The Last few Central American Cups
The 2007 Central American Cup was in El Salvador. El Salvador put on a good tournament at Cuscatlan Stadium. El Salvador was placed in a group with Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize. El Salvador won its group for the first time in history with 7 points. Unfortunately they went against powerful Costa Rica and were knocked out in the semi-finals. When they played for 3rd place they were again beat at home by Guatemala 1-0. This however was a good sign for El Salvador soccer. They are playing the powers of Central American in a lot closer than in the past. This tournament was an awakening for Panama. This was the first time a nation other than Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala made the Championship game. Panama changed the dynamics of the entire tournament. Panama tied Costa Rica in the final but lost in the shootout.
The 2009 tournament was suppose to be played in Panama but the remodeling of Rommell was not finished. Costa Rica was ready but Honduras and Guatemala placed the bids to host again. Honduras won and the tournament was staged in Tegucigalpa. 20k turn out to watch the host play which is a record in attendance. It is a record since no other records for attendance existed. Honduras was knocked out by Panama. Panama went on to win their first ever international tournament. Now Panama can contend and beat the heavy weights of the region.
The 2011 tournament will be played in Panama. Panama invested $19 Million to renovate Rommell stadium in Panama city. It is a beautiful stadium and ready to host the largest event they can. This stadium will only sell out for World Cup qualifiers and this tournament. Panama is an up and coming soccer nation that is adajacent to South America where soccer is almost a religion. Panama has been playing some top competition to get ready for this. They want to reach the final again and show off Rommell.
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