June 8, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup officially kicked off on June 6, and senior team captain Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) and the Costa Rican Women's National Team begin their quest for international success on June 9 against Spain. Rodriguez spoke with GoPSUSports.com for the final time before Las Ticas become the first Central American team to compete at the World Cup in Canada. Rocky's Take
We played three friendlies before the World Cup and they taught us that a huge part of our success comes from the mindset that we bring to the field. We know we are capable of doing good things but that won't be possible if our minds aren't focused the whole game. Our team has speed in the attack and likes to elaborate in the midfield. We are conservative when it comes to pressing but of course, all those tactical decisions will depend on what makes sense against the opponent.
Despite the losses, we've learned that sometimes we need a "slap" in our face to wake up and realize what we are doing. Even though there are differences regarding preparation between national teams, we have the choice to work and stop making excuses. We definitely know that the first game is going to be vital to how we do in the World Cup. We know it's going to be very important for Spain to win so it'll be a good match. Earlier in the year, Amelia Valverde took over as the head coach. She has been around for five years now and she knows the team and we know her very well. We have the confidence to talk to her about anything and vice versa. It's not easy to coach a national team whose support is only developing, but it is vital to for the coach to have the players' support and she has it.
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