Soccer-Costa Rica face tough odds in maiden World Cup

By Simon Evans June 4 (Reuters) - Costa Rica, the first Central American team to qualify for a Women's World Cup, will be looking to repeat the surprise performance of their male counterparts at last year's World Cup. Drawn with Brazil, South Korea and debutants Spain, the odds are against Costa Rica, ranked 37th in the world, but that is unlikely to deter Las Ticas. Amelia Valverde's team upset Mexico in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament before going on to reach the final and book their place in Canada. But they came down to earth quickly with a 6-0 hammering from the United States in the final. Despite that disappointing ending to their campaign, Costa Rica showed during that tournament that they have some players who can certainly compete at the highest level. Midfielder Shirley Cruz became only the second Costa Rican player to move abroad when she joined Olympique Lyon in France in 2006 and she has since moved to Paris Saint Germain. The 29-year-old is the heart and soul of the Costa Rican team alongside Katherine Alvardo in midfield but exciting youngsters Gloriana Villalobas and Melissa Herrera add some fresh sparkle to the team. Goalkeeper Dinnia Diaz was the hero in the penalty shoot out win over Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF tournament and will head to Canada full of confidence. Midfielder Alvarado says the team have matured in their style of play. "The mix of generations was important for us to achieve our goal. We played in World Cups at youth level but this was the one that got away from us," she told FIFA.com "We used to defend all game and try to smash the ball from as far out as possible. Now we are trying to play football. We have a long way to go but we are on the right track." (Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Frank Pingue)