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News, Blog and GuidesLa Selecta will play a pre-season friendly against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, a game in which Luis Suárez could debut.
Roddy ConsRoddyConsUpdate: Jan 19th, 2024 12:14 EST
Rodrigo SuraEFE
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup brings national teams and players many of us weren’t previously familiar with into the spotlight, with Morocco in 2022, South Korea in 2002 and Cameroon in 1990 perhaps some of the highest-profile examples. However, El Salvador, the first opponents for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in 2024, will likely have remained something of a mystery for a lot of casual soccer followers around the globe for more than 40 years.
El Salvador’s Gold Cup record
La Selecta have been regular participants in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, qualifying for 13 of the last 15 editions. They have managed to make some kind of impact in most of them, winning at least one game in 10 of those 13 appearances, although they have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals, which they have done on a more than respectable six occasions.
The best achievements in their history, in statistical terms, came in the CONCACAF Championship, effectively the predecessor to the Gold Cup, which only began in 1991. In the discontinued tournament, El Salvador twice finished as runners-up (1963 and 1981), although that came in a different soccer landscape in North America, with a significantly weaker USMNT not featuring in either edition.
Final touches ahead of El Salvador 🤌 pic.twitter.com/L6BDwYe3ul
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 18, 2024
La Selecta’s trophy wins
And although they have won actual silverware in the CCCF Championship (which existed before the CONCACAF Championship) the Central American and Caribbean Games, and the Central American Games, it’s probably not controversial to say they are looking to make more of an impact in some of soccer’s bigger international tournaments.
After taking over as national team head coach at the start of the month, David Dóniga, a Spaniard who was in the Real Madrid youth academy as a young player, has been tasked with leading El Salvador to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Given the country’s recent history, that could be a tall order.
How many World Cups have El Salvador played in?
The Salvadorans have only ever played in two World Cups, qualifying the very first time they entered in 1970. 12 years later, they also featured in the 1982 edition in Spain, going out in the group stage, as they had done in their first tournament appearance. Their overall record reads six games played, six lost, with just one goal scored and 22 conceded. In 1982, they lost 10-1 to Hungary, which, unfortunately for La Selecta, remains the biggest winning margin in men’s World Cup history.
🇸🇻 | 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥¡ES hoy es hoy!El día llegó, es momento de ser más #AzulYBlanco que nunca.Apoya a #LaSelecta en un partido único cuando se enfrente a @InterMiamiCF en el @ecuscatlan#ElSalvador pic.twitter.com/M3wPYUqm9n
— La Selecta (@LaSelecta_SLV) January 19, 2024
U.S. links on El Salvador roster
Dóniga’s has opted for a mix of youth and experience in his roster to face Miami, which is mostly made up of players who are signed to clubs in El Salvador and Costa Rica. There are a few US-based players included, although none play for teams in MLS.
Defender Bryan Tamacas and midfielder Eric Calvillo are registered to Oakland Roots and El Paso Locomotivo respectively, both teams in the USL Championship. Youngster Harold Orosrio belongs to DC United, but plays for their second team in MLS Next Pro.
Darwin Cerén, El Salvador’s most capped player, spent eight years in MLS at Orlando City, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo (2014-2022) and is also in contention to play.
See also:
Inter Miami squad numbers revealed for 2024 MLS seasonCould Inter Miami copy Argentina to get the best out of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in MLS?Who is the referee for Inter Miami’s preseason friendly with El Salvador?Watch this young Messi fan’s reaction to receiving Inter Miami tickets
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Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador will host El Salvador – Inter Miami.Vladimir ChicasEFE
