The man who led Costa Rica to new heights in the World Cup is leaving the Ticos.
Jorge Luis Pinto's time as Costa Rica manager is over. The Colombian, who led the Ticos to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, quit the post on Thursday.
Pinto's contract with Costa Rica expired after the World Cup and he was open to staying with the Ticos, but they couldn't agree on a new contract. The manager spent the last two days talking with the Costa Rica federation president, but a deal never materialized.
Costa Rica had only made it out of the group in a World Cup once before and they were given no chance to advance this summer. Grouped with Italy, Uruguay and England, the path of of the group looked impossible for the small Central American country, but they won their first two matches of the tournament and drew their final one to not just advance, but win the group. Then they beat Greece in the round of 16, making it to their first-ever quarterfinal, where they were eliminated by the Netherlands on penalty kicks.
With each World Cup win, Pinto drew more and more praise. His team was organized and disciplined, but also did an outstanding job of adjusting to their opponents and taking advantage of their weaknesses. Just as Keylor Navas and Joel Campbell were lauded for their play, Pinto was for his management.
Pinto has been Costa Rica's manager since 2011, making the quarterfinals in two Gold Cups before the World Cup as well. It was his second stint as the country's manager, also leading them in 2004 and 2005.
Pinto has said since the World Cup that he has drawn interest from several countries from South America, claiming Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru have all offered him jobs. Now he will be free to take them, or explore any other posts that come up.
Costa Rica will compete in the Central American Cup in September, a tournament that serves as qualifying for the 2015 Gold Cup.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1t09IT0
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