EL Salvador claimed the first of three Central American berths in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying finals, scoring a pair of first-half goals and with 10 men holding off Panama 2-1 last Saturday.
The victory finished ‘Los Cuscatlecos’ atop Central American Group 1 with six points, three ahead of Panama, and made it the first team to join automatic North American qualifiers Canada, Mexico and the United States in the eight-team finals next year.
The second Central American berth will be determined this week when Honduras hosts Costa Rica and Nicaragua, with the Group 2 winner also qualifying.
Panama will have another chance to qualify as the third Central American side when it faces the runner-up from Group 2 in a two-leg playoff October 30 and November 6.
The two Caribbean berths will be decided November 24-28 when Suriname hosts the region’s final four-team group with Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba and St Kitts & Nevis.
CONCACAF will send two teams to the London Olympics July 27 – August 12, 2012.