Álvaro Saborío

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Saborío and the second or maternal family name is Chacón.
Álvaro Saborío
Saborío playing for D.C. United in 2015
Personal information
Full name Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón
Date of birth (1982-03-25) 25 March 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Monterrey B
Coyotes de Saltillo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2006 Saprissa 149 (95)
2006–2010 Sion 87 (36)
2009–2010 → Bristol City (loan) 19 (2)
2010 → Real Salt Lake (loan) 27 (12)
2011–2015 Real Salt Lake 100 (51)
2015–2016 D.C. United 31 (10)
2017 Saprissa 4 (1)
2018–2022 San Carlos 125 (62)
2020 → Alajuelense (loan) 18 (6)
2023 San Carlos 8 (2)
International career‡
2004 Costa Rica U23 15 (13)
2002–2021 Costa Rica 112 (36)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:37, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 October 2021

Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβaɾo saβoˈɾi.o]; born 25 March 1982) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer, who played as a forward. Saborío originally retired in 2017 but returned months later.[2]

A full international for Costa Rica since 2002, Saborío has over 110 caps and 36 goals for the nation, whom he represented at five CONCACAF Gold Cups, in addition to one tournament each at the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and Copa América.

Club career

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Saborío is a product of C.F. Monterrey's youth system. He played with the club's reserve team in the Segunda División de México and with affiliate Coyotes de Saltillo in the Primera A.[3][4]

Deportivo Saprissa

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Saborio began his professional career with Saprissa in his native Costa Rica.[5] He made his Costa Rican Primera División debut against Limonense on 8 August 2001.[4] Saborío was the leading goal-scorer of the 2003–2004 Costa Rican season, finishing the year with 25 goals, five above Whayne Wilson.

With Saprissa, he has won a league title and a CONCACAF Champions Cup and was part of the team that played the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup, where Saprissa finished third behind São Paulo and Liverpool. At the tournament, he scored two goals and ended up tied with three other players for top scoring honors.

FC Sion

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He moved to Swiss Super League outfit FC Sion after playing for Costa Rica at the 2006 World Cup. He formed a good partnership at FC Sion with Poland's Zbigniew Zakrzewski.

His performances in Switzerland reportedly caught the eye of Stoke City's manager Tony Pulis who aimed to sign him in the summer of 2009, however he instead joined Bristol City on loan.

Bristol City

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Saborío played his first game for Bristol City in a Championship match on 13 September against Coventry City making an impact by setting up fellow striker Nicky Maynard. Saborío also picked up his first yellow card in English football as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.[6] Saborio scored his first goal for Bristol City in their 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United.[7]

He left Bristol City, and his contract was terminated with FC Sion in February 2010 so that he could return to Costa Rica.

Real Salt Lake

[edit]
Saborío at a "Meet the Players" event for Real Salt Lake in 2010

Saborío signed with Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake in March 2010.[8] He made a huge impact in his first season in Salt Lake: RSL boasted the highest-scoring offense in MLS in 2010 (45 goals); Saborío led the way with a team-high 12 tallies. For his efforts, he earned the MLS Newcomer of the Year award.[9] He also starred for the club in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament, scoring eight goals as Real Salt Lake advanced to the championship round.

After a successful first season at the club, Saborío was made Salt Lake's first ever Designated Player, signing a four-year contract with the club on 1 December 2010.[10]

Saborío became the club's all-time leading scorer, and their key target man. As of 5 May 2012, Saborío had scored 38 goals across all competitions, eight of them coming from CONCACAF Champions League play.

On 18 November 2013 Saborío was named FutbolMLS.com's Latino del Año.[11]

Saborío scored a goal in the 52nd minute of the 2013 MLS Cup on 7 December. His goal was equalized by Aurélien Collin in the 76th minute. He later missed his penalty kick when the game went into a penalty kick shoutout, in which Sporting Kansas City won.

D.C. United

[edit]

On 16 July 2015, Saborío was traded to D.C. United for Luis Silva.[12] He scored his first goal for United on 26 July 2015, against the Philadelphia Union.[13] On 2 October 2015, Saborío scored a stoppage time winner against New York City FC to clinch United a spot in the 2015 MLS Playoffs.[14]

Saborío re-signed with United on 17 November 2015.[15]

On 14 November 2016, Saborío announced that he was to leave United after two seasons.[16] He played 31 games, scored 10 goals, and contributed 10 assists for D.C. United.[17]

Deportivo Saprissa

[edit]

On 10 January 2017, Saborío signed a one-year contract with Deportivo Saprissa. On 9 February 2017, Saborío announced his retirement due to conflicts with Saprissa fans.[2]

San Carlos

[edit]

Saborío was a leading figure in San Carlos' double championship: first in the second division, and once in the first division, they won the Torneo de Clausura for the 2018-2019 season.

International career

[edit]

Saborío was an important player for the Costa Rica national team at numerous levels. He represented the U-23 team at the 2004 Olympics,[18] scoring the qualifying goal that took them there, and subsequently started three of four games for the team, scoring a goal against Portugal.

Saborío made his senior debut for Costa Rica in an October 2002 friendly match against Ecuador and has, as of October 2021, earned a total of 112 caps, scoring 36 goals,[19] placing him third at his country's all-time goalscorers list behind Rolando Fonseca and Paulo Wanchope.

Saborío, better known as Pipe, has been notably recognized for his accomplishments with Deportivo Saprissa, and the high number of goals he scored in a short period. But after a year at the club his Costa Rican coach got a hold of him and he took part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[18] He was mostly a substitute for the side, behind Rónald Gómez and former Manchestet City forward Paulo Wanchope. He also scored the first goal ever in the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, in the inaugural match against China. Saborío was at the centre of much controversy in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, criticized heavily for his misses, including two penalty kicks in the quarterfinals against Honduras, and for a training pitch incident where he allegedly kicked a ball at a child who was in the stands.[20]

Saborío scored eight times in Costa Rica's successful 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, including a hat-trick in a 4–0 away win over Guyana on 12 June 2012,[21] and a further two goals on 16 October in a 7–0 win over the same opponents.[22] On 12 May 2014, Saborío was named to Costa Rica's 30-man preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[23] However, on 29 May, the Costa Rican Football Federation confirmed that Saborío had broken the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during a training session with the national team and would subsequently miss the World Cup.[24]

Saborío was in Costa Rica's squad for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and earned his 100th cap on 11 July at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, assisting Bryan Ruiz's goal in a 1–1 Group B draw with El Salvador; he was the fifth Costa Rican to make one hundred appearances.[25]

Personal life

[edit]

A son of former Costa Rica international Álvaro Grant MacDonald and Marlene Saborío,[26] Saborío can speak four languages: Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.[27]

Saborío holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[28]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of 30 July 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League
Apps Goals
Saprissa 2001–02 24 11
2002–03 36 27
2003–04 37 25
2004–05 21 15
2005–06 31 17
Total 149 95
Sion 2006–07 31 14
2007–08 34 17
2008–09 22 5
Total 87 36
Bristol City (loan) 2009–10 19 2
Real Salt Lake 2010 27 12
2011 23 11
2012 31 17
2013 16 12
2014 16 8
2015 14 3
Total 127 63
D.C. United 2015 12 4
2016 19 6
Total 31 10
Saprissa 2016–17 4 1
A.D. San Carlos 2018–19 48 28
2019–20 28 13
2020–21 22 9
Total 98 50
Alajuelense (loan) 2020–21 18 6
Career total 533 263

International goals

[edit]
Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saborío goal.[29]
List of international goals scored by Álvaro Saborío
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 7 September 2003 FIU Stadium, Miami, United States  China 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 19 November 2003 Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica  Finland 2–1 2–1
3 12 June 2004 Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba  Cuba 2–1 2–2 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 4 September 2005 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama  Panama 1–0 3–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 7 September 2005 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, Tibás, Costa Rica  Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 2–0
6 9 November 2005 Stade d'Honneur de Dillon, Fort-de-France, Martinique  France 1–0 2–3 Friendly
7 11 February 2006 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States  South Korea 1–0 1–0
8 2 September 2006 Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland  Austria 1–0 2–2
9 2–2
10 24 March 2007 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, Tibás, Costa Rica  New Zealand 1–0 4–0
11 4–0
12 21 June 2008  Grenada 1–0 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
13 20 August 2008  El Salvador 1–0 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
14. 3 June 2009  United States 1–0 3–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 6 June 2009 Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Trinidad and Tobago  Trinidad and Tobago 1–1 3–2
16 27 June 2009 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, Tibás, Costa Rica  Venezuela 1–0 1–0 Friendly
17 19 July 2009 Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, United States  Guadeloupe 2–0 5–1 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
18 4–1
19 10 October 2009 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, Tibás, Costa Rica  Trinidad and Tobago 3–0 4–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
20 4–0
21 3 September 2010 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama  Panama 2–2 2–2 Friendly
22 26 March 2011 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica  China 1–0 2–2
23 5 June 2011 Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, United States  Cuba 2–0 5–0 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
24 8 June 2012 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica  El Salvador 1–0 2–2 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 12 June 2012 Providence Stadium, Providence, Guyana  Guyana 1–0 4–0
26 2–0
27 3–0
28 16 October 2012 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica 4–0 7–0
29 7–0
30 6 February 2013 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama  Panama 1–2 2–2 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
31 15 October 2013 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica  Mexico 2–1 2–1
32 5 March 2014  Paraguay 2–0 2–1 Friendly
33 10 October 2014 Sohar Regional Sports Complex, Sohar, Oman  Oman 1–0 4–3
34 13 November 2014 Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay  Uruguay 1–0 3–3
35 31 March 2015 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panamá City, Panama  Panama 1–2 1–2
36 24 June 2019 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States  Haiti 1–0 1–2 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honours

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Saprissa

Sion

Real Salt Lake

San Carlos

Alajuelense

Costa Rica

Individual

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FIFA Club World Championship Japan 2005 – Official Rosters". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 December 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2005.
  2. ^ a b "Former Costa Rica and Real Salt Lake star Alvaro Saborio retires". ESPN. ESPN FC. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  3. ^ Madrigal, Luis Alberto (18 April 2011). "Final con "Saborio" especial" [Final with "Saborio" special] (in Spanish). El Porvenir. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b Hernández Cerdas, Kenneth (24 January 2006). "Diez goles separan a Saborío del dardo 100 en Primera" [10 goals separate Saborío from 100 goals in the Primera] (in Spanish). Diario Extra. Archived from the original on 15 February 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  5. ^ Álvaro Saborío at National-Football-Teams.com
  6. ^ Saborio makes small impact on debut Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine ESPN Soccernet Retrieved on 13 September 2009
  7. ^ "Bristol City 1–1 Scunthorpe". BBC Sport. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  8. ^ "Alvaro Saborio Signs with RSL | Three.Four.Three.FC Blog". threefourthreefc.wordpress.com. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Saborío wins Newcomer of the Year with breakout season | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  10. ^ "Utah Local News - Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive - The Salt Lake Tribune". sltrib.com. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Alvaro Saborio rides record voting to win FutbolMLS.com's 2013 Latino del Año | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Real Salt Lake: RSL trades Alvaro Saborio to D.C. United in exchange for Luis Silva". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  13. ^ "GOAL: Saborío scores his first for the Black and Red". 26 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. ^ "D.C. United clinches berth in Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs". dcunited.com. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Álvaro Saborío re-signs with D.C. United". dcunited.com. 17 November 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Alvaro Saborio announces departure from DC United | MLSSoccer.com".
  17. ^ "Alvaro Saborio". Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  18. ^ a b Álvaro Saborío – FIFA competition record (archived)
  19. ^ Passo Alpuin, Luis Fernando (12 August 2009). "Costa Rica – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  20. ^ "Á Saborío se le cerró la portería como nunca". nacion.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  21. ^ Jefford, Edison (13 June 2012). "Twelfth man showed up, but Jaguars didn't". Kaieteur News. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  22. ^ "Costa Rica mauls Guyana 7-0". Stabroek News. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  23. ^ "RSL's Álvaro Saborío Called to Costa Rica's 30-man World Cup Roster". Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  24. ^ Copa Mundial: Álvaro Saborío será baja en Costa Rica por fractura en su pie derecho, confirma la federación costarricense
  25. ^ Fuentes, Ferlin (11 July 2015). "Álvaro Saborío con asistencia de lujo en su juego 100 con la Tricolor" [Álvaro Saborío with luxury assist in his 100th game for the Tricolor]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  26. ^ Saborío lleva 5 tantos en 4 juegos seguidos Una precoz alianza con los goles - Nación (in Spanish)
  27. ^ Charles, Chris (16 September 2009). "Sport quotes of the week". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  28. ^ "Immigration green cards turn RSL stars into Americans, for MLS purposes | Real Salt Lake | The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  29. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Álvaro Alberto Saborío - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
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