El Salvador national under-20 football team
| Nickname | La Azulita | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | |||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
| Head coach | Erick Prado | ||
| FIFA code | SLV | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Curaçao 1–19 El Salvador (Panama City, Panama; March 6, 1962) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| El Salvador 16–0 Nicaragua (Guatemala City, Guatemala; August 17, 1982) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Mexico 12–0 El Salvador (Havana, Cuba; September 29, 1970) Records for competitive matches only. | |||
The El Salvador Under 20s football team, is commonly known as La Azulita. La Azulita is controlled by Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol(FESFUT) and represents El Salvador in all international Under 20 competitions.
Their first U-20 World Cup was at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where they saw their first victory at a major FIFA tournament (outside of beach soccer) to Australia by 2–1, scored respectively by Diego Coca and José Peña.
CONCACAF Championship
2024 CONCACAF Championship
On April 11, 2024, CONCACAF had their official draw. El Salvador was placed in Group B alongside, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Canada. All games will be played in Estadio Sergio León Chávez in Irapuato, Mexico starting July 20, 2024.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honduras | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Canada | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | |
| 3 | El Salvador | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Dominican Republic | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
El Salvador's U-20 national team participated in the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship, held in Irapuato, Mexico. They were drawn into Group B alongside Honduras, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. The team began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over the Dominican Republic, with Christopher Argueta scoring the lone goal in the 62nd minute. Goalkeeper Daniel Franco played a crucial role, making several important saves including a penalty stop.
However, El Salvador's fortunes turned in their subsequent matches. They suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Honduras, despite initially taking the lead through Nelson Díaz. In their final group match, they lost 2-1 to Canada in a closely contested game. Francis Castillo scored El Salvador's goal, but a late bicycle kick by Bunbury secured Canada's win. El Salvador thought they had equalized in the final moments through Walter Menjívar, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review. With one win and two losses, El Salvador finished third in Group B with three points and a goal difference, which was insufficient to advance to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.
| Dominican Republic | 0-1 | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Christopher Argueta 62' |
| El Salvador | 1-4 | Honduras |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Díaz 40' | Report | Diego Guardado 45'+1 (OG)
Dereck Moncada 53' Anfronit Tatúm 66', 84' |
| El Salvador | 1-2 | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Francis Castillo 77' | Report | Santiago López 21' Mataeo Bunbury 90'+3 |
2024 Qualifiers
La Azulita qualified for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship which is slated for the Summer of 2024. El Salvador U20 started the CONCACAF Qualifying on Friday, February 23, 2024, till Saturday, March 2, 2024, at ABFA Technical Center in Antigua and Barbuda. The Azulita finished first with 10 points. Suriname came in second with 9, Antigua and Barbuda with 6, Guyana with 4 and Turks and Caicos 0.
El Salvador belongs to Group B. Group B consist of the following Nations:
After round-robin play between February 23 and March 2, 2024, the first-place team from each group will advance to the 2024 CONCACAF Men's U-20 Championship, joining the six pre-seeded top-ranked nations.[1] Which include in order, United States, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
| February 23, 2024 | El Salvador | 7-0 | Turks and Caicos Islands | Stadium in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 09:30 | Christopher Argueta 26' Daniel Espana 37' |
Report | Stadium: ABFA Technical Center, Antigua and Barbuda |
| February 25, 2024 | Guyana | 2-2 | El Salvador | Stadium in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 09:30 | Nathaniel Pydana 10' Nathaniel Pydana 83' |
Report | 22' Kiano Falcao 62' Wilber Diaz |
Stadium: ABFA Technical Center, Antigua and Barbuda |
| February 29, 2024 | El Salvador | 3-0 | Suriname | Stadium in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 14:00 | Christopher Argueta 10' Nestor Delgado 24' |
Report | Stadium: ABFA Technical Center, Antigua and Barbuda |
| March 2, 2024 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0-1 | El Salvador | Stadium in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda |
| 14:00 | Report | Christopher Guardado 57' | Stadium: ABFA Technical Center, Antigua and Barbuda |
UNCAF 2024
La Azulita, along with seven other selections, gathered in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to participate in an international competition through the tournament UNCAF FIFA FORWARD.[2] La Azulita was grouped in Group A with Honduras, Panamá, and Nicaragua.
| January 19, 2024 | Panama | 3-0 | El Salvador | Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| 11:10 | Stadium: Sede C.D. Olimpia, Honduras |
| January 21, 2024 | Honduras | 4-2 | El Salvador | Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| 15:10 | Stadium: Sede C.D. Olimpia, Honduras |
| January 23, 2024 | El Salvador | 0-5 | Nicaragua | Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| 15:10 | Stadium: Sede C.D. Olimpia, Honduras |
| January 25, 2024 | Cuba | 3-3 | El Salvador | Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| 10:30 | Stadium: Sede C.D. Olimpia, Honduras | |||
| Penalties | ||||
| 3 | 4 | |||
2024 current squad
On February 19, 2024, the Head Coach Juan Cortes named the following players to the CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifiers. The Qualifiers run from February 23, 2024, to March 2, 2024, in Antigua and Barbuda.
History of La Azulita
FIFA U-20 World Cup record
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1979 | |||||||
| 1981 | |||||||
| 1983 | |||||||
| 1985 | |||||||
| 1987 | |||||||
| 1989 | |||||||
| 1991 | |||||||
| 1993 | |||||||
| 1995 | |||||||
| 1997 | |||||||
| 1999 | |||||||
| 2001 | |||||||
| 2003 | |||||||
| 2005 | |||||||
| 2007 | |||||||
| 2009 | |||||||
| 2011 | |||||||
| 2013 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 2015 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2017 | |||||||
| 2019 | |||||||
| 2021 | Cancelled | ||||||
| 2023 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2025 | |||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | ||||||
| Total | 1/25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
UNCAF preliminary round
1The games were forbidden by Concacaf due to El Salvador using an ineligible player |
CONCACAF Under-20 Championship
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Previous fixtures and results
| Date: | Location: | Opponent: | Score* | Competition: | El Salvador scorers: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 22, 2025 | Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Guatemala | 0-2 [1] | 2025 Central American Games | Nil |
| October 24, 2025 | Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Nicaragua | 0-1 | 2025 Central American Games | Carlos Garay 25' |
| October 26, 2025 | Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Panama | 1-3 [2] | 2025 Central American Games | Nelson Diaz 46' |
| October 28, 2025 | Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Nicaragua | 2-4 [3] | 2025 Central American Games | Christopher Guardado 19' Nelson Diaz 83' |
| February 23, 2026 | Estadio Miguel Chocorrón Buitrago, Managua | French Guiana | 3-0 | U-20 CCQ | Johan Ortiz 11' Luis Tobar 41' 64' |
| February 25, 2026 | Estadio Miguel Chocorrón Buitrago, Managua | Saint Martin | 4-1 | U-20 CCQ | Christian Coreas 12' (pen.) Diego Peña 75' Wilber Díaz 82' Gerson Robles 86' |
| February 27, 2026 | Estadio Miguel Chocorrón Buitrago, Managua | Grenada | 2-0 | U-20 CCQ | Hugo Aguilar 41' Wilber Díaz 81' |
| March 1, 2026 | Estadio Miguel Chocorrón Buitrago, Managua | Belize | 7-0 | U-20 CCQ | Christian Coreas 9' Darwin Saravia 39' (o.g.) Johann Ortiz 41', 60' William Cabrera 77' Jonathan Aguirre 88' Gabriel Arnold 90+1' |
| March 3, 2026 | Estadio Miguel Chocorrón Buitrago, Managua | Suriname | 0-2 | U-20 CCQ | Nil |
Key
- F = Friendly
- UF = Unofficial Friendly
- U-20 CCQ = 2026 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying
- U-20 CC = U-20 Championship
- U-20 WC = U-20 World Cup
- GS = Group stage
- QF = Quarter-finals
- SF = Semi-finals
- Fi = Final
- PSO = Penalty shootout
- a.e.t. = After extra time
- El Salvador's scores listed first
Players
Current squad
The following 24 players were called up for training camp in January 2026.[3]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Marvin Diaz | May 11, 2007 | Alianza | |||
| GK | Maximo Sandoval | July 8, 2007 | Hércules | |||
| GK | Alexander Aguilar | Old Dominion University | ||||
| DF | Matias Alas | October 17, 2003 | Alianza | |||
| DF | Hugo Aguilar | October 17, 2003 | Isidro Metapan | |||
| DF | Emerson Guardado | September 9, 2008 | Alianza | |||
| DF | Jonathan Lopez | November 29, 2006 | Isidro Metapan | |||
| DF | Oscar Delgado | October 17, 2003 | FAS | |||
| DF | Javier Villatoro | Bakersfield College | ||||
| DF | Taeil Lozano | Beach FC | ||||
| DF | Dennis Granados | Westchester SC | ||||
| DF | Eric Velasquez | New York Red Bull | ||||
| DF | Ean Morales | San Fernando Valley FC | ||||
| DF | Gabriel Vasquez | Alexandria Soccer Academy | ||||
| DF | Jonathan Polio | Oakland Roots SC | ||||
| DF | Jonathan Aguirre | North Carolina FC Academy | ||||
| DF | Eric Melgar | Solar Soccer Club | ||||
| MF | William Cabrera | North Carolina FC | ||||
| MF | Jerson Ganuza | LA Surf SC | ||||
| MF | Bradley Pleitez | Ventura County Fusion | ||||
| MF | German Argueta | DC United | ||||
| MF | Daniel Twumasi | Kalonji Soccer Academy | ||||
| MF | Rene Fuentes | Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba | ||||
| MF | Diego Pena | Alianza | ||||
| MF | Gerson Robles | November 29, 2006 | Municipal Limeno | |||
| MF | Kerin Torres | LA Firpo | ||||
| MF | Uriel Miranda | November 29, 2006 | Isidro Metapan | |||
| FW | Luis Tobar | April 21, 2008 | Alianza | |||
| FW | Wilber Diaz | December 30, 2003 | Isidro Metapan | |||
| FW | Eduardo Cruz | Aguila | ||||
| FW | Zander Tidwell | October 1, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Zacatecoluca | |
| FW | Armando Cabrera | Soka University | ||||
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Cristian Bonilla | February 11, 2004 | 4 | 0 | Cacahuatique | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| GK | Daniel Franco | February 11, 2004 | 4 | 0 | Alianza | 2025 Central American Games |
| GK | Hamilton Lemus | July 8, 2004 | 0 | 0 | Isidro Metapan | 2025 Central American Games |
| GK | Edwin Polanco | July 31, 2007 | FAS | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| DF | William Molina | May 21, 2004 | 6 | 0 | Municipal Limeno | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | David Montejo | October 17, 2003 | 0 | 0 | FAS | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | Néstor Somoza | October 17, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Hércules | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | Kiano Falcao | April 10, 2006 | 0 | 0 | Atlético Huila | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | Emir Ponciano | February 22, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Los Angeles FC | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | Bryan Lovo | November 23, 2004 | 7 | 0 | Aguila | 2025 Central American Games |
| DF | Kevin García | September 5, 2007 | Alianza | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| DF | Anderson Martinez | October 17, 2003 | FAS | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| DF | Elmer Rodriguez | September 2, 2007 | LA Firpo | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| DF | Jose Guatemala | October 17, 2003 | Aguila | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| MF | Johann Ortiz | January 1, 2007 | 0 | 0 | Sporting Kansas City II | 2025 Central American Games |
| MF | Gabriel Pereira | May 7, 2005 | 0 | 0 | Azuriz FC | 2025 Central American Games |
| MF | Christopher Guardado | November 23, 2004 | 7 | 0 | Alianza | 2025 Central American Games |
| MF | Gabriel Arnold | February 1, 2007 | 0 | 0 | LA Galaxy | 2025 Central American Games |
| MF | Jefferson Martinez | November 29, 2006 | 0 | 0 | Municipal Limeno | 2025 Central American Games |
| MF | Narciso Ramírez | February 9, 2005 | 0 | 0 | Houston FC | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| MF | Michael Umaña | November 23, 2004 | 7 | 0 | Club Necaxa Reserves and Academy | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| MF | Mauricio Zabala | November 29, 2006 | Isidro Metapan | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| MF | Edwin Velasquez | November 29, 2006 | Hércules | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| MF | Jefferson Roque | November 29, 2006 | Platense | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| MF | Luis Ramirez | February 6, 2007 | Alianza | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| MF | Jason Ayala | November 29, 2006 | Municipal Limeno | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| FW | Rene Garay | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Aguila | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Melvin Urbina | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Hércules | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Nelson Díaz | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | LA Firpo | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Inner Guevara | March 16, 2005 | 0 | 0 | Inter FA | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Francis Castillo | November 7, 2005 | 0 | 0 | CA Antoniano | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Christopher Argueta | January 14, 2007 | 0 | 0 | MFK Dukla U-19 | 2025 Central American Games |
| FW | Marvin Benítez | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Aguila | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| FW | Ricardo Villatoro | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Aguila | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| FW | Steven Guerra | December 30, 2003 | 0 | 0 | Isidro Metapan | 2025 Central American GamesPRE |
| FW | Paolo Herrera | December 30, 2003 | Hércules | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
| FW | Brandon Ramírez | September 5, 2008 | Juventud Independiente | November 2025 Training Camp | ||
INJ Player withdrew from the current squad due to injury.
| ||||||
Formers players
2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad
Head coach: Mauricio Alfaro [4]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Rolando Morales | March 1, 1994 (aged 19) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 2 | DF | Oliver Ayala | January 4, 1994 (aged 19) | León | ||
| 3 | MF | Tomás Granitto | June 12, 1993 (aged 20) | Florida Gulf Coast University | ||
| 4 | DF | Giovanni Zavaleta | September 27, 1994 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 5 | MF | Romilio Hernández | June 6, 1995 (aged 18) | Baltimore Bays | ||
| 6 | DF | Marvin Baumgartner | January 13, 1993 (aged 20) | Zürich | ||
| 7 | MF | Jairo Henríquez | August 31, 1993 (aged 19) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 8 | MF | José Villavicencio | January 24, 1995 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 9 | FW | José Peña | December 10, 1994 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 10 | MF | Diego Coca | August 26, 1994 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 11 | FW | Maikon Orellana | November 12, 1993 (aged 19) | Brøndby | ||
| 12 | DF | Kevin Barahona | October 1, 1994 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 13 | DF | Miguel Lemus | October 26, 1993 (aged 19) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 14 | MF | Óscar Rodríguez | April 16, 1995 (aged 18) | Atlético San José | ||
| 15 | MF | René Gómez | January 8, 1993 (aged 20) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 16 | MF | Benjamín Díaz | May 8, 1993 (aged 20) | University of the District of Columbia | ||
| 17 | DF | Kevin Ayala | July 15, 1994 (aged 18) | Turín-FESA | ||
| 18 | GK | Adolfo Menéndez, Jr. | July 3, 1993 (aged 19) | FAS | ||
| 19 | MF | Bernardo Majano | December 9, 1995 (aged 17) | D.C. United | ||
| 20 | FW | Roberto González | March 25, 1993 (aged 20) | Santa Tecla | ||
| 21 | GK | Carlos Cañas | September 9, 1994 (aged 18) | Longwood University |
Personnel
Current staff
As of November 2025
| Head coach | Erick Dowson Prado |
| Assistant coach | Francisco Hernández |
| Assistant coach | Ernesto de la Ocomo |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Adolfo Menéndez |
| Physical Trainer | Emerson Leal |
| Medical Trainer | |
| Kinesiologist | |
| Equipment Manager | Abraham Beltrán |
Manager history
- Conrado Miranda (1964, 1979)
- Raul Magana (1985,1994)
- Carlos Recinos (2000–2001)
- Ricardo Herrera (2002–2003)
- Cesar Acevedo (2004–2005)
- José Luis Rugamas (2006–2007)
- Norberto Huezo (2008–2009)
- Mauricio Alfaro (2009–2015)
- Eduardo Lara (2016–2017)
- Alexsander Rodriguez (2017–2018)
- Ernesto Gochez (2018–2020)
- Gerson Perez (2021–2022)
- Manuel Torres Núñez (2023)
- Juan Cortez (2024)
- Erick Dowson Prado [4] (2025-Present)
Honours
See also
- El Salvador national football team
- El Salvador national under-17 football team
- El Salvador national under-21 football team
- El Salvador national under-23 football team
- CONCACAF Under-20 Championship
References
- ^ "Draw reveals groups for 2024 Concacaf U-20 Qualifiers". October 11, 2023.
- ^ "Torneo Sub-19 UNCAF FIFA FORWARD". January 16, 2024.
- ^ "La Sub 20 toma forma: talentos locales y desde EE. UU. en preselección rumbo a las eliminatorias Concacaf" (in Spanish). ElSalvador. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ^ "Completa la nómina de la Selección Sub-20 para Copa del Mundo Turquía 2013" (in Spanish). www.culebritamacheteada.sv. May 23, 2013.
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