Jose Contreras scored the only goal of the game Saturday as Guatemala downed rival El Salvador 1-0 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
The win pulls the Chapines into a tie with El Salvador for second place in Group B with three points after two matches. The United States leads the group on goal difference and plays Trinidad & Tobago in Saturday's nightcap.
The game was a physical contest from start to finish, with eight yellow cards being shown. Fans filed into The Home Depot Center early; the Central American neighbors share a fierce rivalry on the field, and it was echoed in the stands.
It was the Guatemalan faithful that had more to cheer about in the early going, as the Chapines put the pressure on, and in just the fourth minute FC Dallas striker Carlos Ruiz was threatening the net. Ruiz found himself free about 30 yards from goal and hit a screamer just over the crossbar.
A few minutes later Ruiz missed two golden opportunities. The Salvadoran defense was having communication problems, and when a pair of defenders watched a ball roll between them it allowed Ruiz to walk in alone on goal. Thankfully for Los Cuscatlecos, Juan Gomez came up with a huge save on Ruiz's shot.
The rebound caromed out to the midfield, where Carlos Figueroa collected it for Guatemala and played it back into Ruiz. Ruiz turned and fired from point blank range, but Gomez was up to the challenge again, making another fine save.
As the game progressed, referee Javier Juaregui made it clear he was going to call a tight gam,e going to his pocket five times in the first half to reach for yellow cards; Guatemala picked up three cautions to El Salvador's two.
The physical nature of the game limited the scoring chances for both teams. Communication problems continued to plague El Salvador, but Guatemala failed to make a serious threat on the goal.
The next couple of scoring chances went in favor of El Salvador. In the 32nd minute former D.C. United midfielder Eliseo Quintanilla weaved through a pair of defenders and worked his way into a scoring position. Quintanilla could only manage a weak left-footed effort that was easily saved by Ricardo Trigueno.
Three minutes later El Salvador worked their best scoring chance of the half. Juan Campos collected the ball in the penalty area and held it up with his back to goal. Campos laid the ball back to Dennis Alas who fired high from the edge of the 18.
The lack of communication in the back finally came back to haunt El Salvador in the 38th minute. El Salvadorian defender Alexander Escobar and 'keeper Gomez collided with Figueroa while chasing down a loose ball. Gomez went down in a heap and eventually had to be carted off on a stretcher, and substituted out of the game.
It was Guatemala who were the aggressors early in the second stanza, working two corner kicks in the opening minutes of the second half. On the second corner, second half substitute Marvin Avila directed a header goalbound only to see it get cleared off the line by a well placed defender.
Like the first half, physical play dominated the action and limited scoring chances. In the 60th minute, Quintanilla squirted free on the right flank and dribbled into the penalty area. From the top corner of the box, Quintanilla shot, but again lacked the required accuracy, missing high.
Guatemala finally broke the deadlock in the 69th minute thanks to the boot of Contreras. The El Salvadorian defense failed to clear their penalty area. A series of balls knocked straight up into the air eventually fell at the edge of the penalty area. Contreras was first to the ball and hit a full volley right into the lower corner of the net to open the scoring.
The goal ignited the Guatemala offense, and in the 73rd minute the Chapines won a free kick in the middle of the field from 25 yards out. Contreras stepped up to the ball, and curled a free kick over the wall that banged off of the post.
With the win, Guatemala has blown Group B wide open and gave their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament a serious boost. Guatemala will close out group play against Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday, while El Salvador will most likely need some sort of result against the United States on the same day if they want any hope of moving on in the competition.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
