La Volpe quits as coach of Costa Rica
Reuters - Saturday 13 August 2011, 03:53
SAN JOSE - Costa Rica coach Ricardo La
Volpe announced his resignation on Friday less than a year after
taking charge of the team, citing poor communications with his
players.
The move was widely expected after lacklustre performances
left the gruff Argentine increasingly embittered.
"When I got here [to Costa Rica] I talked of a project...
of building a new national team," the 59-year-old told a news
conference.
"What for me is the most difficult thing, an understanding
with the locally-based players, has become complicated," added
La Volpe, a goalkeeper in Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning
squad who ended his playing career in Mexico.
Known for his thick mustache and fierce scolding of players,
La Volpe signed a $50,000-a-month deal in September 2010, vowing to
lead the side to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.
In 17 matches, however, the "Tricolor" won just four, drew
eight and lost five, prompting commentators to slam the coach
for failing to turn out a winning team.
Despite the record, La Volpe can be credited for
kick-starting the career of Joel Campbell by fielding the young
Deportivo Saprissa striker in last month's Copa America in
Argentina.
Campbell's performances wowed scouts in Europe and have
since earned the 19-year-old a move to Arsenal in England's
Premier League.
Mexican media have linked La Volpe with a move to
Estudiantes AUG, who play in Mexico's first division where the
Argentine spent the greater part of his coaching career.
La Volpe, who steered Mexico to the second round at the 2006
World Cup in Germany, leaves behind a cloud of uncertainty over
a team that faces Brazil in a friendly on October 7.
Costa Rica, who made the quarter-finals of the regional
CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States in June, have reached the
World Cup finals three times, the last in 2006.