One of the reasons why Marco Pappa decided to return to MLS this year was that he’d have more opportunities to represent his country. Given the Seattle midfielder’s performance at the Copa Centroamericana, the Guatemala National Team is surely glad Pappa made that choice.
Pappa leads the tournament with four goals, scoring a pair of braces during group play to help Guatemala reach its first Copa Centroamericana final in nearly two decades. Guatemala will face World Cup quarterfinalist Costa Rica on Saturday with a guaranteed spot in the 2016 Centennial Cup America on the line.
“It’s fantastic for him. Guatemala is at a stage where, for years Carlos Ruiz was the one that carried the mantle for that team. Carlos now is getting a little older and it’s great to see Marco stepping into that void,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “Carlos is still there, but Marco has played a really dominant role for them in this tournament so far. And putting them into the final game against Costa Rica with an automatic spot into 2016 Copa is certainly big for Guatemala.”
Guatemala defeated Honduras 2-0 on Wednesday to pick up its third victory in as many matches. Pappa, who netted both of his team’s goals in Guatemala’s 2-1 win over El Salvador last week, opened the scoring in the 37th minute Wednesday with a strike from about 25 yards out that hit the crossbar before finding its way into the goal. Ten minutes before the final whistle, Pappa curled a left-footed shot into the far post from just outside the penalty area to secure Guatemala’s victory.
Pappa, whose four goals have come on just eight shots, is the first Guatemalan player to score more than one goal in a Copa Centroamericana since 2005.
“Every team plays a little differently and the way Guatemala plays, seven guys defend and three guys have freedom,” Schmid said. “So they really don’t have to get back and defend and do a lot of that other stuff. Every team has a different combination as to who gets those freedoms and who gets those liberties. And we’ve talked about it – there are times when I think he could have pulled the trigger a little bit sooner and he’s doing a good job of that with Guatemala right now.”
Ranked 134th in the FIFA World Rankings, Guatemala clinched a spot in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup with its victory on Wednesday. After beating a 43rd-ranked Honduras side, Guatemala will be up against 15th-ranked Costa Rica in the final.
Pappa was already looking forward to the chance to play for a couple of trophies with the Sounders in the near future. The Copa Centroamericana has been the start of what could be a very exciting few months for the Guatemalan.
