Panama and Costa Rica will have boys in Red, White, and Blue… who typically wear Gold. From Club release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 13, 2022) – Nashville Soccer Club announced today in conjunction with the Federations of Panama and Costa Rica the addition of midfielders Aníbal Godoy (Panama) and Randall Leal (Costa Rica) to the Federations’ first camps in this FIFA World Cup™ year.
Godoy, Leal and Zimmerman will join Nashville SC for the club’s preseason at the conclusion of their international duties.
Godoy has been a foundational piece for Panama for over a decade earning a total of 112 caps since making his debut on March 3, 2010. The midfielder competed in all three matches in Panama’s first FIFA World Cup™ appearance in 2018 and in four Concacaf Gold Cup Tournaments.
In 2021, Godoy appeared in 12 Concacaf World Cup Qualifying matches as Panama earned a 7W-2L-3D record. The Panamanian leader scored the game-winning goal against the United States Men’s National Team in a 1-0 victory on Oct. 11.
At the club level, Godoy has 147 Major League Soccer regular season appearances in his career, including 46 in the last two seasons with Nashville SC. In 2021, Godoy set a career-high with five assists as he led the Boys in Gold to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Leal joins Costa Rica with 26 caps since making his debut on Sept. 7, 2018, including six Concacaf World Cup qualifier matches in 2021.
Leal was instrumental in his sophomore MLS season registering eight goals and nine assists, compared to the three goals and five assists in his first season. Leal also finished ranked in the top three in shots (67), shots on target (33) and key passes (32).
Nashville SC release
Godoy and Leal will open the window against each other, with Panama traveling to take on Costa Rica in San José. The Ticos will follow that up with matches against Mexico and Jamaica, both on the road, while Panama hosts Jamaica and travels to Mexico. (For Zimmerman, the US plays El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio, Canada in suburban Toronto, and Honduras in St. Paul, Minn.).
Godoy’s Panama currently sits fourth in the Octagonal on 14 points (behind Mexico on Goal Differential), while Costa Rica is in fifth place with nine points. The fourth-place team in the Ocho advances to the Inter-Continental Playoff, while the top three all qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November.
Club and Country 