World Cup 2006: Guimares Seeks the Spirit of 1990
Alexandre Guimares' fond memories of the FIFA World Cup™ go back to Italia 90, when he played in the legendary Costa Ricans that reached the last 16. Now Guimaress is preparing for his second successive finals as Costa Rica coach and has his sights set on emulating that historic achievement.

Describing the events of 15 years ago, the coach says: "Qualifying for our first ever World Cup and then making the last 16 was special – even more so given the state the country was in. It made me unbelievably happy."

The coach also believes that the team from Italia 90 set "the benchmark for subsequent Costa Rican trams to follow". However, Guimaress insists that he is more interested in the future than the past: "We’ve planned our next phase very well and have some important friendlies lined up. We need to follow the guidelines we’ve put in place and concentrate on our preparation and strategy if we are to emulate the team of 1990."

As part of these preparations, Costa Rica will play a friendly against France on November 9, a game Guimares feels will demonstrate how much his side have progressed. "It is far from easy to get a team of their calibre for a friendly. Our qualifying for back-to-back World Cups means France take us seriously," he says.

Learning from past experience
Despite getting four points from their three Group C games at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™ – the same number as group runners-up and eventual semi-finalists Turkey – Costa Rica failed to make it to the knockout stages.

The Brazilian-born Guimares, who was also at the helm in the Far East, hopes his side can learn from that experience and have the "best possible World Cup" this time round. "The plan we've put in place has drawn on the lessons of the last tournament and is geared towards preparing the side better," he explains.

In fact, were it not for the reappointment of Guimares midway through the final CONCACAF Zone qualifying phase, Costa Rica might very well have missed out on a place in Germany. After their opening few games, the Ticos found themselves near the foot of the table with seemingly little chance of making the finals.

However, with Guimares back at the helm, their fortunes began to improve, albeit slowly. "That kind of transformation doesn't happen overnight. You have to remember that there had been two coaches in quick succession, which meant I had to familiarise myself with the group again, plan carefully and decide where we had to strike to get our points. In the end, it turned out pretty well for us," he explains.

While the coach is a firm believer in the team coming before the individual, he is the first to admit the important roles filled by, among others, defender Gilberto Martinez, striker Paulo Wanchope and veteran midfielder Ronald Gomez, capped more than 100 times by his country.

Nonetheless, Guimares is quick to highlight the experience of his team as a whole: "It's the same side that played at the last World Cup. They have been together since 2002 and have accumulated a wealth of experience. Now we have to see what needs to be adapted for Germany."

Looking ahead, the coach predicts a "very good World Cup in footballing terms" and says he is eagerly awaiting the Official Draw in December: "There's always speculation, but you never know who you're going to get. We'll just have to wait and see. We're talking about the best 32 teams in the world, so there will be no easy games."

Whatever happens in Germany, the future looks promising for Costa Rica. "There’s a new generation coming through who need to take up the baton," the coach says. Two such individuals are Carlos Hernandez and Alvaro Saborio, former youth-team strikers who have broken into the senior side and who should figure prominently at next year’s big event and beyond.