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Bueno's Views: Selecta Earning Their Prestige
El Salvador had not been seen as a Gold Cup contender, but after a 2-1 win over Costa Rica, "La Selecta" is slowly becoming a force to be dealt with, Goal.com's Luis Bueno says.
Jul 7, 2009 4:16:30 PM
By Luis Bueno
In the midst of the stranglehold the United States and Mexico have in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, several teams are hopeful of knocking off the region’s top dogs.
Costa Rica and Honduras have been tabbed as darkhorses to make run at the final and perhaps become just the second team outside of the U.S. and Mexico to win a Gold Cup title.
But the team most likely to make that run is one that has been overlooked by many.
El Salvador has shown that they are capable of pulling off strong results in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. “La Selecta” not only withstood a strong Costa Rican team in their Gold Cup opener but they showed resolve and determination in doing so.
Having squandered a lead with about 20 minutes left could have spelled doom for El Salvador but the team’s new mentality was on display.
“The national team has entered a new phase,” El Salvador manager Carlos de los Cobos said. “Now, this is a team that plays to win.”
Now, El Salvador might be a darkhorse, an underdog in this tournament but they really should have been lumped alongside Costa Rica and Honduras as a contender in the Gold Cup. El Salvador after all nearly surprised the United States in San Salvador during World Cup qualifying, leading the U.S. 2-0 until a late comeback helped the U.S. steal a point from the match on March 28.
However, Mexico fell victim to El Salvador as El Tri lost 2-1 in the Salvadoran capital in a World Cup qualifier on June 6.
Coupled with their Gold Cup opening triumph, El Salvador looks and acts like a strong team whereas before blowing a lead or falling behind may have been a death blow for the team.
“The most important thing is that our team, our ‘Selecta,’ has shown maturity and growth and you can see that in the way the players behave on the field,” De los Cobos said. “There is always time to overcome a deficit as long as they maintain their discipline and order. This is what we've tried to get across to the players and in reality they are disciplined and order, obedient in that sense, and that makes the work much easier.”
De los Cobos has been a big part of the turnaround. A former youth coach with Mexico, De los Cobos has slowly built up a budding Central American power in a relative short amount of time. Slowly, El Salvador began to make a name for itself.
But it did not come easy.
“At first, we had to pay the price by losing many games in order to find our ideal group and a mentality,” De los Cobos said. “Day by day, this team has grown.”
El Salvador qualified to the 2007 Gold Cup but failed to advance past the first round. Friendly losses to Ecuador (5-1) and Jamaica (3-0) put a damper on the end of 2007 and did not leave the team with seemingly much hope to reach the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, let alone the Hexagonal. El Salvador beat Anguilla by a 16-0 aggregate to reach the second round of qualifying but drew a tough Panamanian team. After dropping a 1-0 match in Panama, El Salvador needed a home win to have any hopes of the semifinal phase, and they did just that, beating Panama 3-1 to get into the semifinal round.
After a successful round of qualifying and five Hexagonal games, De los Cobos said he is satisfied with the progress and future.
“I am happy and proud of this group,” he said. “This is a humble group of players but one that believes more and more in themselves and that reflects in games like this and in competitions like this.”
The players are the ones carrying out De los Cobos’ message and taking El Salvador to new levels.
“They have the responsibility to live up to a prestige they are earning day by day,” De los Cobos said.
What has helped El Salvador improve is not just being competitive and showing well, but just having the chance to play. In 2005, El Salvador played three games; a year later, they played four.
“Without a doubt, whenever you compete it bodes well for the team. For us, just having been able to play has been a positive,” De los Cobos said. “FIFA dates have helped our team to grow.”
El Salvador sit in fifth place in World Cup qualifying and would be out of all hopes of reaching South Africa in such a position. But De los Cobos said he did not fear what El Salvador faces in their near future.
“I feel that if we keep along that path, the team will only get better,” De los Cobos said. “Knowing that we have World Cup qualifying coming up where the calendar is difficult for us, but I've always felt that nothing is impossible. Nothing is written.”
Gold Cup success could play a role in El Salvador’s future and could have an impact in how the Hexagonal shapes up in general. El Salvador’s two remaining home fixtures – Costa Rica and Honduras – won’t be easy games for the visitors.
“This is a team that is young and learning during this process,” De los Cobos said. “We want to head into qualifying knowing that we have done a good job here and to visit Trinidad & Tobago with the belief and confidence that we can win.”
Most importantly, though, De los Cobos said his team has a duty to show well for their supporters’ sake. While Home Depot Center was sold out for the doubleheader which also featured Canada and Jamaica, the overwhelming majority of supporters wore blue.
“That does not surprise me anymore, the support that we receive from our fans,” De los Cobos said. “It motivates us a great deal. To me, it makes me happy that the people who live here in the United States are joyful with their Selecta. It's a responsibility we have (to succeed for them). We will always be grateful for them.”
Luis Bueno is Goal.com's Mexico editor.
In the midst of the stranglehold the United States and Mexico have in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, several teams are hopeful of knocking off the region’s top dogs.
Costa Rica and Honduras have been tabbed as darkhorses to make run at the final and perhaps become just the second team outside of the U.S. and Mexico to win a Gold Cup title.
But the team most likely to make that run is one that has been overlooked by many.
El Salvador has shown that they are capable of pulling off strong results in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. “La Selecta” not only withstood a strong Costa Rican team in their Gold Cup opener but they showed resolve and determination in doing so.
Having squandered a lead with about 20 minutes left could have spelled doom for El Salvador but the team’s new mentality was on display.
“The national team has entered a new phase,” El Salvador manager Carlos de los Cobos said. “Now, this is a team that plays to win.”
Now, El Salvador might be a darkhorse, an underdog in this tournament but they really should have been lumped alongside Costa Rica and Honduras as a contender in the Gold Cup. El Salvador after all nearly surprised the United States in San Salvador during World Cup qualifying, leading the U.S. 2-0 until a late comeback helped the U.S. steal a point from the match on March 28.
However, Mexico fell victim to El Salvador as El Tri lost 2-1 in the Salvadoran capital in a World Cup qualifier on June 6.
Coupled with their Gold Cup opening triumph, El Salvador looks and acts like a strong team whereas before blowing a lead or falling behind may have been a death blow for the team.
“The most important thing is that our team, our ‘Selecta,’ has shown maturity and growth and you can see that in the way the players behave on the field,” De los Cobos said. “There is always time to overcome a deficit as long as they maintain their discipline and order. This is what we've tried to get across to the players and in reality they are disciplined and order, obedient in that sense, and that makes the work much easier.”
De los Cobos has been a big part of the turnaround. A former youth coach with Mexico, De los Cobos has slowly built up a budding Central American power in a relative short amount of time. Slowly, El Salvador began to make a name for itself.
But it did not come easy.
“At first, we had to pay the price by losing many games in order to find our ideal group and a mentality,” De los Cobos said. “Day by day, this team has grown.”
El Salvador qualified to the 2007 Gold Cup but failed to advance past the first round. Friendly losses to Ecuador (5-1) and Jamaica (3-0) put a damper on the end of 2007 and did not leave the team with seemingly much hope to reach the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, let alone the Hexagonal. El Salvador beat Anguilla by a 16-0 aggregate to reach the second round of qualifying but drew a tough Panamanian team. After dropping a 1-0 match in Panama, El Salvador needed a home win to have any hopes of the semifinal phase, and they did just that, beating Panama 3-1 to get into the semifinal round.
After a successful round of qualifying and five Hexagonal games, De los Cobos said he is satisfied with the progress and future.
“I am happy and proud of this group,” he said. “This is a humble group of players but one that believes more and more in themselves and that reflects in games like this and in competitions like this.”
The players are the ones carrying out De los Cobos’ message and taking El Salvador to new levels.
“They have the responsibility to live up to a prestige they are earning day by day,” De los Cobos said.
What has helped El Salvador improve is not just being competitive and showing well, but just having the chance to play. In 2005, El Salvador played three games; a year later, they played four.
“Without a doubt, whenever you compete it bodes well for the team. For us, just having been able to play has been a positive,” De los Cobos said. “FIFA dates have helped our team to grow.”
El Salvador sit in fifth place in World Cup qualifying and would be out of all hopes of reaching South Africa in such a position. But De los Cobos said he did not fear what El Salvador faces in their near future.
“I feel that if we keep along that path, the team will only get better,” De los Cobos said. “Knowing that we have World Cup qualifying coming up where the calendar is difficult for us, but I've always felt that nothing is impossible. Nothing is written.”
Gold Cup success could play a role in El Salvador’s future and could have an impact in how the Hexagonal shapes up in general. El Salvador’s two remaining home fixtures – Costa Rica and Honduras – won’t be easy games for the visitors.
“This is a team that is young and learning during this process,” De los Cobos said. “We want to head into qualifying knowing that we have done a good job here and to visit Trinidad & Tobago with the belief and confidence that we can win.”
Most importantly, though, De los Cobos said his team has a duty to show well for their supporters’ sake. While Home Depot Center was sold out for the doubleheader which also featured Canada and Jamaica, the overwhelming majority of supporters wore blue.
“That does not surprise me anymore, the support that we receive from our fans,” De los Cobos said. “It motivates us a great deal. To me, it makes me happy that the people who live here in the United States are joyful with their Selecta. It's a responsibility we have (to succeed for them). We will always be grateful for them.”
Luis Bueno is Goal.com's Mexico editor.
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Costa Rica - El Salvador
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Costa Rica 1-2 El Salvador
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