Peru and Costa Rica’s World Cups ran in parallel, something Portland Timbers fans may have noticed more than most. Now, after the results of the last 48 hours, those fans are left to consider the close calls that left Timbers midfielders Andy Polo and David Guzmán with early flights home, their teams eliminated only two games into their tournaments.
Each team opened with a match destined to define their tournament, a game against their biggest challenge for their group’s second knockout round spot. But just as Peru began their World Cup with an agonizing 1-0 loss against Denmark, so did Costa Rica replicate the feat the next day, falling to Serbia.