Gustavo Alfaro will make his debut with Costa Rica in the series with Panama

San José, (EFE).- Coach Argentine Gustavo Alfaro arrived in Costa Rica this Saturday take charge of the senior football team and announced that he will make his debut on the bench against Panama in the quarter-finals of the League of Nations. Concacaf and qualification for Copa América 2024.

“We came to try to start creating this work project, there is still a little time left for preparation match against Panama. I will be (on the bench) as a coach, from the moment I take responsibility, I take responsibility,” the coach told reporters waiting for him at the exit of Juan Santamaría Airport, on the outskirts of San José.

Costa Rica will host Panama on November 16 and will return as a guest on the 20th, in the quarter-final series of the tournament Concacaf Nations League, which will also give the winner a ticket to Copa América 2024.

The Costa Rica Football Federation (FCRF) announced last Thursday the hiring of Alfaro as coach, a position that had been vacant since July 21 when Colombian Luis Fernando Suárez was sacked due to poor results and poor team play.

“It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a very nice emotion, a nice challenge ahead of us”, Alfaro expressed this Saturday.

The former coach of Boca Juniors recalled his time in He led the Ecuador national team to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022and said that he “really likes” leading the national team because it is “a different job” than what he is used to in the clubs.

“When you have the privilege of playing a world cup It creates a challenge for you to stay at that level,” he commented.

Alfaro told how the contact with sports director of the FCRFClaudio Vivas, who presented the project and Costa Rica’s goals for the coming years.

“I began to see the composition, the change of generations and the projection that exists among many young people, and that gave me the feeling that it was an ideal place,” he pointed out.

He stated that his goal is to “work together to be at the World Cup” in 2026 and emphasized that Costa Rica has “raw materials, capacities, experiences and experiences of past world championships”.

He said that he will try to contribute to football with his knowledge Costa Rica without change idiosyncrasy of the team, but to instill the mentality that the team can compete and strive for the best.

“I like teams that occupy a central position, with quick transitions and high pressure. We have to find structure, companies and combination experience and youth. A team that has a playing identity,” he said.

The 61-year-old coach will be looking for a promotion Costa Rica to the seventh World Cup in its history and fourth in a row.