SAN Jose, Costa Rica.- After making their debut with a 1-1 draw against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League, Costa Rica returns home to take on Curacao in a Group D match Sunday at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Sota in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Curacao opened the tournament with a win and a draw with Haiti and currently sits atop the group, but Costa Rica could move into first with a victory on home soil.
Costa Rica manager Ronaldo Gonzalez surprised with Jonathan Moya in his first starting lineup during this stint as Ticos manager but shifted tact at the half and saw his team respond with a goal. His last change, however, bringing in a defender for a winger, didn’t pay with Haiti able to find the equalizer. Look for tweaks in the attack from the opening whistle, with Gonzalez also demanding more aggression from his team than it showed in the Bahamas.
Curacao will lean on the names now familiar to fans after its run to the Gold Cup quarterfinal and first CNL matches. Eloy Room will do his best to match Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas, while the attack is spearheaded by Reangelo Janga, Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuna, who emerged as a threat after making his Curacao debut in CNL play.