Guatemala Soccer Team Faces El Salvador in Friendly Match

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — The Guatemalan national soccer team departed for Chattanooga, Tennessee, on May 29, 2025, to face El Salvador in a friendly match on May 31. The team, managed by coach Luis Fernando Tena, consists mainly of local league players, with only Nicolás Samayoa and Arquímides Ordóñez representing the legionnaires.

Out of the original squad of 22 players, Jonathan Franco and Erick Lemus did not make the trip due to injuries. Additionally, goalkeeper Fredy Pérez was replaced by Luis Morán from Antigua GFC after being dropped from the roster. Thus, only 19 players will participate in the match in Chattanooga.

El Salvador also traveled to the United States on the same day. Under the direction of coach Hernán Darío ‘El Bolillo’ Gómez, the team initially announced a roster of 24 players, but only 20 will take part in the game after the exclusion of Alexander Larín, Leonardo Menjívar, Narciso Orellana, and Rafael Tejada.

The friendly is set to kick off at 6:00 p.m. local time at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. This match represents the last preparation for both teams ahead of the final two rounds of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying campaign. Guatemala will face the Dominican Republic on June 6 and Jamaica on June 10, while El Salvador’s upcoming matches include Anguilla on June 7 and Suriname on June 10.