(Greg Sullivan, The Tennessean, 03.22.12)

NASHVILLE — Canada and El Salvador finished with a scoreless draw in Thursday’s early match.

El Salvador dominated play against the Canadians but couldn’t cash in with a goal, despite having numerous chances.

“We have talked about it a lot. It’s just that things are not easy,” El Salvador Coach Mauricio Alfaro said through a translator. “I think that maybe it’s just the anxiety of trying to score that first goal to get it out of the way.”

The Salvadorans had 13 shot attempts compared to just six for Canada and appeared to be the more skilled team.

El Salvador blew plenty of chances throughout. It nearly scored at the end when Jaime Alas’s cross went just in front of Lester Blanco, who would have a clear shot at the net in added time. 

Canada Coach Tony Fonseca said the play of his goalkeeper, Michael Misiewicz, was how his team was able to pick up a point despite being outplayed.

“For sure, he made two great saves. He kept us in the game,” Fonseca said.

Both El Salvador and Canada also said soggy field conditions were an issue.

“The surface when we trained here (Wednesday) was dry and sticky. Today I thought we came into the warmup and it was still hard on the bottom but it was (slick) on the top,” Fonseca said. “Then they tried to adjust the footwear but it was difficult to do in this situation.”