Guatemalan Defense Nicolás Samayoa It is a fundamental pillar in Luis Fernando Tena’s scheme to achieve the objectives of the bicolor.
In the duel against Jamaica he was recognized by Concacaf as the “Mark of a Fighter”, For his intense marking, winning six of eight individual duels, and his high precision in the passes.
With confidence and determination, Samayoa spoke at a press conference about the transcendental duel against Panama, a match that could be key to defining the future of Guatemala in the 2025 Gold Cup.
Aware of what are played
The defender was clear: advancing to the next round is one of the main objectives, and achieving it in front of Panama would be an impulse of trust for the group.
“We know that Panama is a complicated team, with a lot of work and doing things well. But we already demonstrate it against Jamaica: on the court we are eleven against eleven and everything can happen,” said Samayoa.
The unconditional breath of the fans
The defender, who must still define his future with the Polytehnica FC of Romania, thanked the unconditional support of Guatemalan followershighlighting that it is a recurring theme in the locker room.
“The support of the fans is very important to us. They make us feel locals in all matches, so it was in the past Gold Cup and in this too. Even more because of the situation in the country. We know that tickets are exhausted and we hope it is a show. We want to answer people on the court, ”he added.
Fire test
The match against Panama has acquired a special relevance, since both teams will also face the qualifiers towards the 2026 World Cup. Samayoa considers this duel as an exam to measure the real level of the equipment.
“It will be a prelude to what comes in World Cup qualifiers. It is a real test to see where we are standing. He is a direct rival, it will be a great game and we hope to meet our goal that is to add points, ”explained the defender.
Reserved forecast
To close, Samayoa praised the group’s defensive order, confident that collective work will be key to the powerful channel offensive.
“We are an orderly team, we have been demonstrating it. Panama is offensively strong, but I consider that it will be a closed match, with few goals”, He concluded.
The time of truth will be this Friday, June 20 at 8:00 p.m., in the Q2 Stadium of Austin, Texas, where Guatemala will seek to give another blow of authority in the Gold Cup 2025.