ORLANDO, Florida.- Suriname will aim to make history by winning their first Gold Cup game, while opponent Costa Rival is looking to add on another three points in their Group C encounter on Friday.
Suriname will be playing just their second Gold Cup game in the country’s history and after coming so close to scoring against Jamaica, but eventually falling 2-0, they want to come out, score and perform against the Ticos.
Inter Miami DF Kelvin Leerdam played against Costa Rica’s Captain Bryan Ruiz when they two were playing their club football in the Netherlands and he knows first-hand the skills of the Tico playmaker and his teammates. Leerdam is aware that for Suriname to grow as a team, tough challenges must be met.
“For us, the only way is up and if we want to get up, you have to perform against the bigger teams in your region. That is where we want to be and that’s why we want to showcase our growth and the level of players we have,” said Leerdam to Concacaf.com
Head Coach Dean Gorre feels proud of what his team has done up until now. He knows the team still has only played several games together and that it is a process to grow, but he also saw his squad make good plays in their first game and wants more to get results.
“The thing we need is a result because that will give us a better feeling for what we are doing and achievement for what we are doing, because winning is what counts,” said Gorre. “At the moment now, we are winning already. The winning is that we are here now. The next step is winning a game or drawing to get points. That’s the next level.”
This will be their sixth overall encounter, with Costa Rica winning the first five, but this will be their first Gold Cup encounter. While feeling confident after opening with a 3-1 win over Guadeloupe, Costa Rica boss Luis Fernando Suarez says his team has respect for Suriname and will treat them as they would any other rival with the same attentiveness.
“It’s good for my players to know that Suriname is hungry for a win. I do not want to sell an idea that the players will enter the field and see Suriname as a team that they will easily beat, because that is not the case,” said Suarez said to Concacaf.com. “Especially when nowadays in soccer differences can change so quickly.”
