FRISCO, Texas – Central American foes Costa Rica and Honduras will renew their long-standing rivalry when they meet in the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Play-In match on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The two sides arrive into the encounter after suffering defeats in the League A Quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League, but a chance to qualify for the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 is there for the taking with a win.
Costa Rica suffered a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Panama in their quarterfinal, but will be looking to bounce back with a squad that has a healthy balance of strong, veteran players and very talented youngsters.
Among the more experienced players in the fold are Francisco Calvo and Joel Campbell. Calvo is Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer in CNL play with five goals and tallied the lone goal in the quarterfinals, while Campbell supplied the assist and has two CNL goals to his name.
Two young players to watch out for are Brandon Aguilera and Warren Madrigal. The 20-year-old Aguilera is a playmaking midfielder who started each quarterfinal leg, while 19-year-old Madrigal scored goals with club side Saprissa in last fall’s Concacaf Central American Cup and then again, this spring in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Honduras were narrowly defeated by Mexico in the quarterfinals in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw on aggregate, but they can turn to a wealth of experience to guide them through this series.
FW Jerry Bengtson, who has 180 career goals in the Honduran first division, is back with the national team, while MF Edwin Rodriguez will try to add to his total of two goals and two assists in the current CNL.
Andy Najar and Deybi Flores will also help man the middle of the park. Those two players have combined to make 16 ball recoveries in the current CNL.
These two sides met in the 2021 CNL Third-Place Match in which Honduras won a penalty shootout 5-4 after a 2-2 draw. Overall, there have been 64 matches between the two nations, with Costa Rica leading the all-time series 22W-24D-18L.
