The Bicolor will host El Salvador on Thursday and Panama on Sunday in the start of the League A of the Concacaf Nations League
GUATEMALA - The friendly match against Honduras in North American territory ended in a goalless draw, and now the Guatemalan National Team must focus all its preparation and attention on the official matches against El Salvador on September 7th and Panama on September 10th, both at home.
Luis Fernando Tena has named his squad of 24 players, which includes five foreign-based players who have started to arrive in the country to join the training camp at the High Performance Center. These players are Nicholas Hagen, Ricardo Jérez, Nicolás Samayoa, Nathaniel Méndez-Laing, and Rubio Rubín.
The Bicolor could not count on the presence of Carlos Mejía, who has a muscle strain and will be evaluated upon his return to the country. The good news was the return of Oscar Santis to the starting lineup after six months since his last game due to injury.
Following the match against Honduras, ESPN Digital presents some improvements that the Guatemalan National Team should make for the official matches against El Salvador and Panama in order to compete for a spot in the 2024 Copa America.
Impose the game pace
During the match against Honduras, the Honduran team imposed their game pace with the speed shown by their players, and Guatemala had to chase the ball for certain minutes. This was a different situation than what was seen in the 2023 Gold Cup, where Guatemala played on equal terms with teams like Canada and Jamaica. As the home team, the Bicolor must go out and impose their style of play against El Salvador and Panama in order to secure the three points.
Starting spot for Jesús López
Without a doubt, Jesús 'Chucho' López is currently in his best form since joining Guatemalan football. He has shown this with Comunicaciones in the Central American Cup and he did it again on Sunday with the Guatemalan National Team when he came on in the second half and sought to make an impact. He could take the place of Alejandro Galindo or start on one of the wings instead of waiting on the bench.
Offensive prowess
The addition of Nathaniel Méndez-Laing and Rubio Rubín will be important in the offense to seek goals, as Darwin Lom was not able to make an impact in the match against Honduras. He failed to connect with the ball in the clearest chance he had, and he is also not in his best moment with Xelajú MC.
Security in goal
Fredy Pérez was punctual in goal with his interventions when needed, however, towards the end of the match he had a poor clearance that could have resulted in a goal, but José Morales cleared the danger off the goal line. Nicholas Hagen is already in the country, and after his official debut in the Israeli Premier League, he will be in charge of providing security in goal.
Solid defense
In the absence of Aaron Herrera due to injury and Stheven Robles who did not travel, Luis Fernando Tena opted for José Ardón and José Morales in defense. They had some difficulties in the early minutes with the opposition's attacks. There was also an error in Gerardo Gordillo's build-up play that could have led to a goal. With the addition of Nicolás Samayoa, the team gains more experience, aerial presence, and solidity in one-on-one situations.
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