The Costa Rica vs South Korea international friendly will be played this Saturday, January 25, 2014 (5:00 PM Pacific) at the ‘Coliseum‘ in Los Angeles. The ‘Ticos’ will play in their second friendly this week at the start of their Brazil 2014 World Cup preparation. Meanwhile, South Korea will officially begin their preparation for the prestigious tournament in a week which will also see them play against Mexico and the United States.
During the week, the Costa Rica national team traveled to Chile for their first match of the year, and ended losing 4-0. Although coach Jose Luis Pinto could not include any of the European based players, the loss by four goals is a bad sign as to the form the team currently is at. However, the purpose of these friendlies is not entirely about winning, but more importantly, they are about seeing the form and qualities of those players which are trying to join the World Cup roster.
Like Costa Rica, South Korea also spent part of the week in South America, although the Asian squad was in Brazil. The team coached by Hong-Miung Bo was drawn into Group H of the FIFA World Cup along with Algeria, Belgium, and Russia. Although not the most difficult group in the competition, South Korea will have a complicated set of games therefore they will have a long and arduous preparation leading to Brazil.
The Korean side will face three CONCACAF World Cup teams in a matter of a week. After their game against the ‘Ticos’, they will travel to San Antonio, TX to play Mexico on Wednesday, January 29. Lastly, on February 1, they will face the USMNT at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA.
Costa Rica vs South Korea Prediction
The Costa Rica vs South Korea friendly will be a close contest between two out-of-form squads. Both teams just arrived from a long week in South America, and both sides are in their try-out phase. Considering nether team will have their best players, this game will be used by the coached to determine who is worthy of a World Cup roster place, therefore there will be many substitutions and tactical variations. The Costa Rica vs South Korea match will end in a 2-1 win for the ‘Ticos’.
Costa Rica vs South Korea TV Schedule
The Costa Rica vs South Korea match will be televised on ESPN Deportes at 5:00 PM Pacific.
Costa Rica 0-1 South Korea Highlights
The Costa Rica vs South Korea video highlights are located above.
