How they qualified

Having failed to qualify for the Hexagonal stage of World Cup qualifying, El Salvador went into the CONCACAF Nations League qualifying tournament. They won their first two games, edging out Montserrat 2-1 and beating Barbados 3-0, but a 1-0 defeat by Bermuda left them needing a win against Jamaica, which they managed by two goals to nil, putting them through as the 10th and final qualifying team on goal difference.

 

Tournament record

El Salvador have been regular Gold Cup competitors, but have not been a great success, having won only eight tournament games in the 10 editions they have participated in and making it out of the group stages on only five occasions. The closest they have come to reaching the Semi-finals was in 2011 when they led 1-0 against Panama heading into Stoppage time. They also have yet to avoid defeat against either the USA or Mexico, so a potential Quarter-final with the USA is not a palatable option for them.

 

Star Men

El Salvador have emerged from the match-fixing scandal of the early 2010s and have started to develop a good young squad, with a number of foreign-based players complementing the home-grown talent. Nelson Bonilla has been one of the mainstays of the El Salvador side since 2012 and scored two of the goals in qualifying that put them through. He will be assisted in attack by Andres Flores, who has 61 caps and is seen as one of the play-makers in the squad in Midfield.

Manager

Carlos de los Cobos has been El Salvador coach before, having taken the team to the Hexagonal stage for 2010 World Cup qualifying. Since his return, the side has seen a marked improvement in performances as he imposed his style and made changes to improve the team. He played in the 1986 Mexico World Cup team and has a wealth of experience that he has been able to share in his two spells in charge of El Salvador.

What can we expect?

They are in a difficult group with Co-Hosts Jamaica, their neighbours and historic rivals Honduras and dark horses Curacao, but they have improved since de los Cobos returned as coach, so they will think that a Quarter-final place isn’t out of the question. Much will depend on whether they can repeat their qualifying win over Jamaica.

 

Schedule

17 June – El Salvador v Curacao

Venue: Independence Park, Kingston

21 June – El Salvador v Jamaica

Venue: BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston

25 June – El Salvador vs Honduras

Venue: Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles

 

Squad

GOALKEEPERS

Henry Hernandez                04-01-1985         Chalatenango

Kevin Carabentes                20-03-1995         Limeno

Oscar Pleitez                          06-02-1993         Isidro Metapan

 

DEFENDERS

Xavier Garcia                         26-06-1990         FAS

Roberto Dominguez         09-05-1997         FAS

Ivan Mancia                           01-05-1989         Alianza

Alexander Mendoza          04-06-1990         Santa Tecla

Jonathan Jimenez              12-07-1992         Alianza

Ruben Marroquin              15-10-1992         Alianza

Bryan Tamacas                     21-02-1995         Sportivo Luqueno

 

MIDFIELDERS

Narciso Orellana                 28-01-1995         Alianza

Darwin Ceren                        31-12-1989         Houston Dynamo

Jaime Alas                               30-07-1989         Municipal

Marvin Monterrosa           03-03-1991         Alianza

Santos Ortiz                           22-01-1993         Aguila

Andres Flores                        31-08-1990         Portland Timbers

Oscar Ceren                            23-10-1991         Alianza

Gerson Mayen                      09-02-1989         Santa Tecla

Diego Coca                             26-08-1994         Aguila

 

STRIKERS

David Rugamas                    17-02-1990         FAS

Nelson Bonilla                      11-09-1990         Bangkok United

Juan Carlos Portillo          26-12-1991         Alianza

Brayan Paz                              14-11-1997         Aguila

Grp AWDLFAPts
Mexico3001339
Canada2011236
Martinique102573
Cuba0030170
Grp BWDLFAPts
Haiti300629
Costa Rica201536
Bermuda102443
Nicaragua003080
Grp CWDLFAPts
Jamaica120435
Curaçao111224
El Salvador111174
Honduras102643
Grp DWDLFAPts
United States3001109
Panama201636
Guyana012391
Trinidad and Tobago012191

Latest Tweets