By Paul Tenorio
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
For the El Salvador national soccer team, RFK Stadium and the Washington area have become a home away from home, a venue where the team has been welcomed by the large Salvadoran community to enjoy a hearty home field advantage.
On Tuesday night against regional rival Guatemala, however, the crowd of 12,246 was nearly equally split between the two. On the field, Guatemala was the stronger team en route to a 2-0 victory.
"I remember the other times we came to play here, it was more dominated by the Salvadoran fans," Guatemala midfielder Fredy Thompson said in his native Spanish. "I think tonight it was almost like it was even, there might have been a minimal difference. And for us that helped us be motivated to play well in front of our fans."
Thompson opened the scoring for the Chapines in the 45th minute. The Salvadoran defense had been shaky throughout the first half, giving away possession in the midfield to open up counterattacks for Guatemala and failing to close space quickly.
After El Salvador failed to clear the ball, Thompson battled through a weak tackle to set himself alone on top of the 18-yard box, where he finished past the onrushing goalkeeper with a left-footed shot.
Source: Washington Post
