We had a very similar trip to El Salvador from September 26-29, 2011 to the one we had in Honduras a month ago, only this time we played Isidro Metapan.
The city of Metapan was some two hours from Salvador, where we stayed in a real nice hotel. The day before the team arrived me and the security guy were driven to the stadium, to see the route we were going to take and check out the facilities. All these things turn helpful for the team, so they know how to prepare. Along the way I snapped photos to show fans back in Colorado what the team would be experiencing.
On a normal game the equipment staff heads to the stadium to set up the guys' gear some three hours before kickoff. The team normally arrives 1.5 hours before the game starts.
However since we were staying so far away, and had scouted out the scene, on this game day we all went together. It was an unusual situation for the equipment crew - and once we arrived, about two hours from kickoff - we realized we had left the bag full of the players cleats back in Salvador.
The opposing team was tremendous in loaning our players cleats - though some didn't fit well. We also went to their team store to buy some for other guys, and we got in touch with the hotel staff and had a police escort bring the bag with cleats to Metapan. Just as the game was starting, the cleats arrived. Some guys stepped off the field to put their own shoes on, others waited until halftime. It was a fantastic example of fair play.
We had also brought a second-string team - not even the head coach traveled. But we somehow pulled out the win. I later wrote a commentary on the sportsmanship shown by Metapan, and the way the guys found a way to pull the upset.
I posted a 100+ photo gallery of the trip, with off the field images of what caught my eye of El Salvador, on the Rapids' facebook page, complete with captions. Check them out here.
