Bryan Ruiz Named Costa Rica Interim Coach
Ruiz takes charge after Fernando Batista's sacking, debuting away to Nicaragua as Costa Rica sit fifth in Nations League Group A.
Bryan Ruiz has taken interim charge of Costa Rica, the federation announced, after sacking Fernando Batista following six matches without a win.
Ruiz, 41, makes his first game in charge away to Nicaragua on Thursday, in the third round of Group A in the CONCACAF Nations League. Costa Rica sit fifth, in the relegation play-off zone, without a point from the international break. They lost 4-3 at home to Curaçao after leading 3-0, then went down 2-0 to Haiti in a match played in Jamaica, at Kingston's Independence Park.
The timing is striking. Ruiz only took his first head-coaching job earlier this month, stepping up from the reserves at LD Alajuelense after the club sacked Spanish coach Ismael Rescalvo.
Batista leaves with one draw and five defeats in seven months in the job, results that have all but ended Costa Rica's hopes of reaching the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals and pushed direct qualification for the 2027 Gold Cup further out of reach.
Ruiz is the third-most capped player in Costa Rica's history, with 147 appearances and 29 goals between 2005 and 2022. He played at three World Cups, one Copa América and six Gold Cups, and won the Central American Cup with the national side in 2014.
He has at least two matches to steady the side: after Nicaragua away on Thursday, Costa Rica host Haiti three days later, looking to reverse the result from Kingston.
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