Who needs tickets?

In a way Costa Rica self-destructed during its 1-0 loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals at Reliant Stadium in Houston last Sunday.

The Ticos fell into a referee’s trap.

A good coach would have pulled his players aside and said, “Ok guys, we know this ref is trying to screw us. He wants you to overreact and lose your composure. Don’t buy into it. Scoreboard is still 0-0. Just play the game. We’re not playing great, but we are performing well enough to beat Mexico, even with this guy’s blatant bias against us.”

Out-manned much of the game due to player ejections, Costa Rica held its own until the extra period against Mexico. At full-strength, the Ticos pull out the win in spite of the questionable calls. Yes, this is conjecture, but as deplorable as Mexico played, it’s not unreasonable.

I’m not going to pose through prose as a soccer pundit because I’m not. I grew up thinking kickball was soccer, but I’ve watched enough sports to know that great teams guided by a good coach know how to win under dire circumstances. Dire circumstances equates to struggling offensively, alleged referee favoritism, and 70,000 crazy Mexicans screaming against you.

You can ‘t blame everything on the “American ref.” As a player and coach, you must look in the proverbial mirror and ask yourself, “How can I better control my own destiny in the midst of circumstances that are out of my control?” This lesson applies to life in general.

Overall, CR played better or at least not as bad as Mexico. The abbreviated squad just ran out of gas. If the players ejected practiced a little self-control, then I believe, we’re not having this discussion, the win is even sweeter for CR because of what it had to overcome, and everything is “Pura Vida.”

A CONCACAF Conspiracy?

I don’t know how widespread and legitimate the accusation is that CONCACAF plots a US-Mexico championship to fill stadiums, or if it’s just another lousy excuse. If the teams are so concerned, maybe they should boycott the next event. Then we’ll see how much plata Mexico and the U.S. could reel in on their own.

For all you CONCACAF naysayers. How did freakin Guadaloupe end up in the semis? Wasn’t Honduras supposed to be there? I would bet the Honduran fan base is larger than that of Guadaloupe, and wouldn’t a Honduras–Mexico match-up make better financial sense? Please tell me if this is an overstatement and if Los Chicanos would fill the stadium anyway, regardless of the opponent.

For all you US haters. You know and I know who you are. I think the US is playing well enough to deserve a spot in the semis, even if “United States vs. Mexico” was printed on the CONCACAF finals tickets three weeks before the event started. Wink. Wink.