rican hearts.