Luis Fernando Tena will make his debut as coach of Guatemala against Cuba

mexican coach Luis Fernando Tina This Thursday will appear as Guatemalan national team coach In a friendly match against Cuba, in the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala.

The meeting serves both teams as preparation for World Cup 2026 It will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada from then on The two countries are off the road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Tina has run several training sessions since his appointment on December 9, 2021, replacing compatriot Rafael Loredo, who was in charge of the Guatemalan team temporarily for several months after Guatemalan Amarini Filatoro was sacked last July.

The Mexican coach had originally planned to make his debut against Bolivia in La Paz on January 19, but the match was suspended, as was another match on January 22 in Miami against Canada, due to Covid-19.

Thursday’s meeting will be held in Pensive Stadium in Antigua Guatemalaabout 50 kilometers west of Guatemala City, with Cuba as a contender.

Tina summoned six Guatemalan players to a duel against Cuba: Nicholas Hagen (Hamcam, from Norway), Jose Carlos Pinto (Tacuari, from Paraguay), Gerardo Gordillo (Gualaço, from Ecuador), Marco Dominguez (Al Yarmouk, from Kuwait), Jesus Lopez (Necaxa, from Mexico) and Marvin Ceballos (Black Lions UDG, from Mexico).

Hagen serves as goalkeeper and Pinto and Gordillo serve as central defenders, while the rest of the Guatemalan Legion players serve as midfield.

The last time Guatemala faced Cuba was on March 24, 2021 for the CONCACAF World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers, With a 1-0 victory for Central America.

“We have good raw material and we are excited to go to the World Cup”Tina, 63, confirmed to local media after signing his new contract.

“I’m really, really happy. I could have waited in Mexico for another chance (to direct) but I didn’t want to wait while I was here, and I hope to stay here for at least four years.”Tina added at her presentation in downtown Guatemala City.

The mexican coach He reiterated that the biggest goal is to reach the World Cup, an impossible task so far in the history of the first team in the Central American country.

President of the Guatemalan Federation, Gerardo BaezHe noted that the new Guatemalan coach will receive a monthly salary of $35,000 and that the termination clause is “high” after signing for four years.

The director asked Guatemalan fans to “let Tina work” “to achieve a goal” To qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Read on: