Archive: Costa Rica
Grading the Predictions: Group A
Back on April 14, I did a Group A predictions thread. Figured it would be fun to look back. Here's what I wrote: My picks, in order: 1. Germany. They're not that good, but it's a weak group. 2. Ecuador. I'll pick a slight upset here. Good enough to beat Costa Rica and at least tie Poland. They'd win the group if matches were played at 10,000 feet. 3. Poland. I guess this is who most people will tab as the group runner-up. 4. Costa Rica. I was just reminded that Costa Rica barely made it out of a two-legged prelim vs. Cuba (away-goal tie-breaker needed) in the first stage of CONCACAF qualifying. Of course, Steve Sampson was coaching the Ticos then....
By Jon DeNunzio | June 20, 2006; 12:50 PM ET | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Hey, Aren't You Paolo Wanchope?
From Camille Powell: Sometimes you just stumble upon the World Cup. I went to Munich's central train station tonight at 6:30 to meet Jason for dinner and noticed a large crowd -- which included television cameras -- gathered at one of the tracks. Turns out that Costa Rica was arriving in the city (they face Germany in the opener on Friday night). There was a small group of Ticos fans -- easy to spot because of their jerseys and flags and general excitement -- but the rest of the crowd was made up of people like me, who drifted over to see what the fuss was about. The Costa Rican players got off the train, walked through the crowd (which politely applauded) and headed for their bus. The Costa Rican fans, singing "Ole! Ole, ole, ole, Ti-cos, Ti-cos," followed their team to the bus; the rest of us went on...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 7, 2006; 05:20 PM ET | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Lunchtime Kick-About
Around the world in 40 keystrokes (give or take) ... - Wayne Rooney will sleep in an oxygen tent in an effort to recover more quickly. Reading The Sun online has gotten a Billy Bragg song stuck in my head, btw ... - Other Rooney items of note: Sven-Goran Eriksson could replace him up to 24 hours before England's first match, a second examination is scheduled for Thursday , and the FA is denying a rift between Eriksson and Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. Ferguson: Sven is going on saying he will take the lad and then in six weeks' time he will have another two weeks to get fitter to play in the quarter-final of a World Cup. That is a wild dream. Really it is folly to suggest that the boy could be out of the game for six weeks, then two weeks later go and play in...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 2, 2006; 01:35 PM ET | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Who Do You Like in Group A?
As I said, kind of a slow news day ... so, let's start the predictions. What order do you see the teams in Group A finishing? Some study guides: - Group A analysis from The Post's Steve Goff (written the day of the draw) - Capsule previews of the teams by the BBC: Costa Rica Ecuador Germany Poland All four by The Post. My picks, in order: 1. Germany. They're not that good, but it's a weak group. 2. Ecuador. I'll pick a slight upset here. Good enough to beat Costa Rica and at least tie Poland. They'd win the group if matches were played at 10,000 feet. 3. Poland. I guess this is who most people will tab as the group runner-up. 4. Costa Rica. I was just reminded that Costa Rica barely made it out of a two-legged prelim vs. Cuba (away-goal tie-breaker needed) in the first stage...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 14, 2006; 12:50 PM ET | Comments (28) | TrackBack (0)
