MIAMI, Florida – Costa Rica will be looking to rebound from their opening loss to Panama when they take on Martinique in Group B of League A of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League on Sunday night at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose.
The Ticos succumbed 2-0 to the Canaleros in Thursday’s opener, making Sunday’s contest against Les Matinino a crucial one to keep themselves in the mix for a first-place finish in the group and a second straight berth in the CNL Finals.
While they did suffer defeat to Panama, Costa Rica did enjoy some positive moments, notably the play of young forward Anthony Contreras, who almost struck for a goal, and debutante Daniel Chacon in midfield.
A win on Sunday would also provide a nice boost going into Costa Rica’s Inter-Confederation playoff against New Zealand later this month in Qatar.
Martinique are back in League A for a second straight year and will be out to claim another top two finish in the group and a Concacaf Gold Cup berth.
After initially retiring from the National Team, star striker Kevin Parsemain is back in the fold. The scorer of five Concacaf Gold Cup goals, Parsemain also notched four goals in CNL Qualifying in 2018.
Sunday’s contest marks the first CNL match between the two nations and just the third overall, with the previous two coming in Gold Cup play in 1992 and 2002, both ending in Costa Rica wins (3-1, 2-0).
Match Officials:
R: Walter Lopez (GUA)
AR1: Juan Mendez (GUA) AR2 Luis Ventura (GUA)
4th Officials: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
