
Orange County SC midfielder Eric Calvillo has been included in the official squad list of El Salvador’s Men’s Senior National Team for their friendly match against Guatemala on Friday, September 24 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C..
“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity of getting called up to my national team,” Calvillo said. “I can’t wait to go and [not only] represent my family but also the club. It’s a privilege and I hope to take advantage of this opportunity to be able to continue getting called up especially for the next qualifier games.”
Calvillo, 23, has played a central and important role in OCSC’s midfield since coming to the squad on loan from MLS side San Jose Earthquakes in June. In 18 games, Calvillo has scored one goal and dished out three assists, though most of his impact on the game comes in the build-up of an attack and on the defensive side of the ball. Calvillo leads the team with an impressive 89.8% pass accuracy after completing 1,021 total passes. He has made 21 interceptions on defense as well as winning 16 of his 25 total tackles.
"Eric has been excellent since stepping through the door,” OCSC interim head coach Richard Chaplow said. “He brings quality on the ball and energy off it and it’s no surprise that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his national team staff, he deserves this opportunity."
If he appears in Friday’s match, Calvillo will earn his first cap with the senior team. Pèrez had named Calvillo to the preliminary roster for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but was not selected for their final roster. Pèrez, who was El Salvador’s U-23 squad’s head coach prior to the Gold Cup, is already familiar with Calvillo. The Palmdale native made three appearances for El Salvador in the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico this past March shortly after committing to play for La Selecta due to his Salvadoran descent.
Prior to representing El Salvador in international competition, Calvillo was a part of the U.S. Men’s National Team youth setup. Calvillo represented the U.S. at the U15, U17 and U19 levels. For the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he was named to the final roster and made three appearances alongside current U.S. National Team players Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic. Calvillo wore the captain's armband for the U.S. during the 2016 U19 Copa del Atlantico under head coach Brad Friedel.
La Selecta are currently ranked 63rd in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings from September 16. They are also part of CONCACAF’s third and final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, nicknamed the Octagonal, where the top three automatically qualify to the final tournament to be held in Qatar and the fourth-place team advanced to an inter-confederation playoff. After the first three matches, they are sitting in seventh place after playing to a draw against the U.S. Men’s National Team during Matchday 1 at the Estadio Custaclan in San Salvador.
This is the second time an OCSC player has had to temporarily leave the squad to play for their national team this season. Forward and leading scorer Ronaldo Damus was a part of Haiti’s squad in their run through the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification tournament and main tournament in July.
Orange County SC midfielder Eric Calvillo has been included in the official squad list of El Salvador’s Men’s Senior National Team for their friendly match against Guatemala on Friday, September 24 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C..
“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity of getting called up to my national team,” Calvillo said. “I can’t wait to go and [not only] represent my family but also the club. It’s a privilege and I hope to take advantage of this opportunity to be able to continue getting called up especially for the next qualifier games.”
Calvillo, 23, has played a central and important role in OCSC’s midfield since coming to the squad on loan from MLS side San Jose Earthquakes in June. In 18 games, Calvillo has scored one goal and dished out three assists, though most of his impact on the game comes in the build-up of an attack and on the defensive side of the ball. Calvillo leads the team with an impressive 89.8% pass accuracy after completing 1,021 total passes. He has made 21 interceptions on defense as well as winning 16 of his 25 total tackles.
“Eric has been excellent since stepping through the door,” OCSC interim head coach Richard Chaplow said. “He brings quality on the ball and energy off it and it’s no surprise that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his national team staff, he deserves this opportunity.”
If he appears in Friday’s match, Calvillo will earn his first cap with the senior team. Pèrez had named Calvillo to the preliminary roster for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but was not selected for their final roster. Pèrez, who was El Salvador’s U-23 squad’s head coach prior to the Gold Cup, is already familiar with Calvillo. The Palmdale native made three appearances for El Salvador in the 2020 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico this past March shortly after committing to play for La Selecta due to his Salvadoran descent.
Prior to representing El Salvador in international competition, Calvillo was a part of the U.S. Men’s National Team youth setup. Calvillo represented the U.S. at the U15, U17 and U19 levels. For the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he was named to the final roster and made three appearances alongside current U.S. National Team players Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic. Calvillo wore the captain’s armband for the U.S. during the 2016 U19 Copa del Atlantico under head coach Brad Friedel.
La Selecta are currently ranked 63rd in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings from September 16. They are also part of CONCACAF’s third and final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, nicknamed the Octagonal, where the top three automatically qualify to the final tournament to be held in Qatar and the fourth-place team advanced to an inter-confederation playoff. After the first three matches, they are sitting in seventh place after playing to a draw against the U.S. Men’s National Team during Matchday 1 at the Estadio Custaclan in San Salvador.
This is the second time an OCSC player has had to temporarily leave the squad to play for their national team this season. Forward and leading scorer Ronaldo Damus was a part of Haiti’s squad in their run through the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification tournament and main tournament in July.