by Rod Hughes

If Costa Rica’s national soccer team keeps this up, the only way they will see the World Cup is as paying spectators in the stands. Saturday, the beloved “Sele,” as the All Stars are known hereabouts, struggled to a hard-fought, come-from-behind tie with Granada in their first qualifying test for the World Cup. Hard fought? With Granada?

Now, mind you, our incredulousness implies nothing against that beautiful jewel of a Caribbean island nation. We admire the valiant spirit of their All-Stars. But Brazil, they ain’t. They are the doormat of the CONCACAF league of soccer-playing countries. If your team needs an easy victory on the run-up to the World Cup to maintain momentum, playing Granada in your next match is pure wish fulfilment.

As for the Ticos, they showed why they have not won any of their last 12 matches and why coach Hernan Medford has been feverishly juggling the lineup, trying to find the right combination. We have clue for him: On paper, the Sele is a winner, so that isn’t the problem. Yesterday, FEDEFUT, the socccer governing body for Costa Rican soccer, held an emergency meeting but decided to keep Medford until the home match with Granada Saturday. We do not favor rapid-fire changing of coaches as FEDEFUT has done in past years, always with bad results, but major surgery may be the only solution.

As for the last Saturday match, barely 18 minutes had lapsed after the opening whistle when Anthony Modesto sank a shot for Granada. The second goal showed Costa Rica to be something that we have seldom seen, even in past years when the All-Stars have not made it past the qualifications, namely, slow on defense. That was when Jason Roberts scored at minute 23.

Armando Alonso managed to end the half with a score-narrowing goal, on an error by Granadino goalie Andrey Charles. It was, as La Nacion sportswriter Gustavo Jimenez wrote, a pure gift. An even better gift was when was when Granada’s Ricky Charles made a stupid foul that got him kicked out so Granada had to play the second half with 10 on their side. But even then it was with a sigh of relief that Victor Nunez sank the tying goal at minute 76.

After this match, Medford told La Nacion, “We played a good match. The tie was fair because neither (side) was superior; we have to win Saturday, to be more competitive.” Forgive us, but this sounds like a whitewash. It sounds like President George W. Bush saying that the U.S. economy has had a slight hiccup but is really very healthy. The Sele looked wretched on the pitch at St. George, Granada, last Sunday and it appears that Medford doesn’t have the faintest clue why.

Still, not all is lost. Ticos often blot their copybooks early on. We remember when the Sele lost an opener against Trinidad-Tobago and still went on to win a spot in the World Cup. But, of Caribbean countries, Trinidad Tobago usually fields a stronger side than Granada, so the coaching staff should not take a “wake me when it’s over” attitude.