It didn’t go well for the Ticos last night, in the last of the three games in the opening round of the Copa Oro (CONCACAF Gold Cup), Costa Rica’s national team losing to Haiti 2-1 at Harrison, N.J.
The loss means Costa Rica wound up second in Group B and will meet Mexico instead of Canada on Saturday in quarterfinal play at the NRG Stadium in Houston. Game time is 8:30 pm Costa Rica time.
Monday night, Costa Rica grabbed a lead in the 14th minute thanks to an Alexis own goal, but Haiti’s Duckens Nazon evened the score in the 57th minute on a penalty kick. On the decisive play, Derrick Etienne drove the ball down the left flank. He sent a short pass to Alex Christian to the far side of the penalty area, where Alexis fired in a shot in the top right corner.
To give you an idea what the Ticos face:
- Mexicans tend to fill stadiums when their team plays on American soil. A boost for any team.
- The Mexican national team, under the direction of Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, has gone 7 games without a loss.
- The Ticos won’t have Keylor Navas in the net. He is vacationing in Guanacaste with Madrid pal Sergio Ramos.
