The chance for the Guatemala national team to claim their first points in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup will be led by a pair of Los Angeles Galaxy attackers, Carlos Ruiz and Guillermo Ramirez, as they play host to Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday.
Winning at home is more than a necessity for the Guatemalan side, who after a scoreless draw against Panama in the opening match of the round need the full three points to stay in contact with the leaders in the table, Mexico and the USA, who will face one another on Sunday at the Estadio Azteca.
"For us, we absolutely can't lose as the home team, a very difficult rival is ahead of us who has to recover from the loss they suffered at home in the first match," said Ruiz, who has recovered from a number of muscular ailments and will likely be a starter in the team Ramón Maradiaga sends out to face the "Soca Warriors".
"The result of the game is more important than a lot of people think, because by winning against Trinidad we can face the next game (against the United States in Birmingham, Ala.) with a lot of motivation and confidence that we'll be in one of the top positions after the first three dates of the hexagonal," Ramirez said, who will again lead the Guatemalan team out as captain.
In the match set for the Estadio Mateo Flores in the Guatemalan capital, recent Columbus Crew signing Mario Rodríguez will not be available because of yellow card accumulation. His place in the team will be taken by CSD Municipal midfielder Carlos Figueroa.
In addition to facing English Premier League talents such as Shaka Hislop and Dwight Yorke in the T&T squad, Ruiz and Ramirez will see MLS opponents across the way, such as Cornell Glen (FC Dallas), Marlon Rojas (Real Salt Lake) and Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards).
Fernando Ruiz is sports editor of Al Día newspaper in Guatemala.
