This Sunday, Costa Rica's U-17 women's national team experienced yet another setback in their World Cup journey, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Mexico. This loss eliminated the Tricolor from the upcoming U-17 Women's World Cup, scheduled to take place in Morocco at the end of October.
The team was placed second in Group A, finishing with six points in the preliminary tournament, which offered four spots for the World Cup featuring 24 teams. The tournament, held at the facilities of the Costa Rican Football Federation in San Rafael de Alajuela, comprised three groups of four teams each, where the winner of each group, along with the best runner-up, would qualify for the global stage.
Unfortunately for Costa Rica, Puerto Rico advanced with a superior goal difference in Group B, securing their place in the World Cup despite a loss to the United States. Costa Rica had previously won their opening match 3-1 against Panama and followed it with a narrow 1-0 victory over Jamaica, finishing with a goal difference of +1. In contrast, Puerto Rico dominated their matches against Haiti and Bermuda, allowing them to achieve an impressive goal difference of +7.
The elimination of the U-17 women's team marks a significant disappointment, especially considering they had the advantage of playing on home turf at the Fedefútbol facilities. The favorable conditions and familiarity with the environment created expectations of securing a World Cup spot. Despite the friendly format that allowed a third of the participants to qualify, Costa Rica fell short against a Puerto Rican team that, while having improved, traditionally lacks the footballing stature of Costa Rica.
As reported by lateja.cr.
