As part of the preparations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the U-23 Football Team from Costa Rica chose to participate in the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic Tournament, which takes place at the prestigious IMG Academies in Bradenton, FL. Although the Men’s National Football Team of Costa Rica is currently enjoying being ranked as number 13 by FIFA, the U-23 team clearly has lots of room for improvement. In their first match against the Philadelphia Union from the United States Major Soccer League (MLS), the Ticos were routed by three goals and were left scoreless.

The IMG Suncoast Pro Classic Tournament features an interesting combination of football clubs and teams from around the world. The only national team in the current tournament is Costa Rica’s U-23, and there are clubs from Canada, Denmark and from the United Soccer Leagues. Here is the official press release from IMG:

Philadelphia Union vs. Costa Rica U23 Men’s National Team, Group B – Game 2

The Costa Rica U23 Men’s National Team are tuning up for the U23 World Cup qualifiers, but MLS side Philadelphia Union were poised to make that a rough undertaking. In a spiritedly physical matchup, Union midfielder Sebastien Le Toux picked up a brace to lead Philadelphia to a 3-0 decision. Le Toux first scored on a penalty kick at the 10’ mark, and picked up the second at 51’ on an assist from C.J. Sapong. Cristian Maidana also scored (22’) on an assist from Andrew Wenger.

Columbus Crew vs. London United, Group B – Game 1

The Columbus Crew were on point from the very start, scoring early and often. Within three minutes, Columbus’ Kei Kamara put the first goal of the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic on the board when he found the back of the net off an assist from Federico Higuain, the first of two goals for Kamara on the day (3’, 31’). Fifteen minutes later, Ethan Finlay increased the Crew’s margin on an assist from Tony Tchani for a 2-0 advantage. Columbus would go on to win by a staggering 7-0 margin as Kamara and Hernan Grana recorded braces for an early lead in the Group B standings. Other Crew scorers on the day included Hernan Grana (2 goals – 21’, Finlay assist; 36’, unassisted), Chris Klute (45’, Grana assist), and Sagi Lev-Ari (45’, unassisted).

HB Koge vs. New York Red Bulls, Group A – Game 3

The Danish First Division side HB Koge are coming off an eighth place finish in their league in 2014, but gave thhe New York Red Bulls of the MLS all they could handle on Wednesday. The Red Bulls were first on the board when Mike Grella scored on an assist from Roy Miller. However, in the second half, HB Koge answered when Philip Zinckernagel scored a solo goal in the 69th minute to even the score. The game would go on the end in a 1-1 draw.

OKC Energy FC vs. Toronto FC, Group A – Game 4

The final match of the opening day pitted the MLS side Toronto FC, featuring star players Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore who represented the U.S. at the World Cup, against the USL side OKC Energy FC from Oklahoma. The squads played to a stalemate for the first 49 minutes, when in the 50th OKC’s Kyle Grieg found the back of the net on an unassisted goal. That would be all it took, as Energy FC went on to take the win over Toronto, 1-0. With the win, OKC takes the early lead in the Group A standings.

The action resumes on Saturday with matches starting at IMG Academy at 12 pm. For schedule and ticketing information, visit www.imgacademy.com/mls