The Ticos jumped up 12 places after reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time. Costa Rica also surpassed Mexico (No. 18) for the first time since the polls started in 1993.
During the 2010 World Cup, Caja hospitals registered 87,359 people given sick leave. This year 58,580 people received sick leave -- a drop of 28,779 requests despite Costa Rica's success in the Brazil-hosted tournament.
The Nicaragua-born member of Costa Rica's national team has been on a victory tour in his birth country after the Ticos' historic World Cup run. And on Monday he received a tribute from the country's president. He provided Ortega with his #6 La Sele uniform, which was signed by all the players on the Costa Rican squad.
Catarina, the birthplace of La Sele defender Óscar Duarte, the first Nicaraguan to score a World Cup goal, overflowed with fans receiving its most famous son last week.
With the death of Paul – the “psychic” octopus who correctly predicted all six of Germany’s 2010 World Cup games and the tournament final between the Netherlands and Spain — sports fans all over the world have been scrambling to find another clairvoyant creature to take his place.
The final mejenga ("match") of the World Cup is set for Sunday afternoon. While La Sele (Costa Rica's national team) won't be playing, you can still watch the game like a Tico with our handy Spanish guide to football slang in Costa Rica.
