Last year’s Cinderella are looking for another dance. After a tremendous showing at the 2014 World Cup, the Costa Rican national team will have their best opportunity to prove that it was no fluke. With their best chance in recent memory at winning their first-ever Gold Cup and their fourth CONCACAF Championship. On Thursday the Costa Rican football association announced the 23 man roster that will be looking for gold.
Although the roster features a large number of holdovers from the 2014 World Cup roster, perhaps the biggest name missing is goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Navas, whose Spider-Man-like performances helped them reach the quarterfinals, is out after sustaining an Achilles injury. Without the Real Madrid net-minder, Costa Rican coach Paulo Wanchope (the Ticas legend who scored two goals against Germany in the 2006 World Cup) will look to Patrick Pemberton of Alajuelense to get matches close.
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Aside from Navas, look for Giancarlo Gonzalez (Palermo) and Michael Umana (Persepolis) to once again be the anchors of the defense. At the World Cup last year both players proved critical in holding back both Italy and Uruguay and helped push the Netherlands to the brink. They are joined Cristian Gamboa who had an excellent run with the Ticas in the Copa Centroamericana, the top international competition of Central America.
The one player who could make a difference in this Gold Cup is forward Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake). Saborio, Costa Rica’s second all-time leading goal scorer, suffered the cruelest of fates shortly before the World Cup last year when he broke his broke in a friendly. Although he is 33, he is still very deadly from inside the penalty area as evidenced by his 17 goals last season with RSL.
What will be interesting to see as this tournament goes on is how Wanchope decides to use Saborio, Bryan Ruiz (Fulham,) and Joel Campbell (Arsenal). Ruiz and Campbell had such amazing chemistry last year in the World Cup that Wanchope would be hard-pressed to break that up. But by the same token CONCACAF is a much more physical tournament and having someone like Saborio whose a bit stronger than Ruiz might prove beneficial.
Costa Rica are in Group B where they will take on Jamaica (July 8th, Los Angeles,) El Salvador (July 11th, Houston,) and Canada (July 14th, Toronto).
Full Roster:
GK – Esteban Alvarado (Unattached); Dany Carvajal (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense/Costa Rica)
DF – Keyner Brown (Herediano/Costa Rica); Francisco Calvo (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Junior Diaz (FSV Mainz 05/Germany); Christian Gamboa (West Bromwich Albion/England); Giancarlo Gonzalez (Palermo/Italy); Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/USA); Dave Myrie (Herediano/Costa Rica); Michael Umaña (Persepolis FC/Iran)
MF – Elias Aguilar (Herediano/Costa Rica); Marvin Angulo (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruña/Spain); Jose Miguel Cubero (Blackpool FC/England); David Guzman (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Bryan Ruiz (Fulham FC/England); Deyver Vega (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Johan Venegas (Alajuelense/Costa Rica)
FW – Joel Campbell (Arsenal FC/England); Jonathan McDonald (Alajuelense/Costa Rica); David Ramirez (Saprissa/Costa Rica); Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake/USA)