How to play a Costa Rican pick-up game
Rumor has it that in every village in Costa Rica, square footage aside, a person is bound to find three pillars of the community: a church, a bar and a football field. That second one may be a park. Depends on who you’re asking. The last one is a testament to the country’s national sport. The passion of the people. And there’s no better way to witness aforesaid passion than by watching a good old-fashioned pick-up game. Easy to spot—just look for a crowd of people ages 2 to 90 cheering on another group of people ages 2 to 90 kicking a round object and odds are you’ve got yourself a mejenga (meh-HEHNG-gah).
A word of caution: This is not your average pick-up game. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the beloved mejenga. The only requirement is that the field in question be larger than a bathroom stall, give or take a few feet. And just as no two bathroom stalls are the same, you can bet money on never playing or watching the same mejenga twice. With unspoken rules, no refs, a boundless range of players per team and more often than not a lack of actual football goals to kick the ball into, there’s a certain amount of chaos that each match invites onto the field. What follows is a guide to some of the more spirited mejengas you may or may not find yourself partaking in.
Ratings in Xs based on the amount of chaos that will likely occur in each mejenga.
Field: Basketball court
Rules: One point for hitting the ball against the basketball hoop pole
Players: Anyone with a round object that could theoretically be dribbled in a football-like fashion
Chaos: X
Field: Office break room
Rules: First team to shatter all of the coffee mugs wins
Players: Sales vs. marketing
Chaos: X X X X
Field: Your friend’s cousin’s garage
Rules: Winner gets the last bag of Morenitos
Players: You, your friend, your friend’s cousin, the neighborhood kid that appears out of thin air every Friday after dinner
Chaos: X X
Field: Anywhere and everywhere (aka a mejenga loco)
Rules: Just kick the fucking ball
Players: Anyone vs. everyone
Chaos: X X X X X
Field: Whalebone HQ
Rules: 2x points for each goal scored before the yellow dog steals the ball
Players: The Whalebone gang vs. the yellow dog
Chaos: X X X
