Costa Rican international Gabriel Badilla talks about World Cup Qualifiers, MLS referees

June 8, 10:18 PMBoston Pro Soccer ExaminerL.E. Eisenmenger

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Gabriel Badilla

Two days after the US Men's National Team lost 3-1 to Costa Rica in World Cup Qualifiers, Boston Pro Soccer Examiner spoke with Costa Rican international Gabriel Badilla in his native Spanish at New England Revolution practice.

Badilla has 12 caps with the Costa Rican National Team, was a member of the 2006 World Cup squad in Germany, and captained Costa Rica's U-17 FIFA World Championship squad in 2001. He joined Costa Rican powerhouse Saprissa in 2001 at age 16 and over the years helped them win five national championships.

Late last August, coach Steve Nicol brought in 24 year-old Badilla as a likely replacement for outgoing central defender Michael Parkhurst.

Badilla gets quick introduction to MLS

After his first and only light practice with the Revolution the day after his arrival, Badilla played 90 minutes in their highly promoted 2-2 draw with David Beckham and the LA Galaxy on August 30, 2008. He didn’t even know the names of his teammates and he didn’t speak English.

And yes, this was the game in which Taylor Twellman suffered his concussion running headlong into the thrusting fist of LA goalkeeper Steve Cronin while scoring in the 22nd minute. Twellman required stitches and returned to the field and Cronin broke his fingers, but played on through the first half.

Welcome to MLS, Gabby.

Badilla played his second 90 minutes three days later in the ill-fated 4-0 loss to Joe Public in the CONCACAF tournament, and earned his first red card on October 25 when Claudio Lopez fell in the box under a light touch by Badilla.

“It wasn’t a red card, everybody knows it wasn’t a red card,” Badilla told American Soccer News after the match. "Claudio fell in the penalty box and I don’t know why the ref made that decision because it was legal play.”

Badilla quickly discovered MLS was quite different than his previous league.

“Saprissa, my old team, always trains the players to win," continued Badilla. "Here in MLS, we’re playing at the same level as I did with Saprissa in CONCACAF but the quality of the pitches here is much better and makes the game much faster, I’m trying to adapt as fast as I can, but it’s hard because we’re in the playoffs. I'm happy here and I know I'll be better next year.”

But then Badilla suffered a back injury and underwent surgery, and now is preparing to return to the field and make his mark.

Cheerful and articulate, in this interview Badilla shares with me his perspective on the Costa Rican National Team's continued success, the difference between MLS and Central American referees, and the Revolution's improving 2009 season.

Jose Burgos, editor of MLS en Espanol and former player for Concepcion, kindly assisted in the translation of this interview.

LE: How did the 3-1 win over the USMNT help the Costa Rica National Team?

Badilla: It was a good game for Costa Rica because they took the lead in the qualifiers and that's very positive because it gives the team confidence, especially before facing Trinidad and Tobago next Saturday.

LE: Why does the U.S. National Team struggle so against Costa Rica? (5 losses in 5 games)

Badilla: I think it has a lot to do with the environment in the stadium - the cheering, the noise, people being so close to the players. Costa Rica has this winning mentality when playing in their country that has helped a lot throughout the years. To me, that's the key when playing these kinds of games.

LE: What is it about Costa Rica that consistently makes them such strong competitors?

Badilla: I think it's the mentality. The desire we have to go to the World Cup and do better than what we've done in the past. [The World Cup] is very important for Costa Ricans, for our soccer in general. We always want to be there and do well.

LE: What are your personal aspirations for the Costa Rica National Team?

Badilla: Well, I hope, I hope, I can be there for the last part of the qualifiers. First, I have to do well here in New England, to try to come back with confidence after this injury that hasn’t allowed me to play for almost six months. If I play, the possibility of getting called up and potentially playing in the World Cup is still there.

LE: Tell me about your injury and how you’re feeling now.

Badilla: I got injured approximately 10 months ago but it was six months ago when it became very hard to continue training, playing. After the tournament was over in November of last year, I decided to rest for a month, without practicing. Since I didn’t get better, I decided to get surgery in my back. Right now I feel great, I've been practicing intensely for the last two weeks and I'm doing well. I'm confident that with the grace of God I'll be able to come back soon and do better than ever.

LE: How does the refereeing in MLS differ from the refereeing in Central America?

Badilla: They are different, very different. It seems to me that MLS allows too much physical contact. It is true that it's a different soccer - stronger, more dynamic, but they should do something to protect the more skillful players. In Costa Rica soccer is slower, there are more pauses because players are different - they get more touches on the ball, they focus on their technique. Here they are more direct and that is the difference between the two leagues. And like I said, that affects refereeing. Referees here are more used to that contact and sometimes they don’t call plays that are too rough, violent.

LE: The Revolution struggled this spring because of injuries to you, Twellman, Chris Albright, Steve Ralston, and Mauricio Castro. How do you see the team pulling out of this?

Badilla: The team has been irregular, that’s no secret. We have tied too many games and lost some too. But we've won some big ones as well. I think that once everybody recovers the coach will have more options and we'll get stronger, we will gain confidence, and we will have a better year than we have so far.

For more discussion on the difficulties foreign players face with MLS refereeing, read Rash Tackles and Inconsistent Referees Challenge MLS in SoccerLens.