Costa Rica had never been known as a regional footballing power.



The Ticos had come close to debuting in the 1962 World Cup, making the final round of CCCF/NAFC (a predecessor to CONCACAF) qualification. The Central American nation was one of three teams in the last stage, and emphatically beat Mexico (1-0) and Netherlands Antilles (6-0) in its first two matches. In the spread-out final round (with one game every week or two), it seemed like the nation would finally present itself on the international stage.



Unfortunately, it all fell apart. Mexico beat Netherlands Antilles 7-0, and proceeded to thump Costa Rica by a 4-1 margin in Mexico City. Eleven days later, Costa Rica fell to Netherlands Antilles — then nursing a minus-13 goal differential through two games — to the tune of 2-0. With only one game remaining, Costa Rica’s only hope of qualifying would be if Netherlands Antilles shocked Mexico with a 12-goal victory, putting Costa Rica ahead of El...