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A peek at Costa Rica’s new national stadium

The U.S. national team and its fans are well aware of the cauldron that is Estadio Saprissa, Costa Rica's former national soccer stadium and a location the U.S. national team never did win a match in.

The next time the United States plays Costa Rica, it will face the Ticos at a brand-new multi-million dollar facility set for completion in March of 2011. Located in the Western San Jose suburb of La Sabana, the 35,000-seat Estadio Nacional is promising to be one of the best stadiums in the CONCACAF region, and while it won't have the intimidation factor of Estadio Saprissa, Costa Rican fans aren't likely to complain about the beautiful new building.

Here is a closer look at the stadium, which is well on its way to being completed (the full report is in Spanish, but the images in the beginning of the piece provide a great look):

You can find more info on the new stadium here.

Getting a little stadium envy? Excited at the prospect of visiting the new stadium one day? Hoping Costa Rica invites the United States to open the venue next year?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Awww…Gator fans are always so obnoxious. First off, they play the game in Jacksonville not in Athens, except in 1995.

    Secondly I love the selective memory. Did UF’s football team only start playing in 1990 or did you forget about all those butt kickings pre 1990 by UGA including one that finished 75-0.

    BTW – Even with all of Florida’s recent success UGa still leads the overall series by 9 games. So yo might want to hold off on the wise comments for another decade at least.

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  2. Yep! And did you know that the toothbrush was created at the University of Florida? If had it been invented anywhere else, it would be called a “teethbrush” (and oldie but a goodie).

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  3. Not for nothing but Red Bull Arena is still better. Estadio Omnilife is probably the best stadium in Concacaf followed by Red Bull Arena and then the new Costa Rica stadium. People can even make an argument about Estadio Azteca, yes its old but it is Estadio Azteca.

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  4. Yeah, China convinced Costa Rica to get rid of diplomatic ties with Taiwan in exchange for building the stadium.

    Since then building materials meant for the stadium have mysteriously been transfered to other projects. Also, the company building the stadium has got in a big fight with the government over how many Chinese workers they can bring in to build a series of condominiums they also have a contract for.

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  5. Total stadium envy…but then I’m a DC United supporter so there are high schools whose stadiums make me jealous. 🙁

    Maybe China and the District of Columbia can sign a trade pact that gets us a stadium, too.

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  6. This stadium, at La Sabana, was home to Costa Rica’s national team up until the late 1980s…concerts were mostly the principal use of the old stadium during the 1990s. La Sabana is San Jose’s “Central Park”, but due to some concerns over pickpockets and small crime in the park…and the age of the old stadium…national games first moved to the Morera Soto in Alajuela, then to Saprissa’s stadium in Tibas. The only reason they stuck with Saprissa was that it offered more of a hostile environment than Alajuela, and the elevation in Tibas was higher (plus it’s colder): an advantage against most CONCACAF teams.

    Based on the buildings in the background, the new national stadium looks to be near (or on) the same site as the old national stadium.

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  7. If you knew Spanish, you would have caught that the gap between the stands and track is there to deter people from invading the pitch, and no wires/gates will be erected.

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  8. looks like it’s gonna be a nice stadium but was dissapointed to hear in the video that they are gonna put track around the soccer pitch for track n field.

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  9. Any chance of an in depth article about why it’s being funded by the Chinese government? I looked it up on Wikipedia, but there really wasn’t much about it. Seems like it could be an interesting angle on the story.

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  10. At what point during the construction stage do the wires/gates go up around the stands to protect the players? My guess would be last.

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  11. Well geographically it makes sense for us to get involved in Latin America. Perhaps China is expanding their control from over the Panama Canal to now Costa Rican Soccer stadiums. Next, they will be running supermarkets in Mexico.

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  12. Think it’s absolutely gorgeous. Digging the very informative walk thru, presently under construction SSS’s & Rosetti Architects everywhere take note. The view from the top of the arching roof is awesome. Impressed by the modern features like the built to absorb the movement of an 8.5 level earthquake rooftop joints and the laser guided ground leveling. Hope it sets off stadium construction in rival countries, including our own. Because on first look, this looks like the sweetest SSS in all of CONCACAF. Felicidades y pura vida Costa Rica! Hope we’re able to win down there now 😉

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  13. Thank God there will be real grass. That astro turf they’ve been playing on was awful. Maybe we’ll actually have a chance at winning down there now since the game won’t be played on carpet anymore.

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  14. This is not conservative hyperbole BUT this stadium was built and paid for by China. I find it odd that they feel it necessary to be involved in a small, Central American country.

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  15. Glad we won’t have to play at Saprissa any more. New stadium looks to have much less of a home field advantage — seems less confined, more open, etc.

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  16. The stadium looks nice. It would be interesting to attend a match there. It will seat 35,000?

    So the Chinese government is funding the multi-million dollar project under a new trade agreement signed recently with Costa Rica? Interesting!

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  17. Looks a little better than most MLS SSS, which either says that the American stadiums are really class, relatively speaking. Or that the Costa Rican luxury isn’t much, relatively speaking.

    Regardless, I’d love to attend in person.

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