COUNTDOWN 14: Costa Rica rest faint hopes on Ruiz and Campbell

It is hard enough imagining your country in the World Cup’s ‘Group of Death’ and it is heartbreaking to know your country is actually in it. That is the feeling among Costa Rican fans ahead of Brazil 2014.

However, if the Central American country will achieve a sweet escape, they will need Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell at their very best.

A speedy attacker who plays either as a striker or winger, 21-year-old Campbell joined Olympiakos on loan from English FA Cup winners Arsenal and scored 8 goals in 32 appearances. Similarly, he has scored 9 goals in 31 international matches since his debut in 2011.

Captain Ruiz, on the other hand, is more of a technically gifted player. With the ball at his feet, he can produce moments of outstanding vision, creativity and dribbling ability that make him the focal point of Costa Rica’s attacking plays.

Both Ruiz and Campbell played crucial roles during the qualifying campaign, scoring three goals each, and playing vital parts in their important 3-1 win over the United States of America.

Costa Rica have a short World Cup history, but still savour a memorable maiden appearance. Los Ticos achieved their best performance of round-of-16 qualification during their first appearance on the world stage at Italia ’90, defeating Sweden and Scotland in the process.

Two more appearances in 2002 and 2006 ended in group-stage exits but they are back in the World Cup after missing the cut in 2010, and the man saddled with rekindling the country’s glory days of 1990 is Jorge Luis Pinto.

Matching the achievement of 1990 boss, Bora Milutinovic will be a hard one, as they have found themselves in a group that contains Italy, Uruguay and England. However, Pinto, 61, who is in his second stint as Costa Rica boss has been a success, basing his team on a three-man strong backline and an efficient attack.

Apart from the aforementioned attacking duo and reliable stopper Keilor Navas who has shown his prowess in the Spanish La Liga with Levante, the squad is relatively unknown, most of the members plying their trade on the continent. Success of this team will therefore depend on how well coach Pinto can pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

Strength

The three-man defence and two mostly-defending full backs is a tactic coach Pinto used to maximum effect during the qualifiers, and this helped them achieve the best defensive record in the continental qualifying system. The team is also good on crosses, scoring a handful of them; and this adds to their attacking prowess.

Weakness

A situation in which one or both of Ruiz and Campbell does not click in a game could have dire consequences, as stats show that they fail to score in over a quarter of matches in which such a scenario played out. Also, a highly defensive approach could result in this. The backline also suffers from proper reading of the game, especially on lofted passes, which exposes the goalkeeper.

Last Line

In a group consisting of Italy, England and Uruguay, attacking will see them punished, while defending deep will give the opposition the initiative to pelt them with waves of attack. Sitting on the fence won’t do them any good either; therefore, there is no hope for this team in a long shot.