Costa Rica turns to Rene Simoes to save World Cup hopes

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Having fired Rodrigo Kenton as its national soccer coach this week, Costa Rica today turned to Brazilian Rene Simoes to salvage its 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Simoes, 56, led Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup in France and coached the Brazilian women’s national team to the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, giving the U.S., which won the gold medal, a huge scare in the process.

His resume also includes stints as coach of Trinidad and Tobago; Iran’s Under-23 national team, which he led to the bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games; and various club teams in Brazil. He will take charge of Costa Rica next week.

The Ticos, in fourth place in the six-team regional qualifying group from which the top three advance to South Africa 2010 and the fourth-place finisher goes into a playoff with a South American team, have two games remaining, at home against Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10 and against the U.S. in Washington on Oct. 14.

-- Grahame L. Jones