by Rod Hughes

Saprissa, the club that is currently defending champion of Costa Rica’s First Division soccer league, has been invited to play against several international powerhouses in Montevideo, Uruguay. Two games will be played per day in the Copa Ricard soccer extravaganza, that begins today.

Saprissa will go head-to-head with two Uruguayan clubs, Olimpa and Defensor, in Group B. Group A will pit Vaduz, a Lichtenstein club playing in the Swiss major league, against Uruguay’s Penerol and Defensor clubs. Matches will be in Montevideo’s huge Centenario Stadium.

This tourney will give Saprissa’s players on the National All Star team a chance to study South American-style soccer. And speaking of the All Stars (La Sele) Brujas midfielder Daniel Jiminez has been tapped to replace injured Roy Myrie in the Jan. 30 exhibition match against Iran.