SAN SALVADOR

Central America has a distinct odor.

The smell of burning fossil fuels, mainly. The humidity wafts it towards your nose.

Those pollutants are washed away by rain storms that form above mountains east of El Salvador's capital city, where Canada's men's soccer team arrived Sunday evening.

To the west of San Salvador lies an active volcano, towering over the city, sandwiching the 45,000-seat Estadio Cuscatlan, the site of Tuesday night's World Cup qualifier.

After arriving via an 10-hour charter flight from Vancouver, the Canadians boarded a bus that navigated a narrow, curvy, four-lane highway before the half-hour drive came to an end at the heavily-barricaded Intercontinental Hotel.

The walls surrounding this city's richest accommodations are higher than Donald Trump's proposed wall along the Mexican border.

LARSON: Canada readies for hostile environment



LARSON: Canada beats Honduras to open qualifying

As a result, the chances of a Panama City repeat — hard-partying fans outside nightly — are slim to none, especially with multiple security guards packing long guns out front.

This is World Cup qualifying in Central America, where Canada's men haven't won since 2004. That Central American scent must also be the smell of defeat to this group of Canadians.

This squad hasn't found a way to win in tough environments for a decade.

As Canadian midfielder Will Johnson — who assisted on Cyle Larin's goal in Canada's 1-0 win over Honduras Friday night — told the Toronto Sun, "some crumble" under the pressure of playing in big time World Cup qualifiers like these.

Other times, the opponent crumbles for you — a common theme in this part of the world, where disagreements can flare among players and federations.

The chaos that comes with playing in places like El Salvador has completely engulfed the hosts.

El Salvador, which fell 3-0 in Mexico Friday night, will once again use a "B Team" Tuesday as its everyday players continue to boycott current playing and training conditions. You know it's nuts when it's so bad the home team's squad complains.

In any event, El Salvador's scrubs, scabs, reserves — whatever you want to call them — arrived back here Sunday to prepare for a match the Salvadoran federation believes it can win regardless of dozen regulars being out of the picture.

"We're playing at home, we must impose the conditions, the pace and the criteria by which we should play that game," Salvadoran assistant Gilberto Yearwood told El Grafico, which added multiple changes are coming to the host's lineup.

Head coach Ramon Maradiaga, meanwhile, in an effort to counter tough questions from local press, said he sent a lackey to Vancouver Friday night to scout the Canadians.

What he likely saw was a Canadian team playing a step above where they were under head coach Benito Floro during July's Gold Cup, when Canada played El Salvador to a goalless draw.

Salvadoran daily La Prensa Grafica on Sunday singled out Atiba Hutchinson as Canada's premier player, calling him the "leader" and the provider of "balance." They're not wrong.

Floro's decision to drop Hutchinson into the space between Canada's midfield and defence has allowed him to become more influential, with Julian de Guzman and Johnson acting as box-to-box midfielders in the Spaniard's favoured 4-1-4-1.

"Three points would be the best way to go about (Tuesday night)," de Guzman said Sunday night. "It's going to be a battle playing in these conditions. Half the team is aware of that.

"The points here are game-changing in the long run … We can't let our victory (over Honduras) go to waste."

Under Floro, though, the emphasis has been more about structure than anything. How to defend collectively. How not to concede. There's no illusion that this Canadian team has an abundance of goals in it.

They produced one clear-cut opportunity against Honduras and scored. Their collective defending will see them through this round before scoring.

And considering Canada's about to face a country in a must-win situation, chances are they'll need to collect another clean sheet if they're to escape El Salvador with maximum points.

The math then becomes simple. On six points through two of six fourth-round games, Canada might need just four more points to secure a place in CONCACAF's final round of qualifying for the first time since 1998.

It's been a while since Canada has smelled that aroma, one of semi-success and victory.

A REPRIEVE FROM THE HEAT

No sane person would play soccer in the midday heat in Central America or the Caribbean.

Unfortunately, CONCACAF isn't a sane confederation — something that makes it all the more baffling that El Salvador isn't taking advantage of that stereotype when it hosts Canada Tuesday night.

During Canada's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, nations like Honduras and Cuba made the Canadians play 3 p.m. weekday games.

The intent was to roast the Canadians into exhaustion.

You know, because walking outside in Havana in June is akin to an eternal steam bath. Everything sticks to you.

But, given the chance to heat the Canucks up a bit, the Salvadoran Football Association decided to host Tuesday's game at 7:30 p.m. local instead, foregoing a would-be advantage of playing in 30-degree heat.

"To play evening games it's easier on us," Julian de Guzman said shortly after the team arrived here Sunday night. "But one thing (head coach) Benito Floro has always said is that, 'As hot as it is for us it's just as hot for them.'

"It comes down to our football and just being clever in these conditions."

Meanwhile, Honduras is hosting Mexico at 3 p.m. local Tuesday afternoon.

Insanity restored.

Email: kurtis.larson@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @KurtLarSUN