The Round of 16 is over, the optimism and joyous attacking play of the group stage have given way to the need for ruthless precision and unyielding determination. Though we saw teams depart the tournament in the group stage those are exits we could often see coming, make our peace and begin to figure out […]

The World Cup is well and truly into the business end of the competition. As the dust settles on the round of 16 there’s been no shortage of drama, controversy and talking points. The best South American side playing in yellow is not Brazil; Arjen Robben will be closely scrutinized after admitting his penchant […]

The dream goes on for Costa Rica after defeating Greece on penalty kicks to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. After ending the game at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match seemed destined for penalty kicks. A tense 30-minutes of extra time didn't result in a winner, so the match proceeded […]

Greece and Costa Rica have a fantastic opportunity to make it into the top eight teams in the world with a victory today. Where to watch – Viewers from USA can tune in to these following for the 4 PM EST/1 PM PST kick off • English language: ESPN and WatchESPN • Spanish language: Univision, Univision Deportes Network […]

Costa Rica's Bryan Ruiz scored a crucial goal for the Ticos to go 1-0 ahead against Greece in the World Cup Round of 16 game. Ruiz's goal in the 52nd minute was a soft tap-in from the edge of the area that trickled in to the fat post. While it wasn't the most sensational goal, […]

Greece and Costa Rica have a combined total of just seven victories in the history of the World Cup, with the Central American side qualifying for the first time in 1990 and the Europeans in 1994. Not many expected either one of them to reach the quarter finals but after today’s match in the Arena […]

For England, there's not much left except pride and a chance to watch a young England team against an exciting, up-and-coming Costa Rica team. First the TV news and starting lineups: • English language: ESPN2 and WatchESPN • Spanish language: UniMás, Galavision and Univision online • Portuguese language: ESPN Deportes or ESPN Deportes+ Starting lineups: England: Foster, Jones, Cahill, Smalling, […]

So you plan on watching Italy versus Uruguay today, eh? Fancy a match with some actual stakes? You won’t even take a peek at the dead rubber between England and Costa Rica? No interest at all in an underachieving England squad making its earliest World Cup exit since 1958? But Italy and Uruguay are only […]

The final games in Group D take place tomorrow and both sides in this fixture find themselves in a somewhat unexpected situation. Costa Rica go into the match-up with no pressure after winning convincingly and playing fast tempo, pressing football in their opening group games against Uruguay and Italy. They employ an attractive attacking mentality […]

As I wrote my recent article on five reasons Italy should be afraid of Costa Rica, even I had a hard time not considering the Azzurri the heavy favorites in the match.  They had turned back an England side that looked better than recent Three Lions teams and showed few of the weaknesses that had […]

Former Fulham player Brian Ruiz hammered the final nail in England's coffin earlier today during a shocking 1-0 victory over a one-dimensional Italian side. It is now impossible for the Three Lions to qualify for the last 16 of the tournament. Costa Rica have been the embodiment of this year's World Cup spirit and surprised […]

It was supposed to be an easy match for Italy. The match that would have sent the Azzurri straight into the last 16 of the World Cup. In the end, Costa Rica surprisingly qualified to the Round of 16 and, as a result, sent England out of the World Cup. The Central Americans eventually won […]

Twenty four years ago on this day, Costa Rica beat Scotland to advance to the Round of 16 at Italia ’90. Fittingly, on the same June 20th on the calendar, Costa Rica produced another historic scalp. Costa Rica, a team with players mainly based in Scandinavia and the domestic league, has produced something amazing that […]

It’s over too soon for England. A 2-1 loss to Uruguay in Sao Paolo coupled with a shock Costa Rica win against Italy means that England are out of the World Cup before they've even played their third and final game. Against Uruguay, England battled – again – and were letdown – again – by […]

In a first half where Costa Rica outplayed Italy, the Ticos took a deserved 1-0 victory before half-time with a beautifully taken header by Bryan Ruiz that hit the crossbar, bounced over the line and back out on to the field of play. In real time, it was inconclusive whether the ball crossed the line […]