Costa Rica have it all to do when they make the short journey to Panama City for tonight’s second leg of the Nations League quarter-final. After falling to a 1-0 defeat in the home leg last week in San Jose, La Sele will have to do something they haven’t done since 2015 and win in Panama to have any chances of progressing to the semi-final. Since away goals count in this competition, Los Ticos will have to win by two clear goals to advance to the next round, with even a 1-0 victory, meaning the tie heads to extra time and potentially a penalty shootout if the score remains the same.
Panama Profile
Bordered by Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the southeast, Panama is the bridge between North and South America. They are colorfully nicknamed “Los Canaleros” (The Canal Men) due to the nation’s association with the Panama Canal, a significant waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Costa Rica’s longest border, measuring 348 km (217 mi), is with its southeastern neighbor, Panama, and the two countries share a strong bond; both are bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, have similar population sizes—with Costa Rica at approximately 5 million and Panama at 4.5 million—and are both renowned for their rich biodiversity and commitment to environmental conservation.
It’s been quite the decade for the Panama national team, long seen as the underachievers of CONCACAF, with a lowly 97th FIFA ranking in 2010 and an average ranking of 86th overall; since then, they have achieved their highest ranking of 29th in 2014, qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 2018, reached two Gold Cup finals in 2013 and 2024, and had an impressive showing at this year’s Copa América, defeating hosts USA and Bolivia en route to the quarter-finals.
Head coach Thomas Christiansen has been in charge since 2020, and the Dane has delivered respectable results, with 34 wins, 14 draws, and 19 defeats in his 67-game tenure. He has also provided Panama with a distinctive playing style: a ball-dominant team that incorporates positional play from a 3-4-3 formation with influential Houston Dynamo midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla pulling the strings in the middle of the park. He is backed by a robust defense, with towering duo José Córdoba and Edgardo Fariña forming a solid partnership at center-back and supported by experienced full-backs Fidel Escobar, César Blackman, and Michael Amir Murillo (who usually fills in on the right-side of midfield).
Thursday’s match-winner, José Fajardo, is the nation’s main attacking threat and has the most goals in the current squad, with 14 goals in 54 appearances. The Universidad Católica del Ecuador striker is in good form, recording five goals in his last ten caps, and was a constant menace for the Costa Rica backline in last week’s game with his direct runs in behind.
Besides the decent showing at the Copa América, 2024 has been an unmemorable year for Los Canaleros, suffering seven defeats in 12 fixtures, and the first-leg victory brought a three-match losing run to an end.
However, their 32,000-capacity home stadium, Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez, is somewhat of a fortress, remaining unbeaten in 16 consecutive competitive home matches since losing 3-0 to Mexico in November 2019.
Costa Rica Team News
Interim coach Claudio Vivas will be forced into at least two changes, as Jeyland Mitchell picked up a yellow card in last week’s defeat, meaning he is suspended for the return leg, and fellow defender Juan Pablo Vargas limped off with a torn muscle, meaning he is also likely to miss out.
Yostin Salinas is the natural replacement for Mitchell at right-back, while Alexis Gamboa is the leading candidate to replace Vargas at center-back.
Possible Starting 11
Sequeira; Salinas, Gamboa, Cascante, Calvo (C); Vargas, Aguilera, Bran, Madrigal; Martínez, Ugalde.
Head-to-Head History
Costa Rica has historically had an outstanding record against Panama, with La Sele’s once holding an astonishing ten-match winning streak that spanned 13 years (1992-2005) against their southeastern neighbor. The two countries have faced each other 63 times, with their first meeting taking place in 1938. Los Ticos has emerged victorious on 31 occasions, Panama 13 times, while the remaining 12 encounters ended in draws.
Yet, that now seems like a distant memory, as Los Canaleros have a formidable six-game win streak against Los Ticos, in addition to coming out victorious in nine of the last 11 meetings between the two countries, dating back to 2017—a prime example of Panama’s climb in the international football stage. They are also currently higher in the FIFA ranking at 39th spot, 11 places above Costa Rica.
Kick-off is at 20:00 CST Tonight at Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama.
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Isaac Roblett
