Quintanilla news
 

According to a report in El Tiempo Latino, Eliseo Quintanilla has been barred from playing for El Salvador until 2006. For those who don't know, El Tiempo Latino (Latin Times) is a weekly Spanish-language newspaper published in the DC area. They publish a roughly bi-weekly insert called DC United Extra that is usually given away at United games.

You can find the full story here - http://www.eltiempolatino.com/deportes.htm

If I understand the story correctly (my Spanish is mediocre) there was some sort of disagreement between Q2 and the Salvadoran federation about his appearance at the U20 tournament in Charleston. He won't be going to that and the federation has apparently punished him by banning from all Salvadoran teams for four years.

It's hard to imagine that a solution isn't found to this before long...especially if El Salvador have a poor showing in Charleston.

What they are saying is that Quintanilla was called up to the U-20 team but did not show. He claims there was miscommunication and the ferderation claims disinterest. Hence the suspension.

Translation:

The Salvadoran Soccer Federation (Fedefut) suspended the attacker Eliseo Quintanilla from all participation in the national teams of this country for at least until the year 2006, alledging that the player was not interested in attending to the call to the U-20 team which will play in the World Cup qualifying for that age group in Charleston, South Carolina.

Quintanilla was called to the U-20 team coached by Ricardo Herrera, but apparently there was poor communication among the parties and "Cheyo" did not travel to the United States with his team. This past Monday the player went to the seat of the soccer fed in San Salvador where the punishment was ratified.

Seems pretty extreme to me.

Maybe Eliseo is looking to defect. ;)

Who wants to bet Eliseo is a last minute callup for the senior side?

Sachin

Well this is horrible news IMHO. Anything that casts an anti-Salvedorian sentiment onto Eliseo would be incredibly destructive to both him and DC United. It sure sounds fishy. I realize that there are still many in the El Salvadorian soccer community that carry resentment over Raul Diaz Arce's trade away from DC United, but I wonder what the real story is here?

It would be unfathomable to even think that Eliseo didn't know the team was playing, and when the camp was. He must know he's one of their star players, and he certainly knows all of the players on the team. If he didn't think he was called up, he shoulda called and found out why.

DC United as an organization and as a coaching staff has always been very very supportive of internationals attending their country's international competitions. I'm sure DC United wanted Eliseo to play in that tournament, because the more exposure, success and competition that he gets at that level will only grow his legend and help United grow it's attendance. With the undeserved backlash that happened to United with the Diaz Arce situation, the last thing they'd want is for him not to play.

I have no idea whether Eliseo himself would want to play or not, but I'd think that he would. After all, by playing well in things like this you solidify your reputation as someone deserving of time on the national team, and that's what every player wants.

Very disturbing. I hope further light is shed on the sequence of events. And, I hope that the issue is resolved amicably and these bans are lifted.

This is a sad thing all around. :(

-Tron

I get the impression that we don't know all that's going on here.

I agree. In the last issue of DC United Extra, there was a lengthy interview with Quintanilla. He talked about this U20 tournament being the foundation for El Salvador's qualification campaign for 2006. If he meant everything he said in that interview, it seems almost impossible to believe that he was a no-show or was not interested in going to the tournament. Very strange.

Maybe he's not under 20!! :eek:

D-tron, I think you're guilty of assuming that many other soccer feds are even half as competent as the USSF (not that they set any incredible standards). Remember--Honduras nearly defaulted from the Olympic trials b/c the day they were to fly out, they team was told they wouldn't be getting any per diem money.

Or other places (even Argentina) where the National Team coach was owed several months in back pay.

Many football feds are incompetent and filled with chronyism (the African feds are some of the worst). They make mistakes or screw players over and then over-react to cover up for their incompetence. The 2006 ban--that sounds like it's purely for public sentiment. B/c football is so big elsewhere (and b/c everyone aspires to be a pro and assumes they have golden worlds), Feds can be extreme like that (not intending to actually inforce it) b/c they're seen as "not coddling the spoiled pros who live a perfect life" and b/c they know anyone who then says "okay--I'll quit the national team forever--the heck with 2006 and BEYOND" will then get roasted by the fans.

We don't know the facts. But my inclination in this case is to assume the Fed is at fault until shown otherwise. Also, I doubt this would play badly with Salvadoran fans here unless Quintanilla deliberately blew off the side.

You're probably correct that I give too much credit to the soccer associations of the world. I just assume that since it is the primary sport and such a money-maker in most countries that they'd be well organized. Perhaps I'm assuming too much.

I hope you're correct in your surmizing of the situation.

From everything I've seen and heard, Eliseo seems like a class individual as well as a very talented soccer player. I sure hope this thing works itself out.

-Tron

Of course if Eliseo is the real deal, and FIFA passes a law allowing players to not be senior cap-tied until they're 21, and Eliseo were to find a nice American girlfriend.....

nevermind.

Hence my defection comment. ;)

Ahh... sex change, Todd?

"Gotta support the team!"

;)

I know you're just goofing around but what makes one think that Quintanilla is a better prospect than any of the following American players who play the same style of play:

Bobby Convey
Santino Quaranta
Kyle Martino
Edson Buddle
Conor Casey
Landon Donovan
DeMarcus Beasley
Devin Barclay


Quintanilla is a nice player as far as MLS standards go, but there is nothing really special about him.. I think he has tremendous vision but he is terribly slow for a person of his size and only scored twice in about 15 matches...

I'd take any of the aforementioned Americans over Q2 any day of the week...

i think he was yanking nuestro chain.

Wonder if Q2, or you could say El Tortuga, could be getting such a harsh punishment due to the destruction of Aguila at RFK? The soccer gods of El Salvador could be embarrassed and pissed.

Interesting article in the Post about the importance of the flow of cash from US to ES from immigrants. Apparently the Salvadoran president is calling local Salvadorans to make sure they get their paperwork up to date so they can keep sending the $2B/year back to ES.

Maybe a little pressure from the local Salvadoran community to get our boy back in the good graces of Salvadoran soccer, and this could disappear.

I would be willing to wager a signicant amount of cash saying Eliseo is not the age he has claimed, and would be overage for the U-20s.

Tim