Ruiz playing FFC friendly while Costa Rica are playing in the Concacaf Gold Cup?

[MasterHaynes]

Could our Cost rican fans tell mewhy the Costa Rican FA are allowing Ruiz to play friendlies for Fulham when they are competing in the Concacaf Gold cup tournament in the USA? Does this also mean we are playing weakened teams in Costa Rica because their best players are away with the National team?

[BarryP]

While I can't speak to the Costa Rica team specifically I can tell you that due to the World Cup qualifiers that took place recently countries seem to be fielding at least somewhat weakened squads. The US for example have allowed most of their European players to return to their clubs  and are heavily relying on MLS & LigaMX based players.  Costa Rica has done the same with Ruiz at least for the preliminary rounds but I don't know about their other foreign based players.

I watched a bit of their match against Belize and they didn't look as strong as in WC qualifiers so I am guessing they are using at least some domestic league players that are not first choice regulars on the national team. That however is pure speculation on my part.

[costarican white]

While I can't speak to the Costa Rica team specifically I can tell you that due to the World Cup qualifiers that took place recently countries seem to be fielding at least somewhat weakened squads. The US for example have allowed most of their European players to return to their clubs  and are heavily relying on MLS & LigaMX based players.  Costa Rica has done the same with Ruiz at least for the preliminary rounds but I don't know about their other foreign based players.

I watched a bit of their match against Belize and they didn't look as strong as in WC qualifiers so I am guessing they are using at least some domestic league players that are not first choice regulars on the national team. That however is pure speculation on my part.

You are right Barry. The coach preferred to give some rest to the best player paying in Europe: Ruiz, Navas, Campbell, Bolanos, Gamboa.

So, for the Gold Cup there are players from other leagues of Europe and the MLS; and yes, some important men from Alajuela and Saprissa, however I do not think this fact weakens the teams as they have not been with their teams during the last weeks of pre-season at all, i think they remain competitive.

[MasterHaynes]

Thanks for the information, it all makes sense now, big plus for Fulham though not losing Ruiz for pre season training and games. So will costa Rica beat the USA without Dempsey and some of the other UK based playersthere?

[zschwartz]

yes, few teams send their A team but only in these pre-WC years, prioritizing with such a congested schedule. Mexico and the US have definitely not sent their best squads.

Traditionally the winner of the first gold cup post-world cup gets a birth into the confederations cup. However as of this year the winners of the gold cup (hosted every 2 years) will play the winner of the next one to see who gets into the confed cup (2013 winner v 2015 winner = get into Confederations cup 2017).

[BarryP]

Thanks for the information, it all makes sense now, big plus for Fulham though not losing Ruiz for pre season training and games. So will costa Rica beat the USA without Dempsey and some of the other UK based playersthere?

Based solely on the results so far I would say the US looks like the stronger squad but you know what results against common opponents can mean.

[YankeeJim]

Thanks for the information, it all makes sense now, big plus for Fulham though not losing Ruiz for pre season training and games. So will costa Rica beat the USA without Dempsey and some of the other UK based playersthere?

Based solely on the results so far I would say the US looks like the stronger squad but you know what results against common opponents can mean.

Are you saying Belize & Cuba won't make the WC?

[BarryP]

Thanks for the information, it all makes sense now, big plus for Fulham though not losing Ruiz for pre season training and games. So will costa Rica beat the USA without Dempsey and some of the other UK based playersthere?

Based solely on the results so far I would say the US looks like the stronger squad but you know what results against common opponents can mean.

Are you saying Belize & Cuba won't make the WC?

How am I supposed to know if they have made vacation plans for Brazil?  :dft011:

[costarican white]

The level of the Gold Cup so far has been really poor, a tournament at the middle of the qualifiers can only be put as a second priority, hence, the players in it.

Looking at the teams US should win the cup easily, despite of not having some of their best players like the rest of the teams running for the WC, the starting 11 and the bench are by far stronger than the rest, even Mexico.

[zschwartz]

yes. plenty of quality professionals who will push for a spot on the 24 that make it to the wc. Shea if he can develop at Stoke, Holden as his healing progresses, Diskerud as he develops at Rosenborg, Corona who is very young and has some quality, Mcinerney who may not play due to Gomez/Wondolowski but is rather young and scoring goals for fun in MLS, he has also got an outside shot and making the WC squad.

But the backline is not particularly encouraging. Despite beating Cuba and Belize handily we dropped one goal to both of them...

[MasterHaynes]

I thought we might make a cheeky £1m -1.5m bid for Holden shortly after he reurned from injury using Jols formula get them when their bad, if he can recapture his pre injury form it would have been a bargain.

[btings]

Nobody with any squad depth plays their top side in the Gold Cup.  With CONCACAF WCQs in June and September, they would have no time to rest or train with their squads, so most managers give players who play in Europe a break.