by Rod Hughes

Hernan Medford was fired as head coach of Costa Rica’s national soccer team and Costa Rican Rodrigo Kenton appears the favorite to succeed him, lacking only an official announcement. Medford’s departure Friday came as no surprise after a long string of matches in which the best the national team could do was to tie.

Medford, never the soul of calm, took poet Dylan Thomas’s advice and did “not go softly into this good night.” Instead, in interviews with the press after his ouster he criticized Eduardo Li, head of the country’s soccer organization (FEDEFUT) for letting him know of his dismissal through third parties instead of in a face-to-face interview.

He also said that many on the board of FEDEFUT do not understand soccer. Despite the criticism, he appeared relaxed, even relieved, as he talked to the press and admitted that the pressure on him as field director of the Seleccion (All Stars) had been intense. He blamed the failures of the national team on the FEDEFUT hierarchy for the general condition of soccer in the country.

At this writing, Kenton has already resigned his position as head coach of Guatemala’s under 20-year-old soccer organization where he racked up an enviable record. He admitted to Radio Monumental that he had already received an offer from FEDEFUT. He will have to pick a physical trainer and assistant coaches since FDEFUT’s broom swept them out along with Medford.

Kenton, 53, began his career as a player with Limon in the 1970s and retired in 1989. Only a year later he was tapped by Veilibor “Bora” Milutinovic’s assistant on Costa Rica’s All Stars in their highly successful World Cup bid where they made it through eliminations to the second round. He was again tapped by the genial Bora as assistant when the popular Czech was head coach in Jamaica’s bid in the 1998 World Cup in France. In between, he coached Limon, Puntarenas and Alajuela. He also served as assistant to Alexander Guimaraes in Costa Rica’s less-than-stunning performance in the 2002 World Cup.

The Costa Rican’s record as a trainer of young players is superb. He took this country’s under-23-year-old All Stars into the 2004 Olympics’ second round only to be beaten by the eventual champion, Argentina. In Guatemala, he worked 22 months developing the youth all star teams.

Whatever his defects, Medford will be missed if only for his personality. When head coach at Saprissa, he was booted from several matches by the referee for his combative demeanor and wound up in the stands directing action with shouts. He also had the habit of covering his shiny, shaved black dome with a flourescent pink baseball cap when it rained. (La Nacion sportswriters are certain he borrowed it from his wife.)