User:Jaime070996/ES MNT history

1920s

Although El Salvador played a few games in the early part of the 20th century, they did not become a fully committed national team until 1921 when players such as Pablo Escobar and Jose Huezo revolutionized football in the country. In September 1921, El Salvador were invited to Guatemala to take part in the Independence Centenary Games, to celebrate 100 years of Central American Independence. The tournament was compromised as only Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador were able to participate. It was a single-elimination tournament, or round-robin format, with Guatemala playing Honduras and El Salvador playing Costa Rica. El Salvador were eliminated by Costa Rica 7–0. Despite the loss, this tournament is seen by many as the starting point of the rise of the El Salvador national team.

After the 1921 Guatemala tournament, El Salvador only played two other international friendlies, both against Honduras. El Salvador lost the first match 1–0, while the second ended in a 0–0 draw . On 7 December 1928, El Salvador recorded its first ever win: a 5–0 victory over Honduras, the team that would later become their traditional rivals. The game was played at Campo Marte San Salvador and was not only El Salvador's first ever recorded win, but also the first time the team had scored in an international match. On the day, Gustavo "Taviche" Marroquin become the first ever Salvadoran player to score five goals in a single game for the El Salvador national football team, a feat later equaled by Raúl Díaz Arce, Miguel Cruz and Rudis Corrales.

1930s

At the early 1930s, El Salvador appointed its first official national coach, American national Mark Scott Thompson, in preparation for the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana, Cuba. El Salvador finished in fourth place at the games.

In 1935, the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol, the official governing football organization in El Salvador, was founded. By this time, El Salvador were coached by Spaniard Pablo Ferre Elías. The El Salvador hosted 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games took place in the new government funded Estadio Flor Blanca, at that time the biggest stadium in the country. The Salvadoran squad consisted of Edmundo Majano as goalkeeper, Tobias Rivera and Raul Castro in defense, Américo Gonzalez and Napoleon Cañas as midfielders, and Alex Morales, Rogelio Aviles, Fidel Quintanilla Miguel “Americano” Cruz and Andres Hernandez as strikers. Previously the national team had worn black and white striped jerseys and this was the first time they turned out in a new blue strip. The team improved their performance over the previous competition to finish in third place as bronze medal winners.

By 1938 the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol had become affiliates of FIFA. Once again the El Salvador national football team participated in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama, which was won by Mexico with Costa Rica in second place. El Salvador won only two games out of its the five played.

1940s

On April 26, 1940, the first national football federation was approved, with Dr. Luis Rivas Palacios as president. In 1941, the first international competition in the CONCACAF, the continental governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the Central American and Caribbean Championship (CCCF) took place in Costa Rica. El Salvador took part for the first time alongside teams from Costa Rica, Curacao, Panama, and Nicaragua. El Salvador were runners-up, recording two wins, one tie, and one loss.

The 1943 CCCF Championship took place in San Salvador with the participation of Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The El Savador team were coached by former national player Américo González. At the end of the tournament, El Salvador and Guatemala ended up with the same number of points and so had to play a tiebreaker. On December 21, Guatemala failed to show up for the match resulting in El Salvador declaring themselves 1943 CCCF Championship winners by goal difference. This was the country's first international title. El Salvador's 10‒1 win over Nicaragua set the team's record for the most goals scored in a single game. It was also the second time a Salvadoran player (Miguel “Americano” Cruz) had scored five goals in a single match. El Salvador participated in the 1946 CCCF Championship, hosted in Costa Rica, alongside six other participants. The national team finished in second place, winning three matches and losing two.

In 1948, the El Salvador national football team participated in its fourth CCCF Championship, the 1948 CCCF Championship in Guatemala alongside teams from five other countries. For the third time, Costa Rica won the championship with El Salvador finishing in fifth place.

1950s

El Salvador turned down an invitation to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup and did not participate in the playoffs for the subsequent World Cups in 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966.

At the group stage of the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico, El Salvador recorded two wins, one tie, and one loss. They began the final round by beating Curacao 3–1, but lost their other two matches leaving them in fifth place.

In 1953, the El Salvador national football team took part in its fifth CCCF Championship, the 1953 CCCF Championship held in Costa Rica. together with seven other national teams. Costa Rica became champions for the fourth time and El Salvador finished in fifth place.

El Salvador won their second international title in 1954 under the direction of Carbilio Tomasino and a team consisting of Yohalmo Aurora, Manuel "tamalones" Garay, Hugo Moreno, Armando Larin, Luis Regalado, Conrado Miranda, Fernando Barrios, Ramon "pezote" Chavez, Jose Hernandez, Mario Montoya, Juan Francisco "cariota" Barraza, Ricardo "chilenito" Valencia, Alfredo "Baiza" Ruano and Obdulio "calulo" Hernandez. They debuted against Colombia in a 2–2 tie, beat Cuba 3–1, beat Mexico 3–2 and finally beat Panama 1–0 with a goal by "Cariota" Barraza. The 3–2 victory against Mexico, with two goals from Mario Montoya (16',36') and one from Ricardo Valencia (37'), was the first victory by a Central American team against Mexico.

At the 1955 CCCF Championship in Costa Rica, El Salvador's sixth, the national team took part along with five other participants. For the fifth time Costa Rica crowned themselves champions with El Salvador runners-up.

1960s

The El Salvador football team participated in its seventh CCCF Championship, the 1961 CCCF Championship in Costa Rica, in competition with nine other teams. Costa Rica won for the seventh time and El Salvador finished in fourth place.

El Salvador hosted the first CONCACAF Championship qualification tournament (a replacement for the CCCF Championship) in 1963. There were nine other participants, with Costa Rica becoming the first CONCACAF champions and El Salvador finishing as runners-up.

Chilean Hernan Carrasco Vivanco became coach in 1964 and would later revolutionize Salvadoran football. He led the national team for the first time at the 1965 CONCACAF Championship tournament (the CONCACAF championship by then) in Guatemala, where they won 2–1 against Costa Rica and 3–1 against Haiti. The team tied with Curacao, (by then the Netherlands Antilles), lost 2–0 to Guatemala, and lost 4–1 to Mexico. Mexico won the championship for the first time, with El Salvador finishing in fourth place.

In 1966 the El Salvador football team took part in the Central American and Caribbean Games for the sixth time in a competition that took place in Puerto Rico. The national team participated alongside seven other teams. For the fifth time Costa Rica was crowned champions and El Salvador finished in fourth place.

The first elimination rounds at the CONCACAF level were in preparation for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, whilst similar elimination rounds were held for Central American members prior to the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics.

In 1968 El Salvador qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time, where they lost 4–0 to Hungary, 3–1 to Israel, and tied 1–1 with Ghana. The coach by this time was Rigoberto Guzman.

Gregorio Bundio and his assistant Jose Santacolomba coached the team in the qualifying stages for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. This would be the first time that El Salvador would participate in this qualifying tournament. For this World Cup, the CONCACAF would be represented by Mexico (host of the World Cup) and another national team.

El Salvador won group 3, playing four games, winning three and losing one. Their record was 10 goals for and 5 goals against with 6 points. This qualified them for a 3-game playoff against the group 2 winner, Honduras.

The first was game held in the Estadio Morazan in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, were the Catrachos won by one. Salvadoran 'Cariota' Barraza played his last game, leaving a mark of 64 caps and 24 goals. The second game was held in the Estadio Flor Blanco. The game was won by El Salvador (3–0), with goals by Ramon Matinez (pen. 27', 41') and Elmer Acevedo (30'). The last game was played in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico on 27 June 1969. In a rainy scenario, El Salvador won a very tight match by a score of 3–2, with goals by Ramon Martinez (10', 29') and 'Pipo' Rodiguez (a.e.t. 11').

On 14 July 1969 the two countries were exposed to the war known as the Football War.

The final match for the pass of the 1970 FIFA World Cup against Haiti and El Salvador also very even. El Salvador won the first game away 2–1, with goals from Elver Acevedo (43') and Mauricio 'Pipo' Rodriguez (60+2'). The second game was deveastating for 'la Azul', for they had lost 3–0. The third game on 8 October 1969 was won by El Salvador with a goal by Juan Ramon "Mon" Martinez (a.e.t. 14'). The El Salvador national football team qualified for their first FIFA World Cup, even though it was their first time in the qualifying stages.

El Salvador were disqualified from entering the 1969 CONCACAF Championship qualification, alongside Honduras over the Football War between the two countries. The 1969 CONCACAF Championship was eventually won by Costa Rica.

1970s

In the 1970 FIFA World Cup, El Salvador lost their first game 3–0 to Belgium in Mexico City on June 3. On June 7 the team played its second match against the host nation. It proved to be a controversial affair: with the score still at 0–0, the Egyptian referee Hussain Kandil awarded a free kick to the Salvadorans in their own half. It was immediately taken by Mexico, who scored a couple of seconds later. The Salvadoran players protested vigorously, to the extent of physically jostling Bermudan linesman Keith Dunstan, but the goal was allowed to stand. El Salvador were demoralised as a result, and Mexico won the game with ease, 4–0. On June 10 El Salvador lost their final match in the tournament 2–0 to the USSR in Mexico City, to finish at the bottom of Group A.

"El Pajaro Picon Picon" was a Colombian song written by Eliseo Herrera which was very popular in El Salvador during the qualifying stages of the 1970 World Cup. During a radio show, Mauricio Bohorquez parodied the song, which he named "Arriba con la Seleccion". That parody became so famous that it became the "official anthem" of the El Salvador national football team.

At the 1971 CONCACAF Championship, which was hosted on Trinidadian soil, El Salvador advanced from the first round with an aggregate score of 4–2 against Nicaragua. In the second round, El Salvador withdrew from the playoff when they had to play against Honduras (conflict of war). Honduras passed to the final tournament.

The national team took part in the 1973 CONCACAF Championship qualification process for the 1974 FIFA World Cup did not advance to the final stage after they were eliminated by Guatemala with an aggregate score of 0–2 (0–1, 0–1). The team was managed by Hector D'Angelo.

In 1975 El Salvador participated at the Pan American Games for the first time at the VII (7) Pan American Games, hosted in Mexico. The national team participated in a group that included Brazil, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. They debuted with a 4–1 score against Nicaragua on October 14 with 3 goals from "Pajarito" Huezo and the debut of Francisco "Paco" Jovel. Then they played against Brazil on the 15th — for the first time in history — and lost 0–2. They ended the tournament by playing against Costa Rica, where they tied 0–0 and wherein "Pele" Zapata missed a penalty. They could not proceed to the next stage and finished at third place in Group D.

At the 1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification, La Azul played against four other teams on a home-and-away basis. The group winner (Guatemala) and runner-up (El Salvador) advanced to the Final Round. In the final round, El Salvador played five games; they won two, drew one, and lost two with 5 points. They finished in thirs place, below Haiti (7 points) and Mexico (10 points).

In 1978 the El Salvador football team took part in the Central American and Caribbean Games for the seventh time in the competition that took place in Colombia. For the fourth time, Cuba was crowned champions. El Salvador finished in ninth place.

1980s

At the 1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification, La Azul and five other teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner (Honduras) and runner-up (El Salvador) advanced to the final round. On November 19, 1981, in the hexagonal at Honduras, El Salvador beat Haiti by 1–0 with a penalty kick taken by Norberto Huezo. Honduras tied with Mexico, meaning the national team scored more points than Mexico and qualified for the second time for a World Cup, alongside Honduras. In the hexagonal games, La Selecta won 1–0 over Mexico — with a memorable goal from Ever Hernandez on November 6 — and Haiti. The national team tied Cuba and Honduras 0–0 and lost to Canada 0–1. The national team was under the direction of Mauricio "Pipo" Rodríguez.

In 1982 El Salvador took a 20-man squad (two players short of the normal 22, for controversial reasons that remain unclear), coached by Mauricio "Pipo" Rodríguez, to Spain. The team's experience was an unhappy one. In their first match on June 15 in Elche, they were defeated 10–1 by Hungary, a scoreline that stands as a World Cup record to this day. One comfort was that Luis Baltazar Ramírez Zapata scored the country's first World Cup goal during the game, albeit at a point when the Salvadorans were already down 5–0.

El Salvador managed to regain some pride in their subsequent games: displaying much-improved levels of organisation and commitment, they lost 1–0 to Belgium on June 19 in Elche and 2–0 to the then-reigning world champions, Argentina, in Alicante on June 23.

In the 1985 CONCACAF Championship qualification, El Salvador and 15 other teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. With an aggregate score of 8–0 (5–0, 3–0) against Puerto Rico, El Salvador passed to the first round of the final tournament. They were unable to advance to the second round, with 5 points (2 won, 1 tied, 1 lost).

1990s

In the qualifying stages they eliminated the Netherlands Antilles (1–0, 5–0), and in the final round they placed fifth, with 2 points in 6 games (victories were then counted as two points).

In the 1991 UNCAF Nations Cup, La Selecta defeated Nicaragua with an aggregate score of 5–2 (3–2, 2–0) at the first round. In the final round, they played three games, drawing in one and losing two. They ended in fourth place and thus did not advance to the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In the 1993 UNCAF Nations Cup, La Selecta played three games, drawing in one and losing two. They ended in fourth place and thus did not advance to the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Jorge Viera.

They eliminated Nicaragua (5–0,5–1), then finished first in a group composed of Bermuda (0–1 and 4–1), Canada (1–1 and 3–2), and Jamaica (2–0, 2–1). Already in the final quadrangular, they debuted by beating Mexico 2–1, but lost the next 4 games, losing all classification option. They came in third with 4 points in 6 games (victories were then counted as two points).

In the first round of the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup, they won their first two games. La Selecta won Belize 3–0 and Costa Rica 2–1. In the semifinals they lost against Guatemala 0–1, so they had to go for the third-place playoff against Costa Rica. In that game they won by a score of 2–1; goals came from Raúl Díaz Arce (18') and Jorge Rodríguez (21'). For the first time they advanced to the Gold Cup.

At the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3–2, with goals from Raúl Díaz Arce (34', 72' (pen.)) and Ronald Cerritos (50'). They lost to the United States, and thus could not continue in the competition.

In the first round of the 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup, La Selecta lost to Honduras 3–0 but defeated Costa Rica 2–0. In the final round they lost against Guatemala 0–1, Costa Rica 0–1, and tied Honduras 0–0. They finished in third, with 1 point. They advanced to the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

At the US-hosted 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador were coached by Kiril Dojcinovski. In Group A, El Salvador tied with Guatemala 0–0 and lost to Brazil 0–4 and Jamaica 0–2.

After the global stakes in 1970 and 1982, this was the playoff which was closest to a return to a World Cup, which created great excitement among the fans in El Salvador. In the final round, the club finished in fifth place, with 10 points in as many games.

In the first round of the 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador tied Guatemala 1–1 and defeated Nicaragua 1–0, with goals from Magdonio Corrales. In the final round they lost to Honduras (1–3), Guatemala (0–1), and Costa Rica (0–4). They finished in fourth place, with 0 points, and did not advance to the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Mario Peres Ulibarri.

2000s

In the group stage of the Honduras-hosted 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador defeated Nicaragua by 3–0, defeated Panama 2–1, and tied with Honduras 1–1. At the final stage of that tournament, they tied Guatemala (0–0), Panama (1–1), and Costa Rica (1–1). El Salvador advanced to the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup after ending up in third place. They were coached by Carlos Recinos.

Still coached by Recinos, El Salvador lost to Mexico 0–1 in Group A of the 2002 Gold Cup. On January 23, they defeated Guatemala 1–0, with a goal from Santos Cabrera (58'). For the first time, they advanced to the Quarter-finals of a Gold Cup. On January 27, they lost to eventual champions United States by a score of 0–4.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification process marked the beginning of the current decline in Salvadoran football, because after being a regular in the CONCACAF final round, the team was eliminated in the second round by Honduras and Jamaica, who later participated in the final round.

In the 2003 UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama, El Salvador managed to get third place, with Ramon Paredes as head coach. In the tournament El Salvador won against Panama (2–1), lost against Costa Rica (0–1), defeated Nicaragua (3–0), defeated Honduras (1–0), and lost against Guatemala.(0–2). They qualified for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Guatemala and Costa Rica (Honduras went to the playoffs).

El Salvador lost to the United States 0–2 in Group C of the 2003 Gold Cup. On July 16, they won over Martinique 1–0 with a goal from defender Marvin Gonzalez (76'). For the second time, they had advanced to the Quarter-finals of a Gold Cup. On July 19, they lost to Costa Rica by 2–5. Three of the seven goals were penalty kicks counted by the referee, Mexican Felipe Ramos.

In the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup in Guatemala, El Salvador lost against Panama (0–1) and Costa Rica (1–2). They were not able to qualify for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They were coached by Carlos Cavagnaro.

In the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification process, they eliminated Bermuda (2–1 and 2–2) but were defeated in the second round by the United States.

In the 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup, hosted on Salvadoran soil, El Salvador won over Belize and Nicaragua by 2–1 and tied with Guatemala with no goals. They advanced to the Semifinals as top of Group 1. At the semifinals, El Salvador lost to the eventual champions, Costa Rica, by two early goals. For the third place playoff, El Salvador lost 0–1 to Guatemala but still qualified to advance to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The team was coached by Carlos de los Cobos.

At the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Ramon Sanchez (38') and Dennis Alas (81') scored to give the national team their only victory in the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago. They lost the following two matches against Guatemala 0–1 and United States 0–4.

In the 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador defeated Belize (4–1), tied against Nicaragua (1–1) with an own-goal, and lost to Honduras 0–2. They qualified for the semifinals. At the semifinals, the game was called after 60 minutes of play when El Salvador was reduced to six players. Two El Salvador players, Alexander Escobar and Eliseo Quintanilla, were awarded red cards in the first half, and Deris Umanzor, Rodolfo Zelaya, and goalkeeper Juan José Gómez were injured and had to leave the game after El Salvador had already exhausted their three substitutions. The game was awarded 3–0 to Costa Rica. In the third place playoff, Honduras earned a win over los Cuscatlecos with an only goal scored by Roger Espninoza (30').

At the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Salvador were in Group A, along with Costa Rica, Canada, and Jamaica. They debuted against Costa Rica, with two goals scored by Osael Romero in the 19th and 85th minute. The next two games were defeats by a score of 1–0. The team was still coached by Carlos de los Cobos.

2010s

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process, the team passed the first round by defeating the weak selection of Anguilla (12–0 and 4–0) and surprisingly, in the next round, eliminated Panama (0–1 and 3–1). By August 2008 they played the third phase against Costa Rica, Haiti and Suriname, after which they were in second place. El Salvador and five other teams that reached the fourth round formed one double-round-robin, home-and-away group. The top three teams qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The fourth place team qualified for a home-and-away play-off against the fifth-place team from CONMEBOL. After the qualifying round (final stage) the team was in fifth, with eight points. Rudis Corrales was top goalscorer of the qualification process with 8 in total.

On 11 May 2010 The FIFA Emergency Committee suspended the Salvadoran Football Association (FESFUT) on account of government interference. This decision by FIFA was based on the fact that the statutes ratified by the FESFUT general assembly in August 2009 had not been formally entered in the country’s official register, and that the government had failed to acknowledge the authority of the Normalisation Committee set up to represent FESFUT.

Consequently, FIFA considered that it was not possible for FESFUT to organise the elective general assembly in line with the action plan that had been drawn up, and suspended FESFUT. For the suspension to be lifted, Salvadoran authorities needed to recognize the legitimacy of the Normalisation Committee of the Salvadoran Football Association. The suspension was lifted on May 28. By FIFA lifting the suspension, El Salvador was allowed to participate in international tournaments at both club and national levels. El Salvador's under-21 team qualified for the CAC tournament in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. However, CONCACAF made a decision to suspend football at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games shortly thereafter. Metapan and FAS participated in the CONCACAF Champions League. The Salvadoran referees selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were able to participate in the World Cup. El Salvador will also be able to participate in the qualifying stages for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Under-23 Olympics.

At the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, formerly known as the UNCAF Nations Cup, El Salvador achieved fourth place. Los Cuscatlecos defeated Nicaragua (2–0) and Belize (5–2), and lost against Panama 2–0. At the semifinals they lost, once again by a 2–0 score. In the third place match, they lost to Panama in a penalty shootout by a score of 4–5. The team was coached by José Luis Rugamas. They were able to qualify to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Forward Rafael Burgos received the Golden Boot, with four goals.