Pshew. We made it. Another long day of travel with a two hour flight to Houston, an hour and a half layover, a three and a half hour flight into Costa Rica and then a 45 minute bus ride to the team hotel.
With a host of injuries to key players - Emilio, Fred, Gallardo, Moreno and others - and the team's third to last MLS regular season game on Sunday, there are just 16 players in Costa Rica for Thursday's game with Saprissa. Only a few regular starters made the trip, but after a gutsy performance by a team made up primarily of reserves last week against Cruz Azul, everyone is focused on getting a positive result.
Here's the group that made the trip:
Marc Burch, Pat Carroll, Ryan Cordeiro, Francis Doe, Rod Dyachenko, Greg Janicki, Boyzzz Khumalo, Quavas Kirk, Gonzalo Martinez, Devon McTavish, Ryan Miller, Craig Thompson, James Thorpe, Joe Vide, Zach Wells, Mike Zaher.
As the only true Spanish-speaker on the trip, Gonzalo Martinez has already been busy with interview requests. Team Administrator Francisco Tobar was also asked a few questions by the aggressive Costa Rican press.
Tomorrow the team will gather for a late breakfast and a mid-afternoon lunch before an evening training session at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San José.
