QCostTARICA – The fans threw themselves to the street to bid farewell to the National Team, La Seleccion or Sele, yelling: “let’s go, with everything” and asking it to return with a Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification.
The “oeoeee, ticos, ticos” was not lacking on the team’s path from the Proyecto Goal in San Rafael de Alajuela to the Juan Santamaría International Airport. They also heard “let’s go, yes we can” and others full of energy asked the players not to hold anything back.
The madness started when the “Sele” bus left, everyone chanted “Costa Rica, Costa Rica” and then in cars and motorcycles, many followed the team.
With flags, horns and any device to attract attention, the fans came out to send off the national team.
On the way to their final stop at the Juan Santamaría, the team toured Lindora de Santa Ana; Calle Flors, La Rivera and La Asunción de Belén, Heredia; and Río Segundo de Alajuela and
“We like this, it is an extra energy that drives us to give more. It is everyone’s support, there is a country behind it that wants joy and we hope we can give it to them,” said Kendall Waston.
“All of us in general have that desire, that desire to qualify for another World Cup, those of us who have already played it and the new ones, imagine how they are, with that desire too,” said Oscar Duarte, who made it clear that the commitment is to fight for a spot until the end.
The team left Costa Rica for the 14-hour flight to Qatar, with a stop in Miami, at 12:55 pm. The early arrival – 8 days prior to game day – is to rest up and acclimatize to the heat (44 degrees Celsius Tuesday afternoon according to a live report by Teletica, cooling off from a high of 48 at noon) and time change.
In Doha, Qatar, dozens of Costa Ricans, most of who live in Qatar, went to the Hamad International Airport in Doha to welcome the team.
Missing on the bus was Keylor Navas, who traveled from Europe on his own, meeting up with the team in Qatar.
The team will be holding their first practice in Qatar tonight, Wednesday, most likely around midnight, when temperatures drop to an acceptable level. For the Ticos, it will be like a 3 pm practice.
La Sele plays New Zealand on June 14 in the playoff for a berth at the World Cup 2022 in December.