by Rod Hughes

The big purple “S” arrives in Houston to take on the Dynamos in the regional Champion’s Cup of CONCACAF tomorrow in the semifinals of the soccer tourney. Coach Jeaustin Campos has evolved a fast game he hopes will discombobulate Houston’s ordered defense.

Campos has rested is veterans well for this match, a move that resulted in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of lowly Puntarenas, the first that high-flying Saprissa has suffered this year. But the port city was quick to take advantage of the fact that Campos had fielded a side made up of bench-warmers. Still, the defeat must have stung, since the port city is one of the weakest in the First Division.

“Well, you have to choose the most important thing,” shrugged Campos after the defeat. Saprissa has such a lead this year in First Division play that the defeat means little. But sports is also about money and these tournaments bring big bucks, worth more monetarily than the regular season. They often result in lucrative contracts abroad for their players in which the club takes its cut. Nice as well for the players, but clubs pay more attention to how much a foreign club buying a player’s contract pays than for the career boost for the player himself.

Heredia Boots Javier Delgado

In other soccer news, the Heredia First Division club has fired coach Javier Delgado after his team lost the last two matches against sides that are so weak they are in danger of sliding into the Second Division. The club blew the last two matches against Cartago and University of Costa Rica.

Club president Aquil Ali made the announcement under the stands of the Rosibal Cordero Stadium one day after he assured the press that Delgado would stay on for the rest of the season. So far this year, Heredia’s record is a so-so five victories, three defeats and four ties. Delgado had been at the club’s helm for 16 months.

The recently retired Costa Rican soccer star Pablo Cesar Wanchope has been named to replace Delgado. Wanchope, a crowd favorite every time he appeared with the All Star national team, made a name for himself playing in Europe and the United States, retired recently due to a persistent knee injury.