Neighboring countries will renew a rivalry when Costa Rica host Nicaragua on Tuesday.
It'll be a different look for La Sele, who are on pace to advance to the final round of World Cup qualifying. The usual suspects -- Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell, Keylor Navas and the like -- will not be in uniform. Clubs are not mandated to release players on non-FIFA dates, so local and North American talent will have the opportunity to earn another look from head coach Oscar Ramirez.
Rodney Wallace (Portland Timbers) and Waylon Francis (Columbus Crew) are fresh off a 90-minute battle for the MLS Cup. Now, both will battle for a permanent stay in the national team fold.
For Nicaragua, World Cup dreams have already been dissipated. Eliminated by Jamaica in the third round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, Los Pinoleros will take any competitive match they can find.
A free live stream of the contest can be found here.
Preview
Game Time: 6:00 p.m. CST
Location: Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceno
Weather: Showers, High of 79
TV: Teletica
What They're Saying
Costa Rica center back Kendall Waston (via Nacion): "[Head coach] Oscar [Ramirez] has his base, but I'm sure all of us [on the team] are fighting to be a part of it. Nothing is going to be given to us because we all want to be a part of that dream of going to a World Cup."
Nicaragua head coach Henry Duarte (via Teletica): "I really admire Costa Rican football and this Nicaraguan team has a similar work ethic to Costa Rica's because that's where I always worked. But I promise you that's not where this Nicaragua team will stop developing."
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