World Cup Fever

Set your alarm

Unfortunately for fans (and sports bars) in Tiquicia, the Ticos’ first two games will begin at 6 a.m. Costa Rica time. They play Serbia on June 17 in Samara, Russia, and then face Brazil on June 22 in St. Petersburg. (The game against Switzerland on June 27 in Nizhny Novgorod will be at noon Costa Rica time, so don’t be surprised if the entire country takes the world’s longest lunch break.)

The timeline presents a problem for sports bars and other venues that would normally be packed wall-to-wall with screaming fans swilling beers. In most places it’s illegal to sell alcohol before 11 a.m., and many fans may be disinclined to toast their team with a cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice. (Maybe bring a flask?)

Time zones were not a big problem four years ago, as most of Brazil is just three hours ahead of Costa Rica. World Cup 2014 was a huge money-maker here for bars and big TVs. This year, probably not so much.

But maybe it’s good practice for 2022 in Qatar, which is in the same time zone as Moscow.

‘Fan’ is short for ‘fanatic’

Two fans who will be going to Russia this month are Juan Carlos Ruiz, 40, and Manfred Robert, 43, of Playas del Coco — and they should be easy to spot in the stands in their red-white-andblue face and body paint.

Juan Carlos said he learned to paint his body from a man who paints naked women (good work if you can get it). At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Juan Carlos posed for a photo with former president Oscar Arias and got paint on the Nobel laureate’s fancy jacket.

“Costa Rica was the sensation of the World Cup,” said Juan Carlos, “because they beat the ‘Group of Death,’ against England, Italy and Uruguay — all world champions.”

Juan Carlos and Manfred went to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, and they’ll be spending three weeks in Russia this year with a group of 16 friends. In 2022, they say, they’ll be there for the World Cup in Qatar, too.

“Brazil was madness,” said Manfred. “We were the Madonna.”

Juan Carlos and Manfred already have paid around $5,000 each in fixed costs, and they’re looking at spending a total of about $10,000, “counting fiesta.”

So what drives this kind of fandom?

A lifelong passion

“It’s a passion, since we were little, the passion for football,” said Manfred. “You live football since you’re little, in grade school, in high school, in the neighborhood. To play football all you need is a ball, and it can be made out of paper. So it’s a sport that is very, very popular here in Costa Rica.”

The fútbol fans will be skipping the first game, with Serbia, but will be there to watch the Ticos play Brazil.

“Sincerely and realistically, I predict an honorable loss,” said Juan Carlos. “We need to beat either Serbia or Switzerland, and at least tie with the other.”

The pals will also be there for the game against Switzerland. If Costa Rica advances, they probably would play the winner of four-time world champion Germany vs. Mexico. Do you believe in miracles?

“The experience of a World Cup is … it’s better than the Olympics,” said Manfred. “It’s like going to the Super Bowl, but every day for a month.”

Team Tico

What Are Their Chances?

We asked Elliott Almond, a sportswriter who covers soccer for California’s Bay Area News Group, to review Costa Rica’s past and present pursuit of World Cup glory. Elliott has been all over Costa Rica, is friends with Marcos Ureña, speaks pretty good Spanish and cheers in his heart when the Ticos are playing.

Costa Rica had a promising World Cup finals debut in 1990 in Italy, where the Ticos defeated Scotland and Sweden to advance out of group play with Brazil. But Czechoslovakia eliminated Costa Rica 4-1 in the first stage of the knockout rounds.

Costa Rica didn’t return to the tournament until 2002, where it again drew Brazil in group play. It lost to the South American powerhouse and drew against Turkey but was unable to advance. Four years later, the Ticos lost all three group games, including one with eventual champion Germany.

The team failed to advance to the 2010 finals in South Africa. But everything fell into place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

No one gave Costa Rica a chance when drawing world champions Uruguay, Italy and England in 2014’s “Group of Death.” However, it won the group with victories over Uruguay and Italy and a scoreless draw against England.

Costa Rica advanced to the quarterfinals, losing in a penalty shootout 4-3 to highly regarded Netherlands. Chances in Russia

It’s going to be difficult for No. 25-ranked Costa Rica to duplicate its stunning performance in Brazil four years ago. Few give the Ticos much chance of reaching the knockout rounds from Group E, where they will play Serbia, Brazil and Switzerland.

“You never know,” said midfielder Anibal Godoy, who helped Panama qualify for its first World Cup finals. “They have so much experience for this World Cup. Now they have more confidence. Maybe if they play like last time it is possible to have something good for them.”

No. 2 Brazil is a favorite to reach the championship game, whereas Switzerland enters the tournament ranked sixth.

Yet Costa Rica could build momentum the way it did in 2014 with a victory in the opener June 17 against No. 35 Serbia in Samara, Russia. Then it might come down to the outcome of the Ticos’ final group game 10 days later, against Switzerland.

But Oscar Ramirez’ team is also talented enough to hold its own against Brazil. Costa Rica, after all, finished second only to Mexico in qualifying in the North and Central America and Caribbean region known as CONCACAF.

It would be a mistake to underestimate Costa Rica, which is enjoying a golden age of talent similar to Mexico’s. It starts with captain Bryan Ruiz, a left-footed attacking midfielder who plays for Sporting CP in Portugal.

The Ticos also have a worldclass goalkeeper in Keylor Navas, who plays for Spanish power Real Madrid. Versatile forward Joel Campbell is on loan from Arsenal to La Liga’s Real Bettis. Defender Bryan Oviedo plays at Sunderland in England.

Costa Rican internationals also are highly valued in North America’s Major League Soccer, with such standouts as Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps), Marcos Ureña (Los Angeles FC), Ulises Segura (D.C. United) and Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United) dotting the rosters.

Godoy, who plays for the MLS San Jose Earthquakes, said a strong World Cup showing allows a small country such as Costa Rica to develop talent because players get signed by more competitive foreign teams.

The scene in Russia

The 2018 World Cup is being held across 11 cities in the sprawling Russian Federation. Games will be played as far east as Yekaterinburg, as far west as Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, as far south as Sochi on the Black Sea and as far north as St. Petersburg.

Each city will hold a soccer fan fest, a site outside the stadium for ticketless spectators to gather to enjoy the action on big-screen telecasts.

Russian organizers created similar festivals around the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, but they were among the most soulless Olympics that I’ve experienced.

Many people argue Russia is the wrong country to play host to the world’s most popular sporting event. They are concerned that the World Cup experience will be less than satisfying because of Russia’s destabilizing role in the global landscape, including its alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election, its military alliance with Syria and its role in the government-sponsored sports and drug scandal.

KEYLOR NAVAS

Costa Rican Football’s Not-So-Secret Weapon

Costa Rica has no shortage of national heroes: military martyr Juan Santamaría, army abolisher José Figueres, Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz.

But nowadays none is better known (or loved) than Keylor Navas, 31, the humble he-man who tends the net for Costa Rica’s national soccer team and for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. He is one of the very best goalkeepers in the world.

Just when you thought Navas had few surprises left up his sleeve, on May 1 he pulled off eight — eight! — amazing saves for a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich to lead Real to the Champion’s League final for the fourth time in five years.

And this month, of course, he’s headed to Russia to represent the Ticos as they face Serbia, Brazil and Switzerland in Group E of the FIFA World Cup.

Navas is no stranger to the 32-team championship, having astonished the soccer world four years ago in Brazil when competing in the “Group of Death,” facing world champions England, Italy and Uruguay. Incredibly, he allowed only one goal in three games as Costa Rica defeated Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0, with a scoreless draw against England.

Costa Rica went on to eliminate Greece 5-3 in a penalty shootout, advancing to thequarterfinals for the first time in history. The Ticos finally fell to the Netherlands 4-3 on penalties. But Navas was declared “Man of the Match” in both knockout games.

It was his stunning debut in the 2014 World Cup that cemented his reputation as among the best of the best.

Young Keylor

Navas was born in San Isidro de El General (also known as Pérez Zeledón) in 1986. His parents migrated to the U.S. when he was young, leaving him in the care of his grandparents.

Encouraged by his grandfather, Juan, who drove him to football practice in a rattletrap Toyota, Keylor was admitted to the club Escuela de Fútbol Pedregoso when he was 8. His coach spotted and groomed the boy’s talent, and he remained with the club until age 14.

A few years later, he took the bus to San José to join Primera División power Deportivo Saprissa. Navas played in the goal for Saprissa from 2005 to 2010, helping the team win six Liga FPD titles and the 2005 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. Navas was signed by Albacete Balompié of Spain’s Segunda División in 2010, and later was loaned to Levante UD. In March 2014, he was named La Liga’s Player of the Month, the first goalie to win the award.

The same year, Real Madrid triggered his €10 million buyout clause and he signed a six-year contract with one of Europe’s most storied clubs. Many fans were shocked when Madrid tried to trade him to Manchester United in 2015, but the deal fell through because the paperwork was submitted late. Navas continued to dazzle for a team that didn’t seem to want him.

Real Madrid went on to win the 2015-16 UEFA Champion’s League title, with Navas setting a team record by not allowing a single goal in his first eight appearances.

Representing his country, Navas played in two CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, and was named best goalkeeper in 2009, when Costa Rica reached the semifinals.

But it was his stunning debut in the 2014 World Cup that cemented his reputation as among the best of the best.

Now the world will be watching as he takes the field in Russia, and this time the world knows exactly who he is.

Navas married his girlfriend, Andrea Salas, in 2009, and they have two children. He became a Spanish citizen in 2014.

But you can bet the Ticos still claim him as 100% Costa Rican.

THE 1899 DEBUT of Soccer in Costa Rica

A passion for historical photos

Photos are provided courtesy of José Gerardo Suárez Monge, author of “San José: 280 Years of History.” Suárez is a professional photographer and graphic designer with a degree in electrical engineering from the Tecnológico in Cartago, but his passion is collecting and analyzing historical photos — he has over 14,000. He has six books for sale, which are available at Librería Lehmann and the University of Costa Rica bookstore, or by calling 7062-3086 or 8794-7679.

It appears to be a distraction that is both hygienic and a good deal of fun.

The game of soccer was apparently introduced to Costa Rica in 1899, judging from this news item on July 4 of that year in the newspaper La Opinión:

"On Sunday we were witnessing [the game of Foot-Ball] in la Sabana, played by members of our educated society. It appears to be a distraction that is both hygienic and a good deal of fun. 'Very Well!' " (The last words were printed in English, apparently because the game came from English-speaking countries.)

An update followed on July 6 in La Prensa Libre, noting the dangers that this game posed to passersby:

"Good and convenient is the game of balls for children because it, more than anything, develops their musculature and gives life to their organism. But to play these games some place should be found like the plazas or La Sabana, and not public streets where there are many passersby. We know that on Tuesday there were various people hit by these balls. The police should take care of this."

The press went on to emphasize the dangerous threat to public order posed by this new-fangled game of kickball:

"[Again] we refer to the police the groups of children that form in public streets to play ball, with the imminent danger to the noses of passersby; at the corner of La Granja it was impossible to pass; it is apparent that the children from those parts have left school to attend the game; what big matches are played there."

By August 1899 the press was noting the increased sophistication of these newbies to this sport:

"[The game] of [foot-ball] that took place Sunday at la Sabana demonstrates that the sportsmen have become bigger fans of this entertainment and have more skill at this sport. [In English:] Oy yes, very well, all right. - God save the queen."

One of the great differences between soccer and other sports of the time was that it leveled the playing field between the rich and the working class -- unlike, say, polo.

It was a game that students from all over the country who attended the Liceo de Costa Rica, the country's primary education center, could take back to their hometowns. This gradually turned futból into a national sport.

On Christmas Day 1899, football got a boost when President Rafael Iglesias Castro attended a game between a Costa Rican and an English team, giving the game a new sense of legitimacy. (In case you're wondering, the English won.)

Soccer, one correspondent argued at the time, was a more educated, civilized form of public entertainment than bullfighting or spectacles with barbaric masks accompanied by heavy consumption of alcohol.

The sport took off, and Costa Rica never looked back.

Alajuelense welcomes Botafogo of Brazil in a 1957 match at the National Stadium.

A game played in Barrio Mexico in the early 1920s, with President Julio Acosto García in attendance.