ORLANDO, Fla. -- Oscar Ramirez thinks the carnage will be reduced when his side plays the US national team on Tuesday (8 pm ET, FS1/UniMás/UDN), at least compared to the Ticos’ Copa America opener against Paraguay.
“I think the game is going to be a little bit different,” Ramirez said through a translator. “I think the game is going to be a little bit more of a soccer-type of match.”
While there were moments of quality in Costa Rica’s 0-0 Group A draw with Paraguay on Saturday, they were outnumbered by crunching tackles that produced six bookings.
The last of those was a red card issued to Vancouver Whitecaps center back Kendall Waston for his stoppage-time challenge on Paraguay and Seattle Sounders forward Nelson Valdez.
The towering figure will serve his suspension Tuesday against a US side that remains a danger in the air and on set pieces.
“It’s OK, it’s all good,” Ramirez said. “Because we have the people, we have 23 people in the selection for these type of situations, and we have to adapt.”
Ramirez believes the current USMNT is better than the result showed in Friday’s 2-0 loss to Colombia, and that they were “a bit hard done” by the penalty awarded following DeAndre Yedlin’s handball.
He also knows his squad will have a day less of recovery than the Yanks, but chose to frame Saturday’s match in oppressive heat as a learning tool.
“I think the boys have a certain level that they know they’re going to be able to manage,” Ramirez said. “It’s an experience for us.”
Meanwhile, Paraguay manager Ramon Angel Diaz may face an even more difficult next challenge, flying across country to Southern California to face a Colombia side that has a day more rest and several hours less travel.
After waiting until the 70th minute insert any subs -- including Valdez in the 73rd -- Diaz says Saturday’s heat and the quick turnaround to Tuesday won’t necessarily bring major changes the the starting XI.
“That’s how the schedule was made up,” he said through a translator. “I’m going to try to recuperate the team … before making the decisions of changing something that is working.”
Regardless of whether James Rodriguez plays for Colombia on Tuesday, Diaz sees his Paraguay side as underdogs.
“The team that we are going to be facing is one of the best teams there are,” he said. “But the door is open.”
