Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Darwin Ceren could help El Salvador to their highest achievement at the Concacaf Gold Cup with a win over tournament hosts Qatar in the tournament quarterfinals.
In 11 appearances, La Selecta has never advanced past the quarterfinal round and reached the knockout stage on only five occasions. A victory would send El Salvador to Houston to their first semifinals bout.
"We depend on us to make history, to advance to the next round, something that has never been achieved," said Ceren prior to Saturday's quarterfinal. "There is a lot of motivation, there is a lot of confidence in our teammates and we are aware that we are one step away from making history for our team and for ourselves, because we realize that there is capacity, we realize that we are on the right track."
El Salvador native and former U.S. men's national team player Hugo Perez took over as the head coach of the national team in April, just over two months before the start of the 2021 Gold Cup. With a mix of naturalized players from the United States and veterans like Ceren, the team has already achieved it's best-ever Gold Cup outing with two wins in the group stage.
The show starts ✨ #ThisIsOurs
— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) July 24, 2021
Qatar 🇶🇦 and El Salvador 🇸🇻 are the first to play the quarterfinals of the #GoldCup21 🏆. @AngryOrchard it shows us the Unfiltered Match Preview. pic.twitter.com/rEqcCgX2VQ
They don't want to stop there and they know another quarterfinal elimination will just open old wounds, despite the positive strides being made under Perez. They know their next opponent, Qatar, who was their final test prior to the Gold Cup in a 1-0 loss in Croatia.
"We know that it's a match of life and death," said Ceren. "The winner obviously advances. It will not be a game like the one we played last time, because now we are playing a lot in between. Last time it was a game, more than anything, to analyze, for the coaches to draw their own conclusions."
Qatar won Group D while El Salvador finished second in Group A with a tightly contested 1-0 defeat to tournament favorites Mexico. Based on their group stage performance, La Selecta have to feel confident about their chances against the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts.
El Salvador is sure to be backed by a large public, as they were in Dallas for their match with Mexico. Ceren was featured on television during the national anthem where he looked overcome by emotion.
.@HoustonDynamo midfielder @CerenDarwin almost to tears as the El Salvador national anthem plays at the @cottonbowlstad prior to their match vs. @miseleccionmxEN @TheStrikerTexas #GoldCup21 #HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/JLIVUYHwew
— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) July 19, 2021
"It's a bit difficult to hide the fact that you feel those good vibes from all the people singing with one voice," said Ceren. "The national anthem of our country is amazing. That, for me, is like they are injecting you with energy and before the game, the body bristles with the emotion of wanting to be on the field, wanting to fight the first ball and that is a joy that one feels inside. It is the pride that one feels as a Salvadoran.
"I imagine all those people outside their country missing being in their country and seeing their team here. Then you can see all that love they have for the national team. And, one on the field, I think is exciting. Many times, perhaps, one cannot even describe the feelings that one has before starting the game. And you just have to sing it like people at the top of your lungs and then get all those good vibes out on the pitch."