BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE St. Kitts and Nevis senior national team will battle against El Salvador this evening (Jun. 16) in the second leg of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification at the Estadio Cuscatlán in that Spanish-speaking country.
The Sugar Boyz had performed credibly last week in their first encounter at Warner Park, which ended in a 2-2 draw with two mistakes that led to El Salvador scoring those goals.
However, the game in El Salvador will pose a different challenge to the Sugar Boyz, as they will be playing in a stadium that is the largest in Central America and boasts a capacity of more than the population of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The stadium is located in a city that is 2,159 feet above sea level, which may also pose a threat to the players.
One thing that the Sugar Boyz have in their favour however, is the poor form of the Central Americans who, so far, have not won any match in 2015. Most of their opponents were teams that played in the last World Cup, including finalist Argentina.
However following the first leg in St. Kitts and Nevis, the head coach of the Sugar Boyz had indicated that the team would be aiming to play to its strengths in El Salvador when asked how big a task it would be in that country.
“As difficult as it was right here,” was his response. “It is a difficult team! I still think it is placed very well and the Cuscatlán is a much tougher atmosphere for anyone, but we have our strengths and we will try and play our strengths.”
Last week in front of a near capacity crowd in Warner Park, the Sugar Boyz came close to upsetting the Salvadorans when they came from 1-0 down to go up 2-1. But a late goal by the visitors salvaged a draw.
The two away goals for El Salvador mean that the Sugar Boyz either have to win the second leg outright or pull off a 3-3 draw.
The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. in El Salvador, which will be 9:00 p.m. in St. Kitts and Nevis.
