by Rod Hughes

Tehran was frigid, just above freezing and it seemed to affect both sides in the exhibition match with Iran, resulting in a scoreless tie. Nonetheless, Costa Rica’s head coach Hernan Medford was satisfied. “”(Costa Rica” stacked up very well against a very good team…All my players did well, even the substitutes.” The game was played early Wednesday morning, Costa Rica time.

But the era of Medford is not exactly a sterling one. This is the ninth match without a victory, the worst record for the “La Sele,” as the All-Star team is called, since 1980. Their opponents had called some players back from clubs in Germany to play. They played a fast, explosive match contrasted with Costa Rica, which was able to muster only one soft direct goal shot and three that went astray. But the Tico defense held the line.