Harold Osorio Joins El Salvador Roster
Chicago Fire II's Harold Osorio will be a part of El Salvador's squad for the summer, the Salvadoran federation announced. La Selecta will first play a pair of crucial World Cup Qualifying matches before traveling to the United States for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Osorio, 21, debuted for El Salvador in two friendlies in 2021 but became a mainstay in 2023 when he appeared in a series of matches under Head Coach Hugo Pérez, including the last Gold Cup. His most recent games for the national team were in late 2023 against Curaçao.
"I'm really happy, because it's a dream for me to be in the national team," Osorio told MIR97 Media earlier last weekend. "All players want to go to their national team, and I'm really proud to be able to do it. I'm looking forward to being with my teammates this month."
Osorio departed Chicago on Monday after Fire II's 5-0 win over Columbus Crew 2 in which he looked at his best and recorded one assist. He joins El Salvador for their camp in San Salvador as they gear up for all-important World Cup Qualifiers against Anguilla and Suriname, of which they may need to win both to advance to the final round of qualifiers. La Selecta are aiming to reach their first World Cup since 1982 but find themselves in a somewhat perilous position after drawing Puerto Rico 1-1 on an earlier matchday.
Following the qualifiers, they will take part in the Gold Cup, for which they have already qualified by virtue of their CONCACAF Nations League performance in 2024. They have been drawn in a difficult but manageable group alongside Canada, Honduras, and Curaçao and are hoping to be one of the two teams that advance to the quarterfinals, where they would likely face Panama or Jamaica.
"Going to the Gold Cup is a very special thing for me, and I'm very emotional for this," Osorio said. "I'm hoping to have a better performance (than 2023) and play a bigger role. It's going to be difficult, but I believe in the team and in myself."
