Costa Rica’s qualification for the World Cup Finals was far from plain sailing, the Tico’s drew their first two games, against Cuba, then lost to both Honduras and Guatemala, before picking themselves up for the remaining games.

From that point, with eight wins out of their remaining fourteen matches in qualification, and only four losses – one of them coming after the Ticos had already qualified – along with the return of Alexandre Guimaraes as Head Coach - a member of the memorable Costa Rica side that reached the Round of 16 at Italy '90 and also the coach who guided the Ticos to Korea/Japan 2002, who replaced Jorge Luis Pinto at the start of April 2005 - saw Guimaraes' Costa Rica finish third in the CONCACAF Zone of qualification.

Germany 2006 will be Costa Rica’s third appearance at the World Cup. and both their previous appearances – Italia 90 and Korea/Japan 2002 – were ultimately memorable, with the Central Americans surprising the world with their uninhibited play and their talented individuals.

The explosive pace of Hernan Medford and magnificent goalkeeping of Luis Gabelo Conejo helped Costa Rica reach the second round in Italia ‘90 at the expense of their European rivals, Scotland and Sweden.

Unfortunately, the Ticos luck ran out in Korea/Japan 2002. Although their only defeat came at the hands of the eventual champions Brazil, Turkey’s superior goal difference prevented the Ticos from claiming a berth in the last sixteen.

It would be a serious mistake to think Costa Rica can’t make it into the last sixteen. The current team is every bit as talented as those of previous years and just as determined to cause an upset at the Finals.

Fans around the world should be treated to some exciting football, with the fearless defending of Gilberto Martinez, the goal-scoring abilities of both Walter Centeno and, of course, their biggest star, Paulo Wanchope, the former Manchester City hero.

The veteran striker, who has announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup Finals, is hoping to inspire his side to a performance at least on a par with that of Italy ‘90.

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Costa Rica Match Fixtures in the World Cup 2006 Finals

09-Jun-06	Germany v Costa Rica	18:00 BST
15-Jun-06	Ecuador v Costa Rica	15:00 BST
20-Jun-06	Costa Rica v Poland	16:00 BST

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Historic Facts

First International appearance: Costa Rica 7 - 0 El Salvador (Guatemala City, Guatemala; Sept 14, 1921)

Largest win: Costa Rica 12 - 0 Puerto Rico (Barranquilla, Colombia; December 10, 1946)

Worst defeat: Mexico 7 - 0 Costa Rica (Mexico City, Mexico; August 17, 1975)
Worst defeat: Mexico 7 - 0 Costa Rica (Mexico City, Mexico; October 23, 1975)

World Cup Finals Appearances: 1990, 2002

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Costa Rica Match Results - CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers

Date	Match	Result
12-Oct-2005	Guatemala - Costa Rica	3:1 (3:0)
08-Oct-2005	Costa Rica - USA	3:0 (1:0)
07-Sep-2005	Costa Rica - Trinidad and Tobago	2:0 (1:0)
03-Sep-2005	Panama - Costa Rica	1:3 (0:1)
17-Aug-2005	Mexico - Costa Rica	2:0 (0:0)
08-Jun-2005	Costa Rica - Guatemala	3:2 (1:0)
04-Jun-2005	USA - Costa Rica	3:0 (1:0)
30-Mar-2005	Trinidad and Tobago - Costa Rica	0:0
26-Mar-2005	Costa Rica - Panama	2:1 (1:0)
09-Feb-2005	Costa Rica - Mexico	1:2 (1:2)

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