Costa Rica's National Team
Costa Rica has a long soccer history, one which dates back well before most American fans came to know them through World Cup Qualifying. The Federación Costarricense de Fútbol (FEDEFUTBOL) was founded in 1921, and gained FIFA affiliation in 1927.

But although they won the championship of the old Confederation of Central American and Caribbean Football seven times between 1941 and 1961, the "Ticos" did not qualify for the World Cup until 1990, when Bora Milutinovic - coaching the second of the five national teams he has led, after Mexico in 1986 - took another underdog to soccer's greatest stage.

Once in Italy, Milutinovic and Costa Rica pulled off one of the shocks of the tournament. After stunning Scotland, 1-0, and losing to Brazil by the same score, the Ticos came from behind to upset Sweden, 2-1, with a 75th minute equalizer from Roger Flores and an 88th minute game-winner from Hernan Medford, who has since become a familiar name to many North American soccer fans. But the dream run ended with a 4-1 loss to Czechoslovakia in the Round of 16.

In qualifying for the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, Costa Rica suffered considerably from bad luck of the draw. The 1992 group stage put them with Mexico and Honduras in Group A, and both of those teams tied for first with 13 points and advanced to the final round. The Ticos finished with nine points.

In 1997, Costa Rica made it to CONCACAF's Hexagonal round, and it was here that they first got into the consciences of many American fans. Battling neck-and-neck with Jamaica for the third ticket to France, things were looking up after a 3-1 win over the Reggae Boyz at the Estadio Saprissa in San José. But then the wheels started to come off. Canada pulled an upset with a 1-0 win in Edmonton, and El Salvador scrapped to a scoreless tie in San José, while Jamaica defeated both teams 1-0 on home soil. So the Ticos  went to Portland, Ore., needing a result against the United States to get back on track.

However, US midfielder Tab Ramos had other ideas. His stunning goal from long range shook both the Civic Stadium roof and North American soccer to their foundations, and left Costa Rica with a lot of work to do. Then came a trip to Kingston, and with the National Stadium's nickname of "The Office" ringing truer than ever, the Reggae Boys earned a 1-0 win of their own and all but crushed Costa Rica's dreams of croissants and the Eiffel Tower.

But the Ticos kept fighting, and pulled off arguably one of the biggest upsets in North American soccer history when they tied Mexico, 3-3, at the Estadio Azteca. It was the first time Mexico had ever not won a World Cup Qualifier in the legendary stadium. It wasn't enough though, as Jamaica managed draws in every game the rest of the way, and took third place with 14 points to Costa Rica's 12.

Then came the road to South Korea and Japan, and this time Costa Rica had all the weapons necessary to finally make it back to the World Cup. But once again, the qualifying draw served up a hard path to success. Yet, what should have been one of the easiest games turned out to be a disaster, as the Barbados pulled off a 2-1 upset on home soil in Bridgetown.

A controversial 2-1 win over the United States in San José did nothing to quiet alarm bells over coach Alexandre Guimaraes' future - and crowd trouble forced the crucial game against Guatemala to be played in Alajuela instead of the capital.

But a 3-0 revenge of the "Bajan Rockets" on the home side's return to San José, and a 0-0 tie with the US in Columbus, Ohio let everyone breath a little more easily. But then came a trip to Mazatenango, Guatemala, with nerves up and down the continent frayed since Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the US were all within a point of each other. The US took care of business with a 4-0 win at the Barbados, but Guatemala beat the Ticos, 2-1, and forced a playoff for the last spot in the Hexagonal round.

So the two teams went to the Orange Bowl, and finally Costa Rica got all of their cylinders firing when they needed them, cruising to a 5-2 win. And this time, they kept it up all the way through the final round, including a 2-1 win in Mexico City - Mexico's first ever loss in World Cup Qualifying at the Azteca - and the ultimate revenge for 1998, a 1-0 win in Kingston on the last day of qualifying which sealed first place for the Ticos with 23 points.

Costa Rica's 2002 World Cup roster featured many players familiar to American soccer fans. Among the famous names: Former New England Revolution midfielders William Sunsing, Mauricio Solis and Mauricio Wright, forwards Ronald Gomez and Hernan Medford, and, of course, Manchester City forward Paulo Wanchope, arguably Costa Rica's greatest ever player.

All that attacking power helped the Ticos impress fans worldwide, especially in the 5-2 loss to Brazil. Unfortunately, that game also sent Costa Rica home, as a 3-0 win over China and a 1-1 tie against Turkey left them just short of the second round on goal differential.

Suffice to say, though, that nobody will be overlooking Costa Rica on the road to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and that expectations for success will be just as high at home as they have ever been.

As of May 31, Costa Rica sits tied for third in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The Ticos and Guatemala each have four points, two behind the U.S., which has six points, and three behind Mexico with seven.

The top three teams will advance to the 2006 World Cup, while the fourth place team will face an Asian team in a playoff for a spot