Costa Rica will be seeking a second-straight win to end its World Cup Qualifying schedule this month on Wednesday in Columbus, but will be without two of its veteran attackers.
The Costa Rican Football Federation announced Monday that winger Joel Campbell and forward Jose Ortiz will not travel to Ohio for Wednesday’s clash with the U.S. men’s national team. Campbell suffered an ankle sprain in Sunday’s 2-1 comeback win over El Salvador while Ortiz tested positive for COVID-19.
Christian Bolaños and Álvaro Saborío have been called into the squad replacing Campbell and Ortiz respectively for the national team’s third and final qualifying match this month. Bolanos, 37, currently plays for his native Deportivo Saprissa and has totaled 86 caps and six goals for Los Ticos.
The 39-year-old Saborio has scored 36 goals in 111 caps for Costa Rica and remains under contact at club level for San Carlos in his native country. Both Bolanos and Saborio will be familiar with some of the current USMNT roster due to their combined six years in MLS during their careers.
Costa Rica claimed its first victory of the octagonal round on Sunday, using goals from Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges to defeat El Salvador 2-1 in San Jose. Los Ticos would finish the round tied on eight points with the USMNT, should it claim a first road win of the new cycle.
The Americans have lost their last three World Cup Qualifiers to Costa Rica, last defeating them in March 2013.
I can’t find a game where they played each other, but Saborio is old enough that he played in the same WC cycle as Claudio Reyna in 2006. Too bad Gio’s missing this one!
Claudio was injured pretty much that whole cycle so they would not have faced each other. He just missed Berhalter as well. Gregg dressed but did not play in the first qualifier with CR in 2005 (Saborio not called) and played in Sept. window but was not called for the October window when Saborio started against the US.