Ricardo Gareca and Miguel Angel Russo are veteran football players and coaches from Argentina who could elevate the National Men’s Football Team of Costa Rica, fondly known as La Sele, to higher international ranking within FIFA. These two football professionals are in line to replace current interim coach Paulo Cesar Wanchope, who took over coaching duties from Colombian tactician Jorge Luis Pinto, who left the team on a sour note despite a standout performance at the Word Cup in Brazil earlier this year.

Sports daily Al Dia, which will soon cease publishing in Costa Rica, explained that the two Argentinian tacticians are part of a group of candidates who at one point included Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who declined the offer from our football federation due to his current contractual status. At one point, Argentinian coach Claudio Vivas was also considered; nonetheless, Mr. Gareca and Mr. Russo are the clear contenders for the coaching position at this point.

As players, Mr. Gareca and Mr. Russo were both champions in their native Argentina and with the same team, Velez Sarsfield. They are both also veterans of the Copa Libertadores, and Mr. Russo even won that prestigious tournament in 2007 as he coached the legendary Argentinian club Boca Juniors. Mr. Gareca told sports journalists Daniel Jimenez of Al Dia that he has been following the performance of Costa Rica since before the World Cup, and he thinks our players have great potential on the pitch.

Recently, Mr. Gareca was head coach of the great football club Palmeiras in the ultra-competitive Brazilian top league; alas, the club has experienced very troublesome seasons in recent years. During his playing years, Ricardo Alberto Gareca Nardi was known as El Tigre and el Flaco due to his tall and lanky build. He played alongside the great Diego Armando Maradona at Boca Juniors in the early 1980s.