JAMAICA will host Costa Rica for the ninth time (sixth in an international friendly) at the National Stadium today, with history indicating the match will more likely end in a draw than the Reggae Boyz eking out a win by the odd goal.

With three World Cup, three Copa America, and nine Gold Cup appearances, Los Ticos are the fourth best team in CONCACAF and are ranked 53 in the world.

Gold Cup finalists in 2002, Costa Rica played six matches this year, losing to Paraguay, Slovakia, France and Argentina, beating only Switzerland 1-0, and drawing 2-2 with Panama.

Ranked at number 82, Jamaica are sixth in CONCACAF. This year the Boyz beat Trinidad & Tobago 3-1 and Canada 1-0, but lost to South Africa (0-2), and Argentina (1-2).

Meanwhile, the Reggae Boyz have failed to beat Costa Rica in their last six matches, and after 19 encounters, Jamaica have won three, drawn six and lost 10, with 13 goals for and 43 against.

When the teams first met 47 years ago in San Salvador, El Salvador, Costa Rica drubbed Jamaica 6-0 at the CONCACAF Championship on March 24, 1963. Two years later, Lascelles Dunkley, Neville Glanville, Henry Largie, Oscar Black, Delroy Scott, Patrick Blair and company suffered a 7-0 whipping (1-0 at half time) on May 11, 1965 in a World Cup qualifying match.

On May 22, 1965, in the return leg, Jamaica welcomed Costa Rica for the first time at the National Stadium in front of a crowd of just over 3,000 spectators. After six minutes Errol Daniels put Costa Rica one up and Art Welsh equalised in the 70th minute for the match to end 1-1.

In 1993, two months after the Carl Brown-coached Jamaica lost the Caribbean Cup 6-5 on penalties to Martinique, Costa Rica were again at the National Stadium on May 4 and the match ended 1-1.

A young Costa Rican team returned to the National Stadium on September 27, 1995 and Jamaica, under coach Rene Simoes, won 2-0, thanks to strikes from Paul Young and Walter Boyd.

The Reggae Boyz, showing that it was no fluke, carved out another 2-0 win over Costa Rica in a friendly on September 4, 1996, at the National Stadium, with Hector Wright and Onandi Lowe getting on the score sheet.

On September 7, 1997, at the National Stadium, now becoming known as 'The Office', Deon Burton was on target in the 55th minute for Jamaica to clip Costa Rica 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying match.

Two years later Burton showed that he still had the goalscoring touch for country when he netted in the 82nd minute, after coming on at the start of the second half, for the Boyz to draw 1-1 with Costa Rica, who had taken the lead in the 35th minute when Gerald Drummond found the net in their friendly on February 2, 1999.

However, the Boyz's fortunes changed on November 11, 2001 in a World Cup qualifying match as William Sunsing shocked Jamaica in the fourth minute for Costa Rica to win 1-0.

But on February 6, 2008, in a friendly at 'The Office', Victor Nunez of Costa Rica netted in the 79th minute only for Tyrone Marshall to level the score in the dying minutes. The match ended 1-1.

Boasting only one World Cup and seven Gold Cup appearances, Jamaica, with four Caribbean Cup titles, will need a victory to up their rankings in CONCACAF.

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