Costa Rica national football team at the 2006 Football World Cup

by user Bobo

Most of what Costa Rica achieved today can be attributed to Yugoslavian Bora Milutinović, the exceptional national-level coach, who in the last 20 years has been at the head of Mexico in 1986, Costa Rica in 1990, the United States, Nigeria and China in the ensuing three world cups, and, until 2004, in Honduras.

Most Americans won't recognize him by name, but the former MetroStars coach will go down in history as the man to guide an American soccer team to the worst MLS record in league history. Regardless of his lack of success at club level, his record-setting national team records cannot be disputed.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup these days doesn't count for much. That's a pity, because Costa Rica's record in this competition is mostly very impressive. In the last four competitions, the worst they have managed is getting into the quarterfinals. And though their team doesn't consist of a great number of household names, Winston Parks and Jervis Drummond deserve some recognition as great players.

And it's impossible for even the coldest of hearts to say that Costa Rica don't deserve recognition for these achievements. However, with both Germany and Poland in their group, my personal belief is that the best they can do is come second by beating either of these teams. Their World Cup record... spotty, to say the least. They've never made it past the second round. Maybe now is the time for them to prove their true worth.