The Beltway will certainly be bustling this afternoon as just outside of the I-495 interstate El Salvador will be hosting Argentina at Fed-Ex Field. The match will be shown live on beINSPORT at 430PM EST.
Now the reason why El Salvador is ‘hosting’ Argentina so far away from is because this will be a home match for them. While one would expect the 50,000 strong that are expected to attend the match to be wearing Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria jerseys, it will be the jerseys of Richard Menjivar, Alexander Larin, and of the legend Raul Diaz Arce that will be most prominently displayed at Fed-Ex Field on Saturday. The Washington D.C.-Metro area is home to one of the largest Salvadorean populations outside of their home country and they are extremely loyal and passionate for La Selecta.
Although friendlies are often just glorified scrimmages, both Argentina and El Salvador have something to play for in this match. With Argentina looking to win the 2015 Copa America and El Salvador participating in the 2015 Gold Cup both teams will be taking this opportunity to assess their squad depth and what sort of changes that they will need to make in the coming months.
While it would take a herculean effort for El Salvador to defeat Argentina, this will not be easy for La Albiceleste. El Salvador have made huge strides in recent years at building a credible international football team. Ten of their twenty-three man roster play their club football outside of El Salvador, including Orlando City SC’s Darwin Ceren. It is also a very young team with only just one player over the age of 30 (backup goalkeeper Luis Contreras). Knocking out the United States for qualification for the 2012 Olympics and their third-place showing at the Copa Centroamericana indicates that El Salvador are improving.
If El Salvador are going to keep this match close they will need to do more than just defend. Center midfielder Andres Flores needs to push the attack and give his defense a rest whenever he can. Iran showed in the World Cup that Argentina do get frustrated when teams put two defenders on their players. By having one player directly engaging the defender and the other tracking ball movement, it gives teams like El Salvador who don’t have world-class players the chance to break up possessions and possibly go on counter-attacks.
For Argentina, this match is a chance for them to start finding a Plan B in case Messi is not healthy. Although it may upset the 50,000 strong that will be attending Saturday’s match that Messi is unlikely to play due to a foot injury, for Argentina it is probably the best news. As evidenced by the World Cup, when Messi is not at full capacity Argentina is like ship without its captain. If Argentina are to claim their first Copa America title since 1993 they need to develop a second option up front.
One would think that would be Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City striker does have twenty-two goals for Argentina. But he has never really been able to translate the work rate that he has had for his clubs over the years to the national team. He scored only one goal last year for Argentina, in a friendly against Germany, and has largely been absent from Argentina since the end of World Cup Qualification. Argentina needs Aguero to find his form and Saturday’s match could be an excellent chance to regain his confidence.
Also keep an eye on Carlos Tevez. Yes, Tevez is back after having had an extended absence from the national team. Although he is 31, a good game against El Salvador could mean more appearances and a chance to finish up his international career this summer at the Copa America.
With both temas having something to play for, this should be a very entertaining match. The key will be how El Salvador when they inevitably get behind a goal. If they can continue to be composed and avoid making any rash challenges then they will have their chances against Argentina. But if they break down after one or two goals then it could be a long day for the Salvadorean faithful.
