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By Dylan Butler
Coming off quality results in FIFA World Cup qualifying, El Salvador is enjoying some of its best form in a decade and is highly motivated to keep rolling going in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"We have a good team right now," New York Red Bulls fullback Alfredo Pacheco said. "We're playing to win, not just because it's an obligation."
Back in the final hexagonal stage for the first time since 1998, El Salvador upset Mexico 2-1 at Estadio Cuscatlan on June 6, but fell to Honduras 1-0 four days later in San Pedro Sula.
El Salvador has five points from five qualifying matches and is just two points behind third-place Honduras.
El Salvador is looking to remain on track at the Gold Cup, but even if they were eliminated from World Cup qualifying, El Salvador would still take the tournament seriously.
"I know the expectations are going to be high," Pacheco said. "We are with the mentality to win this tournament, because we've never won it before. If we make this step, it will be huge, not just for the national team, but for the country, too."
El Salvador has never won more than one game in any of its previous five Gold Cup appearances, but reached the quarterfinals in 2002 and 2003.
Proof that El Salvador is taking its appearance seriously can be found in its roster. All 18 players who competed against Honduras in Carlos de los Cobos' squad are included on the team, including Pacheco, the lone member of the team to play his club ball outside of the county.
Pacheco said a good showing at the Gold Cup could mean more opportunities to his teammates.
"This tournament can open the doors to all the players who want to play outside the country," Pacheco said. "This is a showcase for other MLS teams that want Salvadoran players, too. That's another reason why it's so important for the Salvadoran players to do well in this tournament."
El Salvador will play in Group A, along with Costa Rica, Jamaica and Canada. While Costa Rica and El Salvador are still alive in World Cup qualifying and could be viewed as the favorites to advance out of the group, Pacheco knows that Jamaica and Canada will be dangerous, as well.
"We were eliminated from the last World Cup and we came here to try and win it, because we were out," he said. "I think for the other national teams who don't have a chance to participate in the World Cup, they want to show well in this one."
The group stage begins July 3 with a doubleheader at The Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. From there, the group moves to Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio and then to FIU Stadium in Miami.
El Salvador should get great support in each venue, something that Pacheco has come to appreciate.
"It makes me really happy," Pacheco said. "I realize when I'm outside of my country, we have 1 million Salvadorans in the U.S…I feel at home."
This will be the first time El Salvador plays since Rodrigo Calvo resigned as president of the El Salvador federation amid allegations of mismanagement. Pacheco's focus, though, and that of his teammates, remains on the field.
"The players are thinking about South Africa," Pacheco said. "We have to put the stuff outside the field on the side."
http://www.goldcup.org/page/GoldCup/...704400,00.html
Coming off quality results in FIFA World Cup qualifying, El Salvador is enjoying some of its best form in a decade and is highly motivated to keep rolling going in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"We have a good team right now," New York Red Bulls fullback Alfredo Pacheco said. "We're playing to win, not just because it's an obligation."
Back in the final hexagonal stage for the first time since 1998, El Salvador upset Mexico 2-1 at Estadio Cuscatlan on June 6, but fell to Honduras 1-0 four days later in San Pedro Sula.
El Salvador has five points from five qualifying matches and is just two points behind third-place Honduras.
El Salvador is looking to remain on track at the Gold Cup, but even if they were eliminated from World Cup qualifying, El Salvador would still take the tournament seriously.
"I know the expectations are going to be high," Pacheco said. "We are with the mentality to win this tournament, because we've never won it before. If we make this step, it will be huge, not just for the national team, but for the country, too."
El Salvador has never won more than one game in any of its previous five Gold Cup appearances, but reached the quarterfinals in 2002 and 2003.
Proof that El Salvador is taking its appearance seriously can be found in its roster. All 18 players who competed against Honduras in Carlos de los Cobos' squad are included on the team, including Pacheco, the lone member of the team to play his club ball outside of the county.
Pacheco said a good showing at the Gold Cup could mean more opportunities to his teammates.
"This tournament can open the doors to all the players who want to play outside the country," Pacheco said. "This is a showcase for other MLS teams that want Salvadoran players, too. That's another reason why it's so important for the Salvadoran players to do well in this tournament."
El Salvador will play in Group A, along with Costa Rica, Jamaica and Canada. While Costa Rica and El Salvador are still alive in World Cup qualifying and could be viewed as the favorites to advance out of the group, Pacheco knows that Jamaica and Canada will be dangerous, as well.
"We were eliminated from the last World Cup and we came here to try and win it, because we were out," he said. "I think for the other national teams who don't have a chance to participate in the World Cup, they want to show well in this one."
The group stage begins July 3 with a doubleheader at The Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. From there, the group moves to Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio and then to FIU Stadium in Miami.
El Salvador should get great support in each venue, something that Pacheco has come to appreciate.
"It makes me really happy," Pacheco said. "I realize when I'm outside of my country, we have 1 million Salvadorans in the U.S…I feel at home."
This will be the first time El Salvador plays since Rodrigo Calvo resigned as president of the El Salvador federation amid allegations of mismanagement. Pacheco's focus, though, and that of his teammates, remains on the field.
"The players are thinking about South Africa," Pacheco said. "We have to put the stuff outside the field on the side."
http://www.goldcup.org/page/GoldCup/...704400,00.html