Coach: Alexandre Guimaraes
Tactics: Slow tempo but good in possession.
Star Player: Paulo Wanchope - unpredictable striker who is retiring after the finals - will want to go out with a bang.
Verdict: Enjoyed success at Italia 90 with wins over Scotland and Sweden but unlikely to match that this time round. Had a fraught qualifying campaign despite weak opposition and will not be a factor in Germany. Veteran Wanchope will be a handful, however. Strong and quick, opposing defences will have to keep a close eye on the former West Ham, Derby and Manchester City striker.
Ten things you didn’t know about Costa Rica
1. As ratified by the International Game Fishing Association 84 of the world fishing records are held by fish caught from Costa Rican waters.
2. The Costa Rican Golden Beetle (Plusiotis Aurigans) is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful insects
3. At the turn of the millennium the Costa Rican banana industry was briefly the subject of an internet email hoax (read urban legend) which the stated that bananas from that country were infected with the flesh eating disease necrotising fasciitis which if caught causes your body to literally necrotise i.e die and rot. It was traced to a panic caused by an outbreak of the disease among Costa Rican monkeys.
4. Costa Rica has two active volcanoes, one of which, Irazu, erupted as recently as 1965.
5. Costa Rica has sent a man into space. Franklin Chang-Diaz has flown seven Space Shuttle missions.
6. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army.
7. One quarter of Costa Rica’s land area is protected or devoted to national parks and though it comprises just 0.01% of the planet’s landmass, it is home to 5% of its biological diversity.
8. The world record for a musician holding a single note is held by Costa Rican saxophonist Geovanny Escalante, of the local band Marfíl. In 1998, he held a steady 'A' for 90 minutes and 45 seconds, almost twice as long as the previous record held by the US saxophonist Kenny G.
9. Costa Rica has the highest literacy and life expectancy rate in Latin America.
10. Claudia Poll won Costa Rica’s first Olympic gold medal in the 200m freestyle.
