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VIDEO: GUATEMALA CITY -- It's pretty close to universally agreed that for a country with a population of just over six million inhabitants, Paraguay has reached extraordinary heights in international soccer. And if the landlocked nation competes evenly with its much larger neighbors on the field, it's mostly through the grit, determination and defense-first approach for which the Guaranis are known.
It should come as little surprise then, that a transplanted Paraguayan icon would bring those same characteristics to CONCACAF. In Guatemala, so it has gone. As coach of the Guatemalan national team, Hugo Ever Almeida has instilled a disciplined tactical regime in Guatemala City - one that has the Chapines hoping that this cycle could bring a first-ever World Cup qualification for the most populous of Central American nations.
Indeed, there's some solid reason for belief in Guatemala City. Last year, Almeida led the Guatemalan U-20s to the World Cup at that level, the country's first ever FIFA final round in any non-futsal category. Now, with the same set of defensive-minded tactics, Almeida has the nation's sights set on a historic trip to Brazil in two years' time.
"The strategy is very similar to the idea he's had, at the sub-20 level and the full team," said midfielder José del Águila, who played for Almeida on that U-20 World Cup team, and has featured often of late at the full national team level. "His idea is to defend first, and defend well, and then attack in an orderly fashion. We've been working it for a year or two years now. We know how he works, and we just have to execute it."
Execution will certainly be key later this week. Just as his native Paraguay battles neighbor Argentina once again on Friday in what has become a South American classic, Guatemala faces a test of a different magnitude at home against Caribbean upstart Antigua and Barbuda. But no matter the size of the rival, expect Almeida's team to defend with their usual charisma and build the attack from there, as Guatemala looks for a vital three points at Estadio Mateo Flores against the tiny island nation.
Of course, a defense-first approach should hardly come as a surprise from a coach whose career as a Paraguayan goalkeeper spanned three decades. Almeida set a Copa Libertadores record for appearances while defending the shirt of Olimpia of Paraguay, in a career that lasted from 1967 clear through to the early 90s.
Uruguayan by birth, the coach tends towards that nation's preferred 5-4-1 formation. For Guatemala, the outside backs that flank three central defenders are converted wingers, who will get aggressively forward when called upon, converting the formation into something akin to a 3-4-3 as the two outside midfielders shift into the attack as well.
"We've played with a five man line, I'm used to playing that position," said Marvin Avila, who has been one of the featured outside backs under Almeida. "The wing defenders have to support the attack; it's a defensive position but the idea is to get up into the attack as well."
The approach has worked relatively well in keeping the Bicolor in games with favored group rivals Jamaica and the U.S., though Guatemala has only one point from six to show for it thus far. A tough loss on the road to Jamaica in June was followed by a hard fought draw against the Americans in which the Chapines had the regional power on its heels late in the match.
That result, against a team that has made six straight World Cups, along with a narrow quarterfinal loss at the 2011 Gold Cup to eventual champion Mexico, proves Guatemala's potential to succeed in Almeida's system. Solid at the back, the Bicolor can also get forward with numbers to create matchup problems for opposing teams already extended in attack.
Almeida and company will hope for just that in their upcoming pair of games against Antigua and Barbuda. The Guatemalans desperately need two good results if they are to hold on to the dream of qualifying for a first-ever World Cup, but the islanders have proven much tougher than some might have expected in their first two matches, giving the U.S. every bit of a game on the road before collecting a well-earned point at home against Group A co-leader Jamaica.
Given the Benna Boys' Cinderella status, though, some will ask if Almeida might forsake the defensive approach this Friday at Mateo Flores. The wise bet, however, would be on the coach staying the course. For a Paraguayan goalkeeper turned national team skipper, defending runs in the veins.
