Costa Rica manager positive ahead of Mexico clash

Costa Rica manager Rodrigo Kenton is positive that his side can beat Mexico and advance to the final of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In an interview with FIFA.com, Kenton gave his view on Thursday’s semi final game and Costa Rica’s performance in general.

“In the first few games we didn’t look too bright, it’s true, but that’s the way it is sometimes when you’re using new players. We were unlucky in our loss to El Salvador. Now, though, we’ve righted the ship. Every game is life or death and the players have responded to the challenge very well,” the coach said.

“Maybe it’s not so bad to start off a little sluggish, because then you can really improve with every game. You have the room to get better, and I think we’ve built up our self belief.”

The 54-year-old went on to comment on the match with Mexico: “The biggest problem is going to be the crowd. It’s going to be like a home game for Mexico here in Chicago. We will be the away team, no doubt about it.

“We just need to get past those first 15 or 20 minutes when they will be flying at us and getting pushed on by the fans. After that, if we can survive, we will be able to settle down and play our game. We can match them in every department on the field, but that crowd worries me. It will be like they’re playing at the Azteca.”

Costa Rica and Mexico play their semi final at 9pm local time on Thursday. The venue is Chicago’s Soldier Field.