Post by epjr on Sept 19, 2009 11:10:51 GMT -6
Brazilian Rene Simoes named Costa Rica MNT football coach
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) –
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Brazilian Rene Simoes will coach Costa Rica in the last leg of World Cup qualifying.
Simoes was appointed on Wednesday, a day after Rodrigo Kenton was fired following three straight losses in qualifying. Simoes resigned last month after only two weeks as coach of second-division Portuguesa in Brazil, after saying armed men threatened the players in the locker room after a loss. He also coached Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup and Brazil's women's team.
Costa Rica, which once led the North and Central American and Caribbean region, is fourth with 12 points following losses to Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. The United States leads with 16 points, one ahead of Mexico and three in front of Honduras.
The top three teams qualify and the No. 4 team faces a playoff with the fifth-place team in South America.
Costa Rica has two qualifiers left, hosting Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10, then closing four days later in the United States.
Simoes said he believes Costa Rica still has a good chance of qualifying.
"A team that has 12 points in five games has to be strong," he said. "South Africa 2010 is possible because Costa Rica has a strong team."
He expressed his "great admiration for the team and the country" and asked fans to be patient with his Spanish.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) –
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Brazilian Rene Simoes will coach Costa Rica in the last leg of World Cup qualifying.
Simoes was appointed on Wednesday, a day after Rodrigo Kenton was fired following three straight losses in qualifying. Simoes resigned last month after only two weeks as coach of second-division Portuguesa in Brazil, after saying armed men threatened the players in the locker room after a loss. He also coached Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup and Brazil's women's team.
Costa Rica, which once led the North and Central American and Caribbean region, is fourth with 12 points following losses to Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. The United States leads with 16 points, one ahead of Mexico and three in front of Honduras.
The top three teams qualify and the No. 4 team faces a playoff with the fifth-place team in South America.
Costa Rica has two qualifiers left, hosting Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10, then closing four days later in the United States.
Simoes said he believes Costa Rica still has a good chance of qualifying.
"A team that has 12 points in five games has to be strong," he said. "South Africa 2010 is possible because Costa Rica has a strong team."
He expressed his "great admiration for the team and the country" and asked fans to be patient with his Spanish.