Kendall Waston and Carlos Hernández are out. And Costa Rica’s World Cup roster is complete. La Sele revealed its 23-man roster for Brazil one day earlier than expected as the team prepares to fly the the United States on Saturday for two final warm-up matches before the World Cup.
The dismissal of Watson, the tallest player in Costa Rica’s training camp, likely will disappoint fans who loved the 6-foot-4 player’s strong defense and affable personality. But Costa Rica’s training camp was stacked with talented defenders, and that left little room for the the 26-year-old breakout star for Saprissa.
Hernández arrived from New Zealand after playing for the Wellington Phoenix, but the midfielder parted ways with his Kiwi club a day after he was called to La Sele. He apparently was having trouble getting settled in getting settled in New Zealand (despite playing well for Wellington). The Tico won’t have the World Cup to showcase his skills as he looks for a new club.
Waston and Hernández join Álvaro Saborío as the three cuts from training camp. Saborío was ruled out of the World Cup on Thursday after fracturing his fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Saborío led Costa Rica in scoring during CONCACAF qualifying, and would’ve started for the national team.
On Saturday, Costa Rica will have a “swearing in” ceremony for La Sele, and then the squads heads to the U.S. for friendlies against Japan (June 2) and Ireland (June 6). Costa Rica plays its first World Cup match on June 14 at 10 a.m. local time against Uruguay.
Costa Rica 23-man World Cup roster
Goalkeepers:
Keylor Navas (Levante)
Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense)
Daniel Cambronero (Herediano)
Defenders:
Giancarlo González (Columbus Crew)
Jhonny Acosta (Alajuelense)
Michael Umaña (Saprissa)
Roy Miller (New York Red Bull)
Óscar Duarte (Club Brugge)
Junior Díaz (Mainz 05)
Cristian Gamboa (Rosenborg)
Heiner Mora (Saprissa)
Waylon Francis (Columbus Crew)
Midfielders:
Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa)
José Miguel Cubero (Herediano)
Óscar Esteban Granados (Herediano)
Celso Borges (AIK)
Michael Barrantes (Aalesund)
Christian Bolaños (FC Copenhague)
Diego Calvo (Valerenga)
Forwards:
Bryan Ruiz (PSV)
Joel Campbell (Olympiacos)
Randall “Chiqui” Brenes (Cartaginés)
Marco Ureña (Kuban Krasnodar)
