PHILADELPHIA – For Costa Rica head coach Paulo Wanchope, the sky is the limit for his talented Tico team.
The Costa Rican legend took over for former head coach Jorge Luis Pinto on an interim basis after the 2014 World Cup, and was officially named to replace him at the end of January. Under Wanchope, Costa Rica have already won one tournament, the 2014 Copa Centroamericana, and he thinks the Gold Cup could be next.
“Yes, I think it’s a realistic goal for us, because of what we’ve done in the World Cup,” Wanchope told reporters after the draw. “We know that with these players, even though they are young players, they are great players. So, we will work to achieve that for Costa Rica.”
Costa Rica came closest to winning the tournament in 2002. That team won its group, then defeated Haiti 2-1 in the quarterfinals and eventual World Cup semifinalists South Korea 3-1 in the semifinals, before being felled by the United States 2-0 in the final. Since then, the Ticos’ performance in the tournament has see-sawed, but recent performances have Wanchope thinking the team, a quarterfinalist in the 2014 World Cup, is on the ascendancy.
“Look, we will play game by game. Each game, we’ll work on the details of every game, in order to reach the finals,” he continued. “You know, Costa Rica — the nearest that we came to winning the tournament was 2002. Now, with these young players, they’re good players, and I think we have a great chance to win it."
Despite his belief in his players, Wanchope – who finished his career with a half-season stint for the Chicago Fire in 2007– is clear that there’s still work to be done. And he’s fully aware that with continued success, Costa Rica goes from being the hunter to being the hunted.
“I think we are convinced – I am convinced – that we have space to go farther, you know, to improve our game," said the 38-year-old. “I know for sure that every game that Costa Rica plays from now on, it’ll be even tougher, but we will do everything we can to win this tournament."
Costa Rica begin group play on July 8 at the Stub Hub Center in Los Angeles, against Jamaica. They then play El Salvador at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, before wrapping up group play against Canada in Toronto’s BMO Field, in front of what is certain to be a raucous home crowd.
If Wanchope’s estimation of his squad is on point, that game should be academic, yet will provide the kind of crucible needed to see if Costa Rica is ready to stand with Mexico and the United States as CONCACAF heavyweights – or if their recent performance was a mirage.
