Archive for July 24th, 2009
Friday, July 24th, 2009
Mexico are through to the final of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, having beaten Costa Rica 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 final result.
Costa Rica were in fact the better side in the opening phase and got close to scoring when Alonso’s shot bounced off the right post on 12 minutes.
From there on, the Mexicans began to gain terrain as a more balanced battle formed at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
In the second half, Mexico even began to dominate and earned a penalty as Costa Rica captain Freddy Fernandez handled the ball in the area. However, Miguael Sabah’s following spot kick was easily saved by keeper Keilor Navas.
But the four-times Gold Cup champions did score what appeared to be the winner with two minutes left in regular time, as some defensive chaos ended with Guillermo Franco striking it home.
It wouldn’t be the end of the game though as Costa Rica levelled three minutes into added time, with a great finish from Froylan Ledezma.
No more goals were scored in extra time and penalties were needed to decide which team was to face the USA in Sunday’s final.
Ledezma, who had saved his team by scoring the equaliser, missed the only penalty in the shoot-out. Carlos Vela scored the decider, leading Mexico to the final.
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Friday, July 24th, 2009
Honduras’ deposed president set up base near his country’s border to prepare a return home, urging soldiers to ignore an arrest order against him and shrugging off warnings that his homecoming could provoke violence.
Manuel Zelaya drove a jeep to Esteli, a town just 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the Honduran border, where he shut himself inside a hotel Thursday night to plan a strategy for reclaiming the presidency from the interim government that sent him into exile.
He said he would make a second bid to return home as early as Saturday, saying U.S.-backed mediation efforts had broken down. The interim government vows to arrest the president if he sets foot in Honduras, and imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew along border areas.
The 56-year-old ousted leader, wearing his trademark white cowboy hat, was accompanied by the foreign minister of Venezuela, whose leftist President Hugo Chavez has been the most vociferous critic of the June 28 coup.
Zelaya said he would spend Friday studying how best to enter Honduras—whether by land, sea or air. He urged Hondurans to gather wherever he decides to cross and called on soldiers to stand down when they see him. (more…)
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Friday, July 24th, 2009
Every few years the Costa Rican government comes up with a novel plan to either tax or license online gambling firms operating in that Central American nation. Each time, the attempt has failed. In two weeks Costa Rica will try once more.
The nation is home to more online gambling companies than any other in the world, most of which cater to the North American sports bettor, casino and poker player.
The Costa Rica Finance Ministry will send a bill to the Legislative Assembly proposing a 2 percent tax on income earned by the gambling industry. The government believes it can generate $85 million as a result.
The problem: When Costa Rica began charging a licensing fee some years back, only a handful of the most reputable Internet gambling firms paid. Others did not. One that did – Legendz Sports – ended up leaving the country.
Then there was previous tax proposals that would have punished the bigger more successful wagering firms by taxing based on number of employee stations.
Adam Williams of the Tico Times reports there are officially 46 online gambling businesses operating in Costa Rica. Unofficially there are probably a few hundred more however. Therein lies the problem.
Should the bill pass, a regulatory body will be put in place to ensure that gambling locations and affiliates are licensed and honor the new tax. But just like in Vegas, gambling in Costa Rica’s land-based establishments and online has seen a drastic drop in revenue over the past year with the current global economic crisis.
Jorge Hidalgo, vice president of the Costa Rican Association of Casinos, said the industry is among the hardest hit by the recession. “Activity has fallen about 35 percent, and in addition to that we have fewer work hours and have had to let go about 500 employees,” he said.
The bill is anticipated to reach the Legislative Assembly on Aug. 3.
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Friday, July 24th, 2009
Guillermo Ochoa stopped Froylán Ledezma on Costa Rica’s third penalty kick of the shootout, and Carlos Vela converted the decider to send El Tri into the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, taking the tiebreaker 5-3 over Costa Rica following a 1-1 draw Thursday night at Soldier Field.
Mexico has been to the Gold Cup final five times, with its only loss coming two years ago at the hands of the Americans. They will meet the U.S. on Sunday at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
Mexico squandered several chances to put this game away in the second half and in the first period of extra time. But when it counted most, Ochoa and his teammates came up big, making each of their penalties and getting that one critical save.
Ledezma had stunned Mexico by tying the game in the 93rd minute, slipping behind the last defender to latch on to a header from upfield and finishing past Ochoa to make it 1-1.
Mexico had appeared to settle matters just five minutes earlier, as substitute Guillermo Franco beat the Costa Ricans’ advancing offside trap. Costa Rica goalkeeper Keilor Navas got a piece of Franco’s volley, but the shot trickled over the line before Navas could fish it away.
Miguel Sabah had a chance to give Mexico the lead in the 58th minute after the referee awarded a penalty kick for handball inside the 18-yard box. But Sabah’s low shot was not hard enough, and Navas guessed correctly to stop it.
Each team scored on the first two penalties, and captain Gerardo Torrado made it three straight for El Tri. That put the pressure on Ledezma, whose blast was stopped by Ochoa diving to his left.
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Friday, July 24th, 2009
There are a mere seven days and counting to the inauguration of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. The entire country, and the area of Jaco and Playa Hermosa in particular, is preparing for the biggest surfing championship ever held on the shores of Central America. With the confirmed participation of more than 35 national teams, it will indeed be the largest surf even in the history of the sport. From July 31 to August 9, the world’s top surfers will convene in front of the Hotel Terrazas del Pacifico, the best surf spot in Costa Rica with perfect barrels and waves reaching up to 8 feet.The event promises to be one big beach party for surf aficionados and curious visitors alike. Throughout the duration of competition, which is set to start on Aug. 1 at 7 a.m., the area in front of the beach will come alive with cultural presentations, extreme sport demonstrations, dance shows, competitions, live music and more! The fair has been dubbed the Expo Planeta Aventura and is set to showcase the top names in Costa Rican adventure activities, sustainable tourism and extreme sports.
A series of stages, restaurants, bars and stands will run the distance from the street to the beach where the real spectacle will take place non-stop from Aug. 1 to the 8th between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The competitors will be divided into heats of 4 competitors of the same category. Two heats will run at a time in which the surfers have 20 minutes to ride between two and 12 waves and best display their ability level. A panel of 6 judges will distribute points according to wave selection, quality and difficulty of the maneuvers. Only the two best rides are added together to get the surfer’s score. Only the top two surfers in each heat will move on to the next round of competition. (more…)
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