FRISCO, Texas – Thus far, the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup has gone as well as possible for El Salvador. The Cuscatlecos have registered back-to-back 2-0 victories over Group A opponents Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago and have already booked their place in the quarterfinals.
A key piece of El Salvador’s success has been the play of FW Jairo Henriquez. The 27-year-old was a headache all evening long in the team’s win against Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, with a goal scored and another shot that glanced off the post.
For Henriquez, it was his first career Gold Cup goal, something that he will forever remember.
“I’m happy and thankful to God for this opportunity and for this moment,” said Henriquez in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“The work put in as a group and individually makes you enjoy it more. I’m thankful for that and just thankful that I was able to contribute to the team and to our objective. Now we just hope that there are many more,” added Henriquez.
After narrowly missing out on the knockout round in the 2019 tournament, El Salvador will be making a return to the quarterfinals in style, having won their first two matches, and both coming with clean sheets.
There is also the possibility of finishing atop the group with either a draw or a win on Sunday versus Mexico.
The fact that El Salvador are back in the knockout round mix has Henriquez and his teammates hungry for more.
“It’s really big for us. That’s what we have been working on, that’s what we’ve been fighting for. Being able to achieve that as a team makes us happy and motivated. Now we have the obligation to continue working hard so we can go as far as possible,” concluded Henriquez.
