Photo by John Todd/ISIPhotos.com
By CAITLIN MURRAY
For the first time ever, Costa Rica will play in a World Cup quarterfinals. But the historical context is even larger as the nation will be the first from Central America to advance to that stage of the tournament. Living up to the drama of the first round, Brazil 2014 again delivered a nail-biter Sunday as Greece equalized in stoppage time to carry the game all the way to PKs, where Costa Rica sealed the win. For fellow CONCACAF nation Mexico, the Round of 16 was the end of the road as a controversial PK forced by the Dutch allowed a tie to slip away.
As the U.S Men’s National Team takes some time to reflect on a successful run so far — with SBI’s Franco Panizo hearing from DeMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley in Brazil this weekend — a stateside Landon Donovan got honest. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Donovan admitted that, after coach Jurgen Klinsmann surprisingly cut Donovan from the squad, the Los Angeles Galaxy striker was hoping the team would struggle before making peace with the situation and giving the team his support.
And Kaka is coming soon. The Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday that Kaka has opted out of his contract with AC Milan to sign with Orlando City SC when they join Major League Soccer next year. An official announcement is expected Tuesday.
Here is a rundown of all the stories featured on SBI today:
U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Donovan admits to having initial bitterness towards USMNT after controversial cut
History-making Beasley draws praise at his fourth World Cup
Bradley looking to step up his World Cup form vs. Belgium
WORLD CUP
Greece equalizes late, but Costa Rica advances on penalty kicks
SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Keylor Navas
Netherlands pulls off incredible comeback to dispatch Mexico
SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Dirk Kuyt
Geiger to become first American to ref in World Cup knockout rounds
World Cup Round of 16: Your Running Commentary
World Cup Round of 16: A Look Ahead
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Report: Kaka completes Orlando City deal, arrives Monday
McInerney stars for Impact as they rout Dynamo
Crew, FC Dallas end in stalemate in hot, muggy conditions
EUROPEAN SOCCER
Report: Gyau set for move to Borussia Dortmund II
All seems right with the world. Mexico is out and Rafa Marquez is to blame!
Although it was only a 16 team tournament for the World Cup in 1970 (Mexico), the Mexican team advanced to the quarter-finals. So technically Costa Rica will be the second team to advance as far.
Technically Central America only refers to seven countries between North America South America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Mexico is considered to be part of North America.
Touché. Technically speaking you are correct. However there are locations in Mexico further south than Belize and Guatemala.
MUST-SEE SALVAGE ATTEMPT: FattyMatty
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Nah… Geography is taught as if the continents had bright red lines on the borders. The line between Europe and Asia is obviously a matter of perspective for folks living over here who look at a map. But for folks in Europe, it’s just as hard to figure out where Central America begins and ends, on either the Southern or Northern sides. To complicate things, Panama is considered S America for most political organizations, and there’s a bunch of international orgs that include “Central America AND Panama.”