MIAMI, Florida – 2022 stands to be a transformative year in women’s football in the Concacaf region and one team in particular that is poised to take advantage is El Salvador.
Under the watchful eye of Head Coach Eric Acuna, El Salvador has been busily preparing for two competitions set to begin next month: The 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers and the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship.
For the last 14 months, Acuna has been coaching El Salvador’s Senior Women’s National Team, along with the Under-20s and Under-17s, in an effort to raise the country’s status in the women’s game.
The true test begins next month in their Concacaf W Qualifiers Group D opener at home against Belize, followed by a visit to Aruba and then the start of the CWU20 in the Dominican Republic.
“It is the first time ever that we are going to have a Women’s World Cup qualifier here in El Salvador. Before that, it was all played at a neutral site and outside of El Salvador, so for us it’s an honor to host a match like a World Cup qualifier,” said Acuna in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“We have been preparing ourselves a lot. Right now, we are doing a mini-camp with the Senior Team and the Under-20s; a combined mini-camp to then be able to diversify a little bit and focus our preparation on each national team because on February 16th we have our first game here against Belize,” added Acuna.
Needless to say, the excitement among the players about the busy calendar is palpable.
“They are talking about that first game a lot among themselves. They are very happy. They feel like there has been a greater support from Concacaf and from FIFA. It has felt more inclusive, more personalized. We are going to really like the new format. We are going to really like playing at home against opponents that we will respect,” said Acuna.
In addition to Belize and Aruba, El Salvador will also match wits against Barbados and then against a Panama team that came within a whisker of qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We’ve had to make a big effort to try to be able to study Belize and Aruba because there is not a lot of information available on them. We’ve been able to identify their players because there is a league in Belize that have the two biggest teams and most of the Belize team consists of players from those two clubs. We have been able to prepare ourselves for the fast and strong players that they have,” said Acuna.
Helping Acuna’s cause in his attempt to have El Salvador transcend at the international level is a group of young players that will benefit from competing in both the W Qualifiers and the CWU20.
“We have a great advantage in that we have a very young senior national team and that five players on the Under-20 are integrated from the senior team. They are young in age, but have had very good football development. Some of them player better than any adult,” said Acuna.
That experience could also make for a fruitful CWU20 campaign and a possible spot at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
“As for the Under-20s, you know that any pre-World Cup tournament is difficult. Two or three matches and you either are out or you advance. Every game is a Final. You have to play with a lot of focus, you have to have a good rotation of players. There are many parameters that as a coaching staff we have to try to manage. We want to improve. We want to go up in our ranking. That’s very important to us and at the Under-20 we want reach, at a minimum, the semifinals and then have a chance to qualify and have a spot at the World Cup in Costa Rica,” said Acuna.
The 18 mini-camps staged by Acuna and his coaching staff with the players have also provided the opportunity to instill an identity into the El Salvador team. At the top of the list has been shaping a team that is well-organized.
“I think the key for us is what we are doing, which is working hard, being organized, with different types of systems, various tactics. We are working on a lot of things and trying to instill those things, making it as professional as possible, dedicating time to them, but above all, having tactical order. I think a team organized tactically can play against anyone,” said Acuna.
Beyond the W Qualifiers, CWU20 and also the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship in 2022, El Salvador is also eyeing another piece of history: The first ever Concacaf W Gold Cup.
“It would be more than a dream. We want it to be a reality. We want these girls to become accustomed to winning and to make it a habit, we have to take that first step and qualify for the first Gold Cup. We know that after the first Gold Cup, there will be more, so we are going to have to show ourselves that we can do it. It would be a dream and gratitude to the new format and gratitude to the committee that has supported us in this process,” concluded Acuna.
