Samuel Caballero is recognized as one of the best defenders of Honduran football and Olimpia, where he led the white defense and got that historic pass at the 2001 Club World Cup, which was ultimately not played. .
Prior to the meeting in León on Wednesday against América de México, the former merengue captain took advantage of his presence in Honduras to discuss with TEN what could happen in this duel of the eighth finals of the Concachampions.
Dressed in a shirt and a black hat, the former defender was booked due to the result that Olimpia had at home and how difficult it is to visit the Azteca stadium.
“I was watching the first match and Olimpia played a great game, they lost 2-1, but the result is misleading. A rival like America who came to pose very well here in Tegucigalpa and now we have to face him in Mexico. “
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While having a coffee, Samuel added: “It is not possible not to get a good result from him, but it seems up for Olimpia to reverse a result against America, which plays much better at home and plays a great home tournament. . “.
Despite his time in the United States, Samuel Caballero did not lose his footing on Pedro Troglio’s lion, where he believes that some young footballers stand out.
“I was really able to see the team, it has a good team and it adapts locally, and internationally they still lack this field. The truth is that they are young and it is good that they have that experience and for the future, we can have a good group. planted on the field. Olimpia is planning the future and has interesting players from the U-23 minor teams and this experience will serve them well. Olimpia needs to better amalgamate a team in Mexico, otherwise it can win. “
From the point of view of “Sammy”, the merengue team must leave the pressure behind and think more about making a strategic match to try to hit an Aztecazo.
“He has to play calmly, without pressure. America here came to plant well, easily and Olimpia when he scored the goal, he got up better. I think he should play like in the last minutes that he presses for the rhythm of the Mexican teams and be careful on the defensive side and with fast players. “
After several experiences in the Colossus of Santa Úrsula, Caballero clearly shows that it is not the scene itself that marks the pressure on rivals, but the greatness of the rival.
“It’s the hometown, not the stadium. I think America with great footballers, where there are five Mexican players, the rest are from other countries and have a lot of weight, but in this type of courts at Concachampions, these teams are very focused on faced these Mexican teams and it wasn’t easy. “
From his experiences at the Azteca Stadium: “It was a very good and sad memory. I remember that we had the opportunity to win for the equality of Japan and Korea, we managed a good first half and, unfortunately, with the changes we had. lost.”
He also believes that Olimpia has a good seed of talent: “You see players with a wonderful future, this generation is different and we hope that they can follow the line of those footballers who are left and that they can lead the team to win not only titles. local, but also people expect a lot at these international tournaments. “
ORGANIZE LEGEND GAMES TO HELP PEOPLE
Samuel Caballero’s presence in the country is not accidental, because the former captain of the meringues comes with a social assistance, where he comes to lend a helping hand to certain sectors of the country.
“We will be organizing charity games for people affected by Hurricanes Eta and Ota. We have brought help for children’s shoes from the club where I work in the United States.”
And he adds: “This weekend we will do it in Guaimaca, Talanga and the other week in Choluteca together with my fellow legends who played in 2002 and bring that joy to those people who have suffered.”
After this tour in certain sectors of the country, Samuel Caballero and the legends of Honduras are waiting for an extraordinary tour in the United States.
“We are going to the United States to continue to raise funds and bring help to our country. We have an old school chat that really invites us against other teams of Mexican veterans and right now we will have a series of games with the Guatemalan team. We will play on Friday, May 7 in Atlanta, 8 in Nasville, then next weekend, 14 and 15 in San Francisco, California.