ORLANDO, Florida.- If there is one thing Costa Rica and Guadeloupe have in common, it is the mixture of young and experienced talent on their rosters. That factor will be on full display in Monday night's clash between the two teams. 

Luis Fernando Suarez, Costa Rica's manager, only took the job recently, but he went to work to find a balance he believes will be effective in the 2021 Gold Cup. 

“There are times in [soccer] in which one thing can go well in training and tells you interesting things, but what I want the most at this moment is [seeing] how it will go in the first official match,” Suarez said.

“It is my only wish for the match to begin now, to know if the [strategy] works. [To see] if what we have done is even good and if this mix of new players with veterans can actually work.”

Suarez insisted that it will only be after starting the first game that he will be able to see what adjustments will need to be made. 

“That is where you really realize if that combination is good," Suarez told Concacaf.com. "The emotional part [of the squad] is quite good but logically I have to see results.”

Costa Rica defender Ronald Matarrita has been part of the national team since 2015 and enters his second Gold Cup for Los Ticos. Matarrita has been impressed with what he's seen from Suarez so far. 

“Coach is incredible and the truth is that the coaching staff is working in a way that I never expected," Matarrita explained. "They are covering a lot that we haven't done before...That little step forward to make things better.”

Matarrita is keenly aware Costa Rica can't Guadeloupe lightly, despite previous successes against the team. 

"Caribbean teams are always difficult to play, and we are always focused on what we can do on the field more on what the rival can do," he said to Concacaf.com. "We are very confident [and] we are very attentive to every detail to make things right." 

Jocelyn Angloma, Guadeloupe's head coach, has a similar philosophy for his team though he faces a different situation with his team. Les Gwada Boys features a combination of professional and amateur players in this year's Gold Cup. 

“We have some players who play in Europe, who are very good," Angloma told Concacaf.com. "We have eight [professional players] and then the rest are amateurs who play in Guadeloupe. So, the [goal] has to be to mix everything so that we can play against these teams.” 

Guadalupe’s defender Anthony Baron believes his team has a lot to offer. He doesn’t see his team as a ‘small’ team, but one that is giving its all as professionals. He is confident Guadalupe is ready to show its soccer to the rest of the world.

“The main goal is to show that we are a nation of soccer and the people who thought that we are not, they are going to see that we are,” said Baron.

Baron hopes inspired performances will open up doors in Europe, similar to the opportunity he got with various French and Swiss clubs, for some of the amateurs on the team. 

“I want to show that we have soccer players on this team that can play at Guadeloupe and that can also play abroad, that is a goal,” Baron said.