MIAMI, Florida – While many players will be making their first ever Concacaf appearance at the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying championship in Guadalajara, Mexico, there will still be a fair number who will arrive into the tournament with a wealth of international experience under their belts.
Douglas Martinez, Honduras
The 23-year-old Real Salt Lake FW has worn the Honduras shirt in a slew of different competitions, beginning at the Under-20 level with a goal in five appearances at the 2017 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship. Martinez would go on to represent his country at that year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup, playing in three games. Martinez has also starred with the Honduras Senior National team, including a goal in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League in a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in League A to help the Catrachos clinch a berth in the CNL Finals. With four senior team caps to his name, Martinez will provide an experienced hand in the Honduran attack.
Randall Leal, Costa Rica
Whether it be youth tournaments, the Concacaf Gold Cup or the CNL, Leal has been in the mix with Costa Rica. The 24-year-old Nashville SC MF played in five matches with the Costa Rica Under-17s in 2013 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship Qualifying and the 2013 CU17 tournament. Four years later at the 2017 CU20, he tallied three times in five matches to help Costa Rica clinch a berth in the 2017 U-20 World Cup where he started three of the team’s four matches and scored a goal. Since then, he has gone on to become a big part of the Senior National Team setup, with three appearances in both the 2019 Gold Cup and the 2019-20 CNL. No doubt that the leadership provided by Leal will help guide Costa Rica forward in the 2020 CMOQ.
Ulysses Llanez, United States
As one of the few U.S. players in the 2020 CMOQ who plies his trade in Europe, on loan at Dutch club Heerenveen from Germany’s Wolfsburg, the 19-year-old Llanez is a winger that has been breaking down opposing defenses in Concacaf for years. Llanez played a big role for the U.S. in their conquest of the 2018 CU20 when he scored seven goals in six matches, including a hat trick in a 13-0 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands. The following year at the 2019 Men’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland, Llanez made three appearances off the bench, serving as a game-breaking second half substitute for a U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals. Llanez has also shown that he is ready for the Senior National Team, having scored in his debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in early 2020, followed by a pair of appearances in friendlies last fall.
Erick Aguirre, Mexico
The CMOQ is familiar territory for Pachuca DF Aguirre, who formed part of the Mexico squad that took home the title in the 2015 edition when he played in all five matches. But Aguirre’s international prowess began in 2013 at the CU17 when he started two of El Tricolor’s three matches on their way to the title. That was followed by a magical run to the Final of the 2013 Under-17 World Cup in which Aguirre played in all six of Mexico’s matches, including the Final against Nigeria. Two years later, Aguirre would follow a similar path, playing six matches as Mexico took home the 2015 CU20 and then three matches at that year’s Under-20 World Cup. Another trophy lift came for Aguirre in the 2015 CMOQ, along with two appearances in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Mexico Senior National Team Head Coach Gerardo Martino then called on Aguirre in three 2019-20 CNL matches, as El Tricolor marched to the CNL Finals. Now, Aguirre will seek to add another Concacaf medal to his collection at the 2020 CMOQ.
Gerard Lavergne, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic will be making their CMOQ debut in Guadalajara, and luckily in the form of MF Lavergne there is some international experience upon which they can rely. The 22-year-old from Atletico Pantoja supplied four goals in four matches for the Dominican Republic during the 2018 CU20, including a brace in a 3-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda. Those performances grabbed the attention of the Senior National Team and Lavergne would go on to start five of the Dominican Republic’s six matches in the 2019-20 CNL. With many members of the Dominican Republic squad new to Concacaf competition, Lavergne’s importance cannot be understated.
