At the CONCACAF Women's Championship being decided in the United States, the National Women's Football Team of Costa Rica are shining very bright on their way to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada. They are not only undefeated but also scoring at will, and they are looking strong going to the semifinals against their next rival, the national team of Trinidad and Tobago. Of special note in this rout...

Once again, Las Ticas have made their country proud with a 2 -1 victory against their Jamaican counterparts in Illinois. Shirley Cruz once again proved why she is one of the best professional female strikers in the world, and Raquel Rodriguez put the final and swift kick to advance our national team to the CONCACAF semifinals on the road to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada. A word of caution: Our...

In Kansas City last night, the Costa Rica National Women’s Football Team, fondly known as Las Ticas, proved that they are ready to bring back as much glory as their male counterparts by getting one step closer to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada. The following video and press release courtesy of CONCACAF: http://youtu.be/VN_V_5ChZRw KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- Costa Rica scored an early goal and...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL Over the last few days, the National Men’s Football Team of Costa Rica, more commonly known as La Sele, has asserted Costa Rica’s rightful rank as one of the top nations playing the world’s most popular sport. The hasty and complicated departure of coach Jorge Luis Pinto, labeled as FIFA as the leader who made Costa Rica fly at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, left doubts in th...

Source: CONCACAF Following a lengthy period of air travel that lasted nearly 24 hours, the National Men's Football Team of Costa Rica, affectionately known as “La Sele,” arrived in the oil-rich Sultanate of Oman, a nation that is strategically located along the southern and eastern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula. La Sele may be a long way from home, but at least one star player was not able t...

The National Men's Football Team of Costa Rica, affectionately known as “La Sele,” is looking to justify the all-time high FIFA ranking, currently at the 15th position, by scoring victories against the national teams of Oman and South Korea in October.   Following La Sele's surprising performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and after securing the Central American Cup, expectati...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Starting next year, a television and mixed martial arts (MMA) event production company based in Spain will commence donating a portion of its profits towards the acquisition of books and computers as well as for the construction of small schools in Costa Rica and other nations. The company is Batalla MMA Fight Entertainment, and the proceeds donated will be managed by...

One of the most popular video game franchises in the world recently released its new version and gives a slight nod to the incredible progress that Costa Rica has made on the international football scene. As reported by Zacks Equity Research and Yahoo Finance, Electronic Arts' (EA) FIFA 15 is now leading the video game sales charts in the United Kingdom, with retail purchases making up to 80 perce...

Alvaro Saborío. Source: Twitter Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States is a professional football league that is growing very quickly. Many First Division players from Costa Rica are attracted to the MLS for its commitment to constantly develop, its style and pace of play, and its lucrative wages. A total of eight Ticos are currently playing in the MLS, and talented striker Alvaro Sabo...

Ronaldinho with former Prtesident Lula. Wikimedia Commons. Football fans, public officials and politicians in Mexico reacted swiftly to brazen, racist comments made by a former Secretary of Social Development in the populous State of Querétaro. Carlos Manuel Treviño no longer has a political future after he posted a Facebook update calling Brazilian football star Ronaldinho a “simian.” The mor...

Once again, the National Men's Football Team of Costa Rica (La Sele) is crowned champion of Central America. Read about this important victory here and learn about what's ahead for Costa Rica in terms of international tournaments. Below you will find a video summary of the match uploaded by popular sports media website EverardoHerrera.com   http://youtu.be/2LYObEKMkBA    ...

Image source: CONCACAF With a final score of 2-1 against Guatemala, the players National Men's Footbal Team of Costa Rica (affectionately known as La Sele) have once again proven that they are the best in Central America and one of the strongest teams in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).   The match took place at the Los Ange...

Statement from Carlos: The media in Costa Rica supports me a lot… and it was amazing; I couldn’t believe it how so people were voting… All the soccer players put me on Instagram. All the people on radio, TV… everybody and people in Latin America, Europe, Brazil, here, and in Hawaii… I got so many people, so many good vibes and they gave me a chance to compete here and I am so happy for that. ...

Source: Carloz Munoz Facebook UPDATE: Carlos Muñoz surprised everyone on the beach at Trestles with an amazing performance (WATCH!) during his heat against Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina, who happens to be the current World Championship Tour champ. In just seconds, attacked a long right that stoked the crowd and earned him a quick seven points to pull a huge upset and win the heat. Costa Rica...

Source: CONCACAF Goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton and striker Johan Venegas were the heroes of Sunday's match between the National Men's Football Teams of Costa Rica and Panama. These two Afro-Costa Rican players hail from the Caribbean province of Limon, and their outstanding performances at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas kept hopes alive for La Sele in the Tigo Central American Cup (UNCAF). ...

Source: CONCACAF As widely expected, the National Men's Football Team of Costa Rica, affectionately known as La Sele, shutout their Nicaraguan counterparts by a score of 3-0 at the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Stadium in the District of Columbia. This was the first match for both teams in the Tigo Central American Cup (UNCAF), a regional tournament that is being played as a warm-up to the upcoming ...

Source: PerroCross.com Just three hours after an early morning earthquake disrupted the sleep of many people in Costa Rica, more than 300 dogs and their masters gathered at Campamento (Campgrounds) Oikoumene in Ochomogo, province of Cartago, for a special athletic competition. In the end, the experienced canine-human pair of Alexander Alvarado, a 33-year old Tico, and Togo, an adult Rhodesian ...

  Source: Wikimedia Commons During a visit to the Caribbean region of Costa Rica in August, President Luis Guillermo Solis stopped in Puerto Viejo and explained his position on the lionfish (scorpaenid, from the genus Pterois): “This is a very aggressive species that goes after native marine life, which affects the local fishing economy.” According to Fabio Mena from online news daily...

LDA celebrates a recent victory. Source: CONCACAF It has been a great week for First Division football clubs from Costa Rica during the current CONCACAF Champions League. The top three clubs as determined by the most recently completed national tournaments are leading their respective groups in a series of matches that could lead them to the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, which will be hosted by Mo...

The morning spent with Kayak Jaco was a highlight of my month. Guides Wilbur and Jacob taught the group the basics of paddling, with Kayak Jaco’s homemade, bamboo paddles, prior to pushing off for a three-hour journey that exceeded my every expectation! Playa Agujas, the beach of origin, has gorgeous green-blue flat water that begged an invitation. After the guides assisted the five of us into the...

Still the champ: Tiquito Vasquez The first undercard fight of the long-awaited and multimillion dollar rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley featured veteran boxer Bryan “Tiquito” Vasquez of Costa Rica, who did not disappoint in his defense of the interim super welterweight title of the World Boxing Association. Tiquito won against Mexican fighter Jose Felix Jr by unanimous decisi...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The National Men's Football Teams of Costa Rica and Mexico have chosen their respective training facilities ahead of the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although both teams will be hosted by Santos FC, Mexico chose the magnificent Rei Pele (Pele the King) training center, which features a state-of-the-art gym and two modern pitches. Costa Rica, on the other hand, will ...

Leilani McGonagle. Source: FEDESURF CR The Surfing Federation of Costa Rica recently announced the young members of the National Team that will be traveling to Ecuador to compete in the 2014 World Junior Surfing Championship, organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and sponsored by VISSLA, a new brand of surfing and clothing accessories. ISA World Championships are largely con...

Source: FIFA On Tuesday night, tears flowed once again at the Chinese-donated National Stadium in La Sabana Metropolitan Park as the U-17 Women’s National Team of Costa Rica fell to their superior counterparts from Italy. The 0-1 loss marks the end of the line for the young players, who will not be able to advance to the second round of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. For the second game i...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL With international matches played in Guanacaste, San Jose and Alajuela on Saturday and Sunday, Costa Rica has thus far proven to be a worthy and gracious host of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football fans around the world are enjoying the exciting matches and locals are finding out that great football is not limited to First Division and Men's National Team play. “These...

Badge of the Green Army Someone seems to have gotten their Irelands mixed up at the Costa Rican Football Federation (Spanish acronym: FEDEFUTBOL) earlier this week. In announcing an upcoming friendly match for the National Men's Football Team of Costa Rica, the FEDEFUTBOL website displayed the crest of the Irish Football Association, a regulatory sporting body of Northern Ireland, while making...

Source: Ronald McDonald House Costa Rica. The Costa Rican chapter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities is proud to announce the 14th edition of its classic Charitable Golf Tournament. This event has become the main fund raiser to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the Ronald McDonald House in Costa Rica, which opened in 2012. The stroke-play, 18-hole tournament will take place a...

Costa Rica’s fourth 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit competition is coming March 15 and 16 to the beautiful south Pacific beach of Dominical. The Marley Cup will be held in front of the well-known Tortilla Flats beachfront restaurant and bar at Dominical. The competition is named for principal sponsor House of Marley, which sells earth-friendly products inspired by legendary reggae singer Bob...

Costa Rica U-17 team and coach. The biggest football event ever organized in Costa Rica will not be broadcast in its entirety by local television stations. TV networks Repretel and Teletica have announced that they will only show a few of the football matches of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which will be held at stadiums in Alajuela, Liberia and San Jose. Teletica will carry some of the...

Source: FEDESURF Costa Rica. Geovanny Vega Espinoza from Guanacaste won his second consecutive title after dominating in the 4.5 and 9 kilometer stand-up paddle (SUP) board races in Tamarindo Beach. Some of the best SUP action in Costa Rica takes place during the SurfTech 2014 Stand-Up Paddle National Circuit, and the most exciting races typically take place in Guanacaste, which is on its way ...

Alvaro Saborio Hello haters. It's time to put down those frosty bottles of Haterade and sing a song that you should have learned back in October when the National Football Team of Costa Rica played the National Football Team of Mexico and won the final qualifier match before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In case you have forgotten, the lyrics below should be sung to the tune of the nurser...

Edgardo Baltodano Briceno football stadium in Liberia, GuanacasteThe Edgardo Baltodano Briceno football stadium in Liberia, province of Guanacaste, is now ready to make Costa Rica the proud host of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Stadium staff recently announced that they have completed putting the final touches on the illumination system for night matches, which will actually exceed FIFA r...

Former Crest of Liberia Mia Football Club A mystery surrounds the discovery of the lifeless body of Julio Cesar Sotela Canales, a Guanacaste native known as an athlete, entrepreneur and former owner of the Liberia Mia football team. The late Mr. Sotela was found on the banks of the Colorado River, apparently the victim of a brutal beating that has shocked football fans in Guanacaste and across...

Residents of Guanacaste, start your engines. The loud roar you hear is the sound of Costa Rica's future racetrack at Finca La Ponderosa in Bagaces, about 24 kilometers away from the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia (LIR). According to a recent news article by Ariel Chaves Gonzalez of Diario Extra, racing could begin later this year. It has been a few months since Costa Rica's days...

Playa Guiones in Guanacaste is often considered to have the most consistent surf conditions in Costa Rica; however, that was not the case last week as the 2014 Olympus National Circuit rolled into town. Conditions were sloppy and less than ideal for a high-caliber surfing tournament, particularly for Caribbean power surfers such as Gilbert Brown. Notwithstanding, Brown's experience prevailed in de...

In late December, the Costa Rica Golf Federation held a special event at the Cariari Country Club. More than 30 golf instructors received special training to achieve the standards of the United States Kids' Golf Certified Instructor Seminar. The ultimate goal of this training is to grow the sport at the junior level in Costa Rica and eventually become an official destination of the U.S. Kids' Golf...

For a couple of years now, the sport of tennis has been making inroads in the Nosara community, and now a couple of developers are stepping it up a notch, although not everyone is happy to see courts being built in the heart of Playa Guiones. In Esperanza, in Villas Esperanza, known as the 506 tennis center, Sam Carver is developing a tennis community with 12 homes planned. He believes that suc...

Source: Rugby Federation of Costa Rica In a heart-stopping final qualification game, the National Men's Rubgy Team of Costa Rica was able to secure two tickets: One to Mexico for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz later this year, and the other to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The rugby sevens match between the national teams of Costa Rica and Guat...

He takes me by the hand, guiding me gently through the water so I feel safe and I’m breathing fairly calmly. He points out a puffer fish, trying to catch it’s tail as it speeds away. Then he reaches down to pick up a bright blue starfish and hands it to me. Later he hands me a conch shell and a red sea snail peaks out timidly. I don’t feel like the Little Mermaid exactly; after all, I’ve got a tan...

The 21st century has proven difficult for professional football development in Guanacaste, but things seem to be improving for the northern province. Two local teams from the province are among the best performers in the development football league of Costa Rica, previously known as the Second Division. Should the Guanacaste Sporting Association or the Liberia Municipal Team continue playing a...