The national beach soccer team lost 2-5 to the United States in the semifinal of the 2023 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, and with this result they are out of contention for a ticket to the World Cup.
The Salvadoran team took to the field at Malcom Park with the hope of getting one more place in the Beach Soccer World Cup, but they did not count on the solidity and effectiveness with which the Americans faced the semifinal.
Barely a few seconds of the game had passed when Conner Rezende gave the Salvadorans their first scare after the bad communication between Heber Ramos and Elmer Robles. The North American took a shot that crashed into the chest of goalkeeper Eliodoro Portillo.
The American intentions materialized as the second minute of the first period was running with a play of several touches between Nicolás Perea and captain Nick Perera that completely disarmed the Salvadoran defense. Perera was in charge of signing the first goal for the North Americans.
That goal gave the United States so much peace of mind that, at the end of that period, they controlled possession of the ball almost exclusively, running out of time on the clock and making the Salvadoran team desperate.
The Selecta playera’s first reaction came at the start of the second period, when Exon Perdomo overflowed on the right and filtered a ball into the rival area that went past Jason Urbina’s stretch.
Erick Nájera, who came on for Portillo in the second period, tested the American goalkeeper’s reflexes with a shot from his area, but Chris Toth had no problem deflecting it away.
The 2-0 run for the United States came as a result of yet another mix-up on defense. A center shot that came from the North American right wing passed between two Salvadoran players and was left to Nicolás Perea, who accommodated it without a mark to beat Nájera from Chile.
With 10 seconds left in the second period, Perdomo and Urbina created a dangerous chance, but Perdomo’s final shot caught between the legs of goalkeeper Austin Collier, who had just come on for Toth.
The first Salvadoran goal came as soon as the last period began, when Robles set up the ball at kick-off for Ramos to shoot first with a right hand that beat the North American goalkeeper and put the Selecta playera back in the fight. However, the response from the rivals was immediate and in the serve, Perea copied the cuscatleco goal formula and scored the 1-3 partial.
The physical prowess of the Americans was evident in the marks, when it came to covering possession of the ball and in hand-to-hand fights. And although the nationals did not lower their arms at any time, the United States prevailed in all lines with relative ease.
Gabriel Silveira increased the American lead (1-4) with a goal from the Chilean kick after the session at the hands of their goalkeeper, Toth. And shortly after, Christopher Albiston sent a throw-in to the Salvadoran area that Tomas Canale turned on with a half volley to put the partial 1-5.
El Salvador’s discount came through a play by the historic scorer, Frank Velásquez, who took advantage of a loose ball that came from the left and defined under the legs of goalkeeper Toth.
With this result, El Salvador, champion in the last edition of this tournament, says goodbye to the World Cup, while the United States becomes the first team in the region to get a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. in United Arab Emirates.
“It’s sad. We had a rival who is one of the best in the area, we did not know how to specify or manage the game and here is the result. It has been a sad tournament because we did well in the first games, but the pressure of coming as champions affected us. You can see that the others worked and focused on improving, now it’s up to us to think about what’s to come”, stated Jason Urbina.
For his part, the American captain, Nick Perera, congratulated the Salvadorans for the effort they made and regretted having found themselves in the semifinals. “For me, El Salvador is the best in the area along with us, and it’s a shame that we met in the semifinals. I would have liked to see them in the final with us, ”he noted.
Tomorrow, the Beach Selecta will fight for third place in the 2023 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship against the loser of the duel between Mexico and the Bahamas. Afterwards, the United States will fight for first place against the winner of that same duel.
