El puerto, Futbol Club Puntarenas, has advanced to the Central American final against a club from Honduras, either Olimpia or Victoria.  In a tourney where the traditional Costa Rican powers were eliminated (Alajuela by Puntarenas and Saprissa by Victoria), Puntarenas has saved face and is now qualified for the North, Central American and Caribbean region tournament and hopes there to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup by winning the title.

Puntarenas forged a solid victory here at home last week, winning 2-0.   Their Guatemalan opponent, Marquense, was not able to take advantage of the high altitude in their stadium to turn the tables.  The 0-0 tie on Tuesday was plenty for the “oranges” to advance to the next round.

Although the game went smoothly, the path to victory was definitely a trail they had to blaze.  Starting with the trip to Guatemala followed by a 284 kilometer bus ride to San Marcos on Monday.   The trip included a 2420 meter altitude change, which is why it was made so soon before game time, which is a way to avoid suffering the acclimitization process often utilized in Latin America.