MIAMI, Florida – There were many great individual performances in the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup quarterfinals, but standing above them, all was CA Independiente FW Carlos Small, who bagged a brace in his team’s 2-0 second leg victory against Motagua of Honduras.
For his efforts, Small is the Central American Cup Quarterfinals Game-Changer, as he not only led his side to the final four of the tournaments, but also helped them qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Heading into that second leg against Motagua, CAI were locked in a 1-1 result on aggregate, but taking the field in front of the home fans was just the lift that Small and his teammates needed.
“For us, it was a magical night. Our fans supported us to the maximum. For us it was really important to achieve qualification to the Champions Cup. We prepared ourselves well and for me personally the two goals were really big for me in my life, in my career. We took control of that game and put in the work. Motagua is one of the biggest clubs in Central America and we prepared ourselves to win that match,” said Small.
“I think before anything it’s because of the unity of the group. I think we prepared in the best way to grab ahold of the game and without my teammates I’m nothing. We are all for one and one for all,” said Small in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com. “I feel happy with the team and with myself for the performance that we had in the quarterfinals, and now we are preparing ourselves for the next objective.”
CAI will now participate in the Champions Cup for just the second time in their history and their first appearance since 2019 when they reached the quarterfinals. Returning to Concacaf’s most prestigious club competition holds a great significance for CAI.
“It means a lot for the club to qualify for the Champions Cup. The team, from the coaching staff to the directors, are super happy with that achievement. We’ll keep preparing because we know that the Champions Cup is a difficult tournament, so we have to be at 100 percent to give our best,” said Small.
But first, CAI will try to reach their first ever Concacaf Final, but standing in their way is a Real Esteli team that defeated three-time Concacaf champions Saprissa of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.
Ironically, CAI have already faced Real Esteli in the tournament, with the two teams meeting in the group stage, as Small scored to help CAI win 2-1.
“It’s a team that we’ve seen before and now in the semifinals everyone on the team is preparing hard and it will be a nice series, a good spectacle. The first priority is to get a positive result in Nicaragua to then be able to close things out in Panama.
“We have to work hard and continue working hard and preparing. We know that Real Esteli is preparing too, we saw them already in the group stage and more or less they know our set-up. We’ll study and analyze several things so we can be in the best form possible to get the result to move forward,” said Small.
With five goals in the 2023 Central American Cup, Small is the joint-top scorer in the tournament. But scoring in Concacaf games is nothing new for the 28-year-old, who was one of the leading scorers in the 2017 Concacaf League with four goals as a member of Arabe Unido. There is just something about the bright lights of Concacaf that brings out the best in Small.
“Scoring in a Concacaf game is very wonderful. It is paid attention to differently than the domestic league and for me it’s really nice. It’s great to enjoy those international goals and so now we just go game by game because at this stage each round is more difficult than the previous one,” concluded Small.
