Copa Centroamericana Team stays tie and a shocking winner El Salvador

The 2014 Copa Centroamericana kicked off Wednesday, and it is being played for the first time in the United States. Be sure to check up on FutbolMLS.com's Copa Centroamericana homepage for the latest information on the tournament.

Panama 2, Costa Rica 2

FC Dallas forward Blas Pérez got La Roja on the board first, and Panama took a 2-0 lead into the late stages but could not hold off the Ticos. Johan Vanegas and Celso Borges (via the penalty spot) each scored in the final 10 minutes to level the score. Pérez and LA Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo went the distance for Panama, while Portland winger Rodney Wallace played 53 minutes for Costa Rica. Panama now needs a four-goal win over Nicaragua to win Group B and advance to the final.

Guatemala 2, Belize 1

La Bicolor made harder work of it than they should have but held on to beat Belize 2-1. Former MLS striker Carlos Ruiz got the opener for Guatemala, while Sounders winger Marco Pappa went 77 minutes in the victory and Marvin Ávila scored what proved to be the decisive goal. The lone Belize strike came from Deon McCaulay, who was the world-wide top goalscorer in qualification for the 2014 World Cup and has trialed with multiple MLS teams.

Honduras 0, El Salvador 1

Vancouver Whitecaps defender Johnny Leverón and Los Catrachos found themselves on the wrong end of a surprising scoreline, falling 1-0 to El Salvador on a goal from San Antonio Scorpions midfielder Richard Menjivar. Leverón went the distance on the Honduras backline

An Eye Opener view: Residents help impoverished Belizean villages, learn life lessons

Fallon Simmons — pictured during a recent mission with Belizean children — helped 16 North Okaloosa volunteers provide health care to people in seven impoverished villages. “After getting (to) see the poverty these people lived in, all I wanted to do was help them out even more," the registered nurse said.

A recent health care mission in Belize was eye opening for several North Okaloosa residents.  

Seventeen volunteers spent a week in the Central American country providing clinical treatments, supplies and health education to people in seven impoverished villages.

Although several volunteers, including organizer Dr. Joseph Peters, were already aware of the area's health care needs, a number of first-time participants — who arrived Aug. 27 and returned last week — said the experience was memorable. 

“After getting (to) see the poverty these people lived in, all I wanted to do was help them out even more,” Fallon Simmons, a Crestview registered nurse, said in an email.

Volunteers evaluated and administered physicals to adults and children, and physicians prescribed any necessary medications, Simmons said.

“The thing I enjoyed most from this trip was seeing just how appreciative these people were that we came to help them,” she stated. “They all were so kind and polite at all times. They are willing to walk for miles away just to be seen for an hour by some doctors and nurses.”

Sharlene Cox, who said she helped register nearly 650 people for health screenings, noticed the change in culture.