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After drawing a goalless home match against Paraguay, the National Men’s Football Team of Costa Rica, affectionately known to fans as La Sele, is now in Panama for another international friendly match. Manager Paulo Wanchope decided to allow World Cup-caliber players to grace the pitch of the Chinese-donated National Stadium against Paraguay: against the National Football Team of Panama, however, the starting lineup will be decidedly different.
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas of the stellar Real Madrid football club will not start against Panama; that position will be the responsibility of Esteban Alvarado of the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. Star defender Oscar Duarte, who plays in Belgium, will not take part in this match due to injury.
Coach Wanchope will give a few other young players an opportunity to start getting acquainted with playing with the veterans of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Nonetheless, Mr. Wanchope does not expect an easy match against Panama, a team that is surging within CONCACAF.
Costa Rica arrives in Panama with a streak of 13 matches without losing, and this is something that many national teams around the world would like to change. For Panama, a victory against the celebrated team from Costa Rica would be a well-deserved gift to the loyal football fans, who have been very supportive of their National Team in a country where the major spectator sports are baseball and basketball.
Team captain Bryan Ruiz is well aware about Panama’s intentions to gain respect at the CONCACAF level, particularly at a time when national teams across the region are getting ready for the Gold Cup, which will be played in the United States and Canada later this year. Mr. Ruiz, who plays for the celebrated Fulham of the Barclays Premier League in England, believes that Panama is looking to take advantage of the alternate starting lineup, which is compensating in terms of training and injuries.
The match will take place at the National Stadium of Panama at 7:00 pm (Costa Rica time) on Tuesday, March 31st.
Source: Deportivas Columbia 98.7 FM
