Costa Rica unveils preliminary 30-man roster for the World Cup

Costa Rica national team coach Jorge Luis Pinto revealed his preliminary 30-man roster for the World Cup on Monday morning. The players will report to the team’s pre-World Cup training camp. The roster will be whittled down to it is final 23 players on May 31.

“There is a base. The training camp can subtract or add, that I made clear.” Pinto said during a press conference at team headquarters Proyecto Gol in San Rafael de Alajuela. “The players know that they have to give everything,”

Pinto praised the strong play of Keylor Navas, Diego Calvo and Christian Bolaños entering the training camp. He also lamented the loss of injured star Bryan Oviedo. Waylon Francis, Junior Díaz and Heiner Mora will be among the players competing for Oviedo’s spot at left-back.

Four players — Esteban Alvarado, Hansell Arauz, Jairo Arrieta and Ariel Rodríguez — are on the team’s waiting list. Alvarado, a talented goalkeeper in the Netherlands, was a mild surprise. Pinto and Alvarado had a falling out in 2011, but Alvarado reconciled with Pinto and the Costa Rica Football Federation over the past few months

Besides Alvarado, other surprises included Kendall Waston, Mora and Arauz, of Costa Rica football league champions Saprissa, a title won by the team last night.

The United States also named their 30-man roster today.

Costa Rica 30-man roster
Goalkeepers:
Keylor Navas (Levante)
Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense)
Daniel Cambronero (Herediano)
Esteban Alvarado (AZ Alkmaar)

Defenders:
Giancarlo González (Columbus Crew)
Jhonny Acosta (Alajuelense)
Michael Umaña (Saprissa)
Roy Miller (New York Red Bull)
Óscar Duarte (Club Brujas)
Junior Díaz (Mainz 05)
Cristian Gamboa (Rosemborg)
Heiner Mora (Saprissa)
Kendall Waston (Saprissa)
Waylon Francis (Columbus Crew)

Midfielders:
Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa)
José Miguel Cubero (Herediano)
Óscar Esteban Granados (Herediano)
Carlos Hernández (Libre)
Celso Borges (AIK)
Ariel Rodríguez (Alajuelense)
Michael Barrantes (Aalesund)
Christian Bolaños (FC Copenhague)
Diego Calvo (Valerenga)
Hanzell Arauz (Saprissa)

Forwards:
Bryan Ruiz (PSV)
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake)
Joel Campbell (Olympiacos)
Randall Brenes (Cartaginés)
Jairo Arrieta (Columbus Crew)
Marco Ureña (Kuban Krasnodar)