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The Costa Rican Football Federation confirmed in a press release that Costa Rica’s national team director Claudio Vivas has been named interim coach of the senior national team. The Argentine takes over the position left by Gustavo Alfaro last weekend.
Vivas will have his first test at this stage in September, when he faces Nations League games against Guadeloupe (September 5) and Guatemala (September 9).
“We thank Don Claudio for leading the Tricolore to this challenge. We know that our national team will continue to work steadfastly towards our main goal: the 2026 World Cup,” the newsletter reads.
This will be Vivas’ second stint in charge of a Major, having been named captain of the team since Luis Fernando Suárez left the bench. The Argentine served as a substitute from September to November 2023; during that period, Costa Rica faced Saudi Arabia, beating them 3-1, although they also lost 4-1 to the UAE.
Vivas’ list includes football players such as Sebastian Castro, Alejandro Blan, Jimmy Marin, and also considers players who have not been drafted for a long time, such as Randall Lyle.
“Claudio started the process in September 2023. He initiated the generational change by raising the national team age from 29 to 24. He had a very close relationship with the outgoing coaching staff (led by Gustavo Alfaro) and was the most qualified person to lead the national team on an interim basis,” said federation president Osal Maroto.
As for the possibility of the strategist taking up this position permanently, the truth is that Maroto does not accept it, but he does not rule it out either. In fact, Vivas himself assures that now is not the time to think about it, as his attention is focused on the League of Nations.
The FA leader added that from his point of view we have to watch how the national team performs.
“No point of view can be overridden. At the moment I am focused on the National League. In my opinion, the first thing is those games and we don’t think about other things because we have to concentrate,” Vivas said.
For the Argentine, this process is a continuation of the one he started in 2023.
“A year ago, we had to lead the team. Our goal was the 2026 World Cup, but we still had important things to do, like the Nations League and qualifiers. Last year, we looked for alternatives and a generational change in footballers. Now, the generational change is here and we have to keep providing opportunities to prove that this is the right path,” he further said.
The Costa Rican national team will officially begin participating in FIFA competitions on September 2, while not ruling out a micro-circulation with local players in the last week of August.
Finally, Osal Maroto confirmed that he has discussed with Claudio Vivas the possibility of including the Costa Rican coach in the coaching staff of the Special Championship. Names such as Júnior Díaz and Roberto Castro are among those on the Federation’s working group.
“We believe in the national technicians and we gave them a chance. In fact, we have already evaluated with Don Claudio the possibility of incorporating the Ticos technicians into the coaching staff in a temporary position. “It is possible,” he concluded.
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