No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeLa SeleCosta Rica's 'La Sele' rises in latest FIFA rankings

Costa Rica’s ‘La Sele’ rises in latest FIFA rankings

Little by little, Costa Rica’s men’s national football team, “La Sele,” is heading back in the right direction. La Sele jumped two spots to 40th in the always hotly debated FIFA rankings, updated Thursday to reflect results from international friendlies in October.

In the third and fourth games under new head coach Óscar Ramírez, the Ticos lost at home to South Africa in a frustrating match where longstanding criticisms over the offense manifested on the field again. But Ramírez and Costa Rica responded by beating the United States in New Jersey a few days later. Against a U.S. team trending downwards, La Sele’s offense looked in control the entire match and had multiple scoring opportunities while keeping star goalkeeper Keylor Navas mostly unoccupied.

See: Keylor Navas breaks Champions League record for best debut by a goalkeeper

There’s still a long way to go before Costa Rica matches its best-ever ranking of 13th, where it peaked in March of this year on the heels of a historic World Cup run in 2014.

Costa Rica will have a chance to jump even higher when it begins World Cup qualifying play on Nov. 13, with a home game at the National Stadium in San José against CONCACAF rival Haiti. La Sele then plays Panama on Nov. 17 in the second of six total matches for the round, which extends through Sept. 6, 2016. Along with Haiti and Panama, Costa Rica is in Group B with Jamaica, which looked impressive on its way to a second-place finish in the CONCACAF Gold Cup earlier this year.

Ramírez will announce his lineup for the first two qualifying matches on Friday, which will not include Navas who is dealing with a groin injury that flared up again at the end of Tuesday’s record-setting performance against Paris St. Germain in the Champions League. The Real Madrid goalkeeper also will sit out for the club’s next game on Saturday against Sevilla.

FIFA’s new batch of rankings also see Belgium taking over the top spot after being ranked third last month. With a young and extremely talented squad, the “Red Devils” are a prohibitive favorite to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Current title-holder Germany remains in second place and former No. 1 Argentina drops two spots to third in the rankings.

Along with Costa Rica, the only other top 40 teams in the region are Mexico (24) and the United States (33).

Trending Now

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

Keylor Navas Leads Pumas to Victory in His Liga MX Debut

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio...

Why Birders Are Flocking to Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado

Costa Rica is a bird-watching paradise, offering an incredible diversity with close to 900 recorded species, including resident and migratory species. One reason for...

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...

Costa Rica Court Sanctions Road Official Over Delayed Wildlife Crossings

Costa Rica’s wildlife faces perils, as authorities have continously failed to build wildlife crossings. Nonetheless, the Constitutional Court has taken a firm stance in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica