The first team

Costa Rica brings its regular starters to Gold Cup

By Paul Kennedy, Soccer America

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The sixth Gold Cup kicks off Friday with two games -- Costa Rica-Martinique and Canada-Haiti --at Miami’s Orange Bowl. Here is how the field shapes up:

1. COSTA RICA. The Ticos, runaway winners of last year’s Hexagonal, are the only World Cup finalist to call up all their top players. Star Paulo Wanchope arrives from Manchester City for the quarterfinals. Newcomer Oscar Rojas of Mexican club La Piedad should start Friday night against Martinique in midfield.

2. MEXICO. Javier Aguirre cut a deal with Mexican clubs: He won’t take his domestic stars to the Gold Cup in return for which he’d get them released for World Cup training during the Torneo Verano playoffs in May. Still, don’t be fooled by the tag of a “B” team: The Tri is bringing some good young talent.

3. SOUTH KOREA. Two years ago, South Korea was eliminated by eventual champ Canada on a coin toss. Coach Guus Hiddink won’t have any excuses this time. Only three first-team players are missing for the U.S. opener: injured sweeper Hong Myung Bo and European-based strikers Seol Ki Hyeon and Ahn Jung Hwan. The Koreans fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Wednesday.

4. USA. Kasey Keller, a last-minute addition, is expected to start in goal. He could have his work cut out for him behind a makeshift backline. For youngsters DaMarcus Beasley, Jeff Cunningham, Dan Califf, Carlos Bocanegra and Pablo Mastroeni, January is their chance to work their way into contention for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.

5. ECUADOR. Interest is high in Ecuador, where a crowd of 45,000 turned out in Guayaquil last weekend for its friendly with Guatemala (1-0). Coach Hernan Gomez is not bringing his big guns from Europe -- recent Porto signing Ivan Kaviedes and Southampton pair Kleber Chala and Agustin Delgado -- and veteran playmaker Alex Aguinaga will remain with Mexican Necaxa.

6. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. “We proved to ourselves at the end of the World Cup qualification that we can play against anyone. We are not scared to play against anyone in [CONCACAF],” says T&T coach Rene Simoes. The key player is Stern John, who has broken out at Nottingham Forest (14 goals in the English First Division).

7. CANADA. Only five players who started in Canada’s 2-0 win over Colombia in the 2000 Gold Cup final return: defenders Tony Menezes and Jason DeVos and midfielders Paul Stalteri, Richard Hastings and Jim Brennan. San Jose’s MLS Cup 2001 hero, Dwayne DeRosario, leads the Canadian attack. Sweeper Kevin McKenna, 21, is starting for Scottish club Hearts.

8. GUATEMALA. Guatemala won the 2001 UNCAF Cup title, its first international honor in almost a quarter century. Coach Julio Cesar Cortes has some good attacking talent in Fredy Garcia, Dwight Pezzarossi et Carlos Ruiz, who is being courted by the Galaxy.

9. EL SALVADOR. MLS veterans Jorge Rodriguez (Dallas) and Ronald Cerritos (San Jose) will lead an inexperienced team. Mauricio Cienfuegos (LA) and Raul Diaz Arce (MLS' third-leading scorer all time) have retired from international play. The Salvadorans have never reached the knockout phase of the Gold Cup.

10. HAITI. Argentine coach Jorge Castelli took the 2001 Copa Caribe runners-up to his native Argentina for a long camp last fall. But a 0-0 tie with El Salvador in Fort Lauderdale last December and a last-place finish at a tournament in Martinique in January underscored the work Castelli has ahead of him.

11. MARTINIQUE. The Caribbean island isn’t eligible to play in FIFA competitions -- it’s a French department -- but it plays in CONCACAF events. Coach Saint-Hubert Reine-Adelaide has brought in three French-based players: goalkeeper Eddy Heurlie (Troyes), midfielder Fabrice Reuperne (Reims) and striker Frederic Boniface (Noisy-le-Sec).

12. CUBA. The Cubans, who open Monday against the United States, beat Panama in a playoff to reach the Gold Cup finals. They played Guatemala twice (1-0 loss and 0-0 tie) in Gold Cup warmups. Veteran Peruvian coach Miguel Company says Cuban soccer must return to its roots if it’s to again become a regional power.

 

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