INDIANAPOLIS – The opportunity to represent El Salvador has always been a blessing for FC Tulsa’s Joaquin Rivas.

For someone who was 26 years old and had played four full seasons in the professional ranks before making his international debut in 2018, that could have been enough.

As this week’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying games arrive, though, Rivas is one of the players in the middle of one of the most notable stories currently in Concacaf, with El Salvador now in the early stages of its goal to become a serious challenger in the region.

“It's an unbelievable experience,” said Rivas this week. “I never would have thought that my life or my career would have been like that. Honestly, I’m very blessed for it. It’s great for my family as well, it means a lot to all of us, and it’s just an unbelievable experience in my career that I’m going through right now and hopefully it improves from here. I want to be in every camp possible and be a part of it. It’s unbelievable.”

Since his debut in 2018 against Bermuda, Rivas has experienced the ups and downs international play can bring. He was one of the starters when El Salvador last faced the United States on American soil in December 2020 in South Florida.

The outcome was not a pretty one.

The visitors were outshot 22-3 and conceded five rapid-fire goals in the first half on the way to a 6-0 defeat at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

And yet, nine months later, in the opening game of the final stage of FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying on their home turf at Estadio Cuscatlán, it was a different story. The hosts held the edge in possession, battled tooth and nail with their visitors, and emerged with a creditable 0-0 draw against their favored, star-studded rivals.

For Rivas – who started both meetings between the sides – the difference between the two performances, and where El Salvador is now competitively, is notable.

That form carried into the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup in July, where El Salvador won its opening two group games before being edged out by Mexico in its final group game and Qatar in the Quarterfinals. Rivas scored twice in the side’s 3-2 loss to Qatar, having a potential equalizer and hat trick ruled out for offside. Since then, he has started in every game of the final stage of World Cup Qualifying for the side as well. The change in mentality – aiming to play the game on their terms instead of sitting deep and hoping for a counterattack – has been transformative for the side.

“From the first camp that I got called up to with Hugo, I already felt the impact of what he was trying to do,” said Rivas. “He told us himself, and he changed everything from start to finish. What we eat, how we train, how we play, how he wants us to aim [high]. Mentality is a huge thing in this game and that’s what he’s trying to do.”

Rivas and his teammates will face the United States again on Thursday night at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio (7 p.m. ET | ESPN2) to kick off the next three-game set of World Cup Qualifying. Alongside him are set to be another three current USL Championship players in new FC Tulsa teammate Ronaldo Rodriguez, plus El Paso Locomotive FC’s Eric Calvillo – a Championship title-winner a season ago with Orange County SC – and Monterey Bay F.C.’s Walmer Martinez.

Calvillo and Martinez – and other players born and based in the United States like Seattle Sounders FC’s Alex Roldan – are part of a new contingent of players that have joined the side since Perez’s appointment. In an effort to broaden the country’s potential player pool, the federation has sought out dual-national players in the U.S. and elsewhere from Salvadoran heritage to compete for the side. Others that have earned call ups in the past year include New Mexico United’s Amando Moreno – currently sidelined with injury – and younger players like Miami FC’s Cristian Sorto and North Carolina FC’s Nelson Blanco and Nelson Rodriguez, each of whom have received calls into camp in the past few months.

As one of the side’s veterans, Rivas is now helping those players find their way at the national team level and helping them understand the heightened expectations that representing El Salvador brings. At the same time, he’s also enthused by the qualities that have made El Salvador a more balanced and competitive team.

“With the style that Hugo is trying to play, the players coming from America have learned and picked it up quickly,” said Rivas. “It’s a good mixture with the players from El Salvador as well, because El Salvador is known for being very technical, and the American players bring more of the athleticism and speed, and it’s a good mixture overall. It’s very important that these guys keep getting called up with what Hugo is trying to do here, it’s on the right path.”

Rivas also believes the fact players from the USL Championship are getting the opportunity to compete for countries like El Salvador is a sign of how competitive the league itself is becoming. In addition to the four players called up by La Selecta for this round of qualifying, another three players from the Championship are in Jamaica’s squad. With player movement pipelines starting to open further for players to move to bigger leagues, Rivas is quick to remind younger teammates of what good performances now could mean in the future.

“If you have a good game against Mexico or the U.S., you never know who’s watching,” said Rivas. “That one game could be the chance at a higher division or another team. I tell them to always give their all because this is an experience every single player wants to be part of.”

Realistically, El Salvador isn’t likely to reach the World Cup at the end of this year in Qatar. Rivas is quick to point out they can’t afford to drop points in the upcoming window, or else it could spell elimination before the final round of games in March. While that’s the case, the progress La Selecta has made in the past eight months under Perez will bring into focus the potential for the next cycle and the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held on these shores.

With the expectation the Concacaf region will have six berths in the 48-team field – three allocated to hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada, and three available through qualifying – the prospect is there for El Salvador to reach its first World Cup since 1982. By that summer, Rivas will be 34 years old, but he’s ready to give it all to be there with his fellow countrymen.

“I’m almost 30, but I feel great, I feel amazing, I want to play as long as I can,” said Rivas. “Being able to get that opportunity on what would probably be the last chance of making a World Cup, it would be very special to me and my family, and with it being in North America, it would be even more of a dream come true, if that’s possible.”

As El Salvador goes toe-to-toe with the region’s best in the coming months, Rivas is eager to lead the way.

“We still have a lot to improve,” he said, “but from what we’ve done so far, it’s showing we’re on a positive route, and I’m very excited to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what’s up next.”