SAN PEDRO SULA – Football in the Dominican Republic will never be the same after what happened to the country’s Men’s Under-20 National Team on Wednesday night.
Their 1-0 win over Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship in Honduras qualified for the nation for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup in Indonesia, marking the first time that the Dominican Republic have ever qualified for a World Cup at any age level.
It has barely been 24 hours since that history-making final whistle, but the players are already fully grasping the significance of it all.
“The team is just so very happy right now. The coaching staff, the players, everyone is so excited, and me personally, I am enormously excited for being able to contribute to this team,” said FW Angel Montes De Oca, who scored the lone goal versus Jamaica, in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“I really didn’t think about the significance of it at the time, but later when I talked to family and friends, I realized and I am still realizing that it was something very important,” added Montes De Oca.
“It means the world to me and I know it’s the same for all the players and the staff, too, everyone that has been involved in this journey to get to where we are in this tournament and we don’t plan on stopping now,” said FW Edison Azcona in an interview with Concacaf.com.
No doubt that Montes De Oca’s goal will forever live in Dominican lore, as he took a simple throw-in early in the first half and then seconds later changed his country’s football forever.
“I found some space there, I went to attack, I was able to keep the ball and get past the center back and shot it. When I saw that it had gone in, I said, ‘We’re now closer!’ and we started celebrating,” said Montes De Oca.
Since Wednesday’s victory against the Reggae Boyz, the players and coaching staff have been inundated with messages from back home, as family, friends and countrymen far and wide have sent messages of congratulations and support. But none of it would have been possible without the close bonds formed by this group.
“It’s our work rate, this fire that we have burning inside us. The whole island has our backs, we’re representing everybody, all of our families, the island, our staff, the coaches. We don’t give up,” said Azcona.
“This is a team that knows how to adapt quickly to the game, the pressure, but what I would highlight the most is that they are brave. They are persistent, they give it their all, but more than anything, they are united, which is the most important thing,” said Coach Mariano Perez to Concacaf.com.
Up next for the Caribbean side is a date on Friday with Guatemala, with the winner also securing a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. It would be a first ever Olympic berth for the Dominican Republic, and after already making history on one front, this group of players is ready to add another chapter to that book.
“Thankfully we already have the ticket to the World Cup, so now we can focus on the Olympics and that would be another big step for every one of us, the players, coaching staff and most importantly, for the country,” said Montes De Oca.
“It would be the dream of a lifetime to qualify for the Olympics and I would love to be in Paris in 2024,” concluded Azcona.
