The National Football Teams of Costa Rica and Honduras did not disappoint fans last night at the National Stadium in La Sabana. The Central American classic between the two strongest teams in the region and consistent performers at the CONCACAF level ended in a tied score of one goal each.

The teams were evenly matched throughout the game, but one player stood out among all. Legionnaire Tico left back Porfirio Lopez was responsible for intercepting one Catracho attacker after another. Lopez was instrumental in La Sele’s defense, picking up a lot of slack left by defender Jose Salvatierra from Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. Tico goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton was forced to fly and dive a few times, but the hard work by Porfirio Lopez brought the goalie some relief.

Costa Rica started off on the offensive and the Catrachos responded well with tight defense. Oscar Rojas and Alvaro Sanchez attempted to pierce the goalposts guarded by Noel Valladares to no avail. Despite the improved physical conditioning of the Tico players over the last few months (including the brief stint of Ricardo La Volpe as coach), the players from Honduras managed to outrun La Sele on counterattacks. Star striker David Suazo, who plays in the Italian league, open the scoreboard with a rocket from the left wing at the 24 minute mark.

La Sele struggled throughout the rest of the first half with the exception of Porfirio Lopez who stopped many advances from the Catrachos.

The second half saw Costa Rica on the offensive once again. Olman Vargas converted a ground pass from the left wing into the last goal of the night at about 50 minutes. Ball possession switched between the teams throughout the rest of the game, and the Ticos had quite a few opportunities but lacked definition. The few times that Honduras tried to advance they ran into Porfirio Lopez, with the exception of a scary shot on goal from Kervin Johnson eight minutes shy of the end of the game.

Lopez plays for the Philadephia Union in the American Major League Soccer, where he has been criticized for shy play. That was not the case last night, and he will probably earn more call-ups from Jorge Luis Pinto as La Sele follows the path to the qualifying rounds of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.