Costa Rica Faces Suriname in Key CONCACAF Nations League Match

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Costa Rica will be hoping to get back to winning ways after last month’s disappointing draw to Guatemala when they travel to Paramaribo to play against Suriname on Friday evening in the CONCACAF Nations League.

Suriname Profile

Situated on the northeastern coast of South America, Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south, French Guiana to the east, and Guyana to the west. Previously known as Dutch Guyana, Suriname is nicknamed “Little United Nations” due to its strong ethnic diversity, including notable populations of African, Indian, Javanese, Chinese, and Indigenous descent.

Although it is geographically part of South America, the former Dutch colony has been a member of CONCACAF since 1968 due to its firm cultural ties to the Caribbean. Despite having a population of just 640,000, Suriname has produced several elite footballers, many of whom have represented the Netherlands national team. Notable players of Surinamese heritage include Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, and Patrick Kluivert.

Sadly, this level of success has seldom been replicated in their own national team, having never qualified for a World Cup and only qualifying for three Gold Cups throughout their history, with their best showing being a 6th place finish at the 1977 edition.

In recent years, Suriname has seen several foreign players (predominantly from the Netherlands) play for the national team due to the country’s open policy regarding naturalization and eligibility rules, which allows players with Surinamese heritage or connections to represent the country. The result is a much higher-quality side, with the likes of Serie A sides Venezia left-back Ridgeciano Haps, Manfred Ugalde’s teammate at Spartak Moscow Myenty Abena, and Sheraldo Becker of La Liga outfit Real Sociedad, all part of the current squad.

Ironically, however, home-grown striker Gleofilo Vlijter is regarded as the nation’s key man. The OFK Beograd man has an impressive 14 goals in 21 caps, making him the country’s all-time top goalscorer, and is a player the Los Ticos defenders must be wary of. Captain and talismanic figure Stefano Denswil will be absent due to a muscle injury.

The home side currently sit third in CONCACAF Nations League A table, two places behind La Sele, after they lost 1-0 away to Guadeloupe in their last fixture. In fact, the defeat was their first in over a year, an unbeaten record dating back six games. A testament to the job coach Stanley Menzo has done since taking the helm in March, with an impressive three victories, one draw, and one defeat in his short tenure. The former Ajax goalkeeper had guided Suriname to three successive victories by a combined margin of 11-2 before the Guadeloupe result.

Costa Rica Team News

In September’s 0-0 draw with Guatemala, interim coach Claudio Vivas rang the changes, bringing in Gerald Taylor, Sebastian Acuna, Manfred Ugalde, and Warren Madrigal for Haxzel Quiros, Alejandro Bran, Alonso Martinez, and Josimar Alcocer. However, given the underwhelming performance following these alterations, he will likely return to a more tried and tested line-up against Suriname.

Possible Starting 11

Sequeira; Mitchell, Vargas, Calvo (C), Quiros, Aguilera, Brenes, Lassiter; Alcocer, Ugalde, Madrigal.

Head-to-Head History

The two countries have faced off six times, with their first encounter taking place in 1960. Costa Rica have come off victorious on every occasion. The last contest was back in 2021 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where La Sele came from behind to win thanks to goals from Joel Campbell and Celso Borges. In fact, Suriname’s joint heaviest-ever defeat came against Los Ticos in 2008, when they lost 7-0 at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá during the qualification process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The match will be at the Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in the country’s capital Paramaribo. The stadium only has a capacity of 3,500, so expect an intimate atmosphere!

Costa Rica is expected to win this tie comfortably, due in part to the vast gap between the two nations in the FIFA rankings, with Suriname currently sitting at 140th, 91 places below Los Ticos. But no away game is easy in international football, and with Suriname’s boost of several high-caliber footballers pledging to play for them, La Sele will need to produce a professional performance to emerge triumphant.

Kick-off is at 20:00 CDT (20:00 UTC−6) on October 11th at Frank Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.

By Isaac Roblett

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