Costa Rica's football team is returning to San José Tuesday night when it takes on Jamaica in a World Cup Qualifier at 8 p.m. There they'll look to widen their lead over the rest of their group and get one step closer to the final hexagonal round.
With goals in the first 15 minutes from Rafael Morales and Carlos Ruíz and an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Paulo Motta, Guatemala earned their first ever World Cup qualifying victory over the U.S.
For the first time in a long time, Costa Rica football is riding a hot streak. And the Ticos couldn't have picked a better spot to get rolling again than the qualifying stages of the 2018 World Cup.
Battered and bruised, a Costa Rican men's national football team missing more than half of its regular starters still managed to beat Panama this week in World Cup qualifying play.
A 2-1 semi-final loss to Jamaica and a 3-2 penalty defeat on Saturday to Panama in the third-place match left the U.S. squad in fourth. Only a 2000 quarter-final penalties loss to Colombia kept this from being their worst showing ever in the biennial regional football tournament.
"We say 'yes' to Russia," Blatter said during a meeting with the Russian leader near St. Petersburg on Saturday. "Our support is especially important during the current geopolitical situation," Blatter said.
The United States breathed a sigh of relief while Costa Ricans grimaced as FIFA drew Saturday for its fourth qualifying round for CONCACAF ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
