The most important 36 hours of the year for Costa Rican soccer begin Tuesday. At noon, the Costa Rican under-20 national team will play Brazil in the semifinals of the Under-20 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in Egypt. The U-20s are the first-ever Costa Rican soccer team to advance to the semifinals of any World Cup.

The following evening, Wednesday at 6 p.m., the national men's team, La Sele, will play the United States in the final qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

La Sele beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 on Saturday night to move into third place in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region with 15 points  – two points ahead of Honduras, who are in fourth place. The top three teams in CONCACAF earn automatic qualification to the World Cup, while the fourth place team plays in a two-game play-off series with the fifth place team from the South American CONMEBOL region.

The U.S. and Mexico are in first and second place respectively in the CONCACAF region and officially clinched spots in the World Cup with wins Saturday night.

In light of the historic week of soccer, during halftime of Saturday's Costa Rica versus Trinidad game at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in Tibás, north of San José, President Oscar Arias announced that public employees will be granted part of an afternoon off Tuesday to watch the U-20s match with Brazil.

“I am going to sign an order on Monday so that the government employees can see the game Tuesday,” Arias said during the live broadcast. “The time off will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday. We feel very proud of what the under-20 team has done in Egypt, and it seems to me that the Costa Rican fans deserve to see the game.”

The U-20 team advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic 2-1 extra time win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the quarterfinal round Saturday. In a game that seemed destined for a penalty kick shootout, in the 122th minute – two minutes into added injury time – a save made by UAE goalkeeper Yousif Abdulrahman rebounded into the path of Costa Rican forward Marco Ureña, who struck a first-time blast through several UAE defenders and into the net. Ureña, who scored the game-clinching goal in the 2-0 win over Egypt in the quarterfinals, appeared to be brought to tears by his late goal, as he was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.

“We exploded with jubilation and joy at the final goal,” Coach Rónald González said after the game. “You don't expect to score a goal at the end of extra time when both teams are exhausted. I was truly stunned that we were able to score that late.”

The U-20s are hoping Tuesday's match will not be a repeat of their opening game of the World Cup against Brazil, which they lost 5-0.

As for the men, if the Ticos beat the U.S. or Honduras loses or ties against El Salvador, Costa Rica would qualify for the World Cup. If Costa Rica ties and Honduras wins, the two teams would have the same amount of points, but Honduras would clinch the third spot due to goal differential. If Honduras wins and Costa Rica loses, Honduras will advance to the World Cup and the Ticos would play in the play-off series against a South American team.

The Ticos looked good in their 4-0 rout of hapless Trinidad and Tobago and hope to carry the momentum into the game against the U.S. In June, Costa Rica beat the U.S. 3-1 in Costa Rica.

Hours after headlines spread around the world that freshman president in the United States received the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias – himself a Nobel recipient – offered his congratulations.

Despite the fact the United States is battling away on two fronts and spends the highest amount of money each year on its military, Arias said, “Sometimes, speaking of peace is an achievement in itself.

“When many voices call for a mad race for arms, when radical speeches intensify international polarization and when a leader of the greatest military power speaks of dialogue and understanding, that gives us reason to dream that this century may finally be a century of peace for the world,” he said.

Barack Obama's selection for the Nobel Prize sparked criticism among conservatives in his home country, who said the award was premature and contrary to the principles of a peace prize.

To their comments, Arias said, “I know many will question the merit on which this has been granted, given that there has been no specific result. I believe, however, that the committee is not saying he did this or that for peace, but what he wants to do for peace is correct and the international community should support him.”  

Arias, who won the peace prize in 1987 for bridging a Central America that suffered from political, social and militaristic unrest, added that he hopes the opposition in the United States will understand Obama's new responsibilities in the international realm, saying that a more international focus is “a responsibility that I, too, undertook 22 years ago, when I received the Nobel Prize.”

Sidemen: Leading presidential candidate Laura Chinchilla announces vice presidential candidates: businessman Luis Liberman, left, and scientist Alfio Piva.

Ronald Reyes | Tico Times

Costa Rica's presidential frontrunner Laura Chinchilla named her vice-presidential running mates Monday, in front of an audience of green-shirted National Liberation Party members.

Listing the economy and the environment as central issues to her presidency, she appointed scientist Alfio Piva and businessman Luis Liberman as her second-in-commands.

Piva, an intellectual and environmentalist, currently serves as the executive director of the famed INBio Park and as professor emeritus of National University, both in Heredia, north of San José.

Liberman, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from the United States' University of Illinois, served as director of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and founder of the International Finance Corporation (now owned by Scotia Bank).

The only campaign themes not represented in her vice presidential choices is security, a field to which Chinchilla herself brings some expertise.

The former public security minister, who will be traveling to the United States this week to study public safety issues, said “the most important (challenge) is to achieve a safe society. No issue is closer to my heart…. No issue has found me in more hours of reflection…. We need to recuperate safety in each town and in each city.”

In her vice-presidential announcement before a national assembly of her party at the old town of the National Amusement Park, Chinchilla took the opportunity to take swings at the other presidential candidates.

Of Citizen Action Party candidate Ottón Solís, Chinchilla said he is looking to “put the motor in reverse” and of Libertarian Movement candidate Otto Guevara, she said he would construct a society “based on the individual Costa Rica … that does not value solidarity.”

“In front of these two options, there is only one for Costa Rica,” she said, positioning her party – the National Libertarian Party – as the most-balanced, most centralized party, and best choice for the country.

Costa Rica will go to the polls on Feb. 7.

More than two dozens of law enforcement agents from the United States and Central America will participate this month in a training program to combat transnational gangs, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Fifteen officers from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama visited the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia last week for three days of preliminary training. On Monday, the program officially kicked off as the international officers join the 12 U.S. participants in Charlotte, North Carolina.

After that, the group will travel to Los Angeles, California and then to El Salvador, two leading destinations for violent youth gangs.

This is the second of such international training programs known as the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE).

“The most effective way to combat transnational gangs, such as (Mara Salvatrucha) MS-13 and 18th Street, is through collaboration with our partners and cooperative intelligence sharing,” Assistant Director Kevin Perkins, of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, said in a statement. “Through programs like CALEE, we are forging valuable relationships that will positively impact our ability to work together across international boundaries.”

According to the FBI, gaps in communication between governments frequently allow criminals to move across borders and commit crimes with virtual anonymity.

The training comes after the U.S. announced it will increase spending in this region toward stemming drug trafficking and money laundering.