According to Carlos Méndez Cabezas, FESFUT president and Comisión Ejecutiva de Selecciones Nacionales (CESEN) coordinator, Lillo would arrive in El Salvador on 10 January to view a better perspective of El Salvador's football. He would be accompanied by Iñigo Dominguez, his assistant, who contributed to Real Sociedad, UD Almería, and UD Almería's women's team. His visit was to meet FESFUT and negotiate his probable appointment as El Salvador national football team coach. Lillo declared, "The most important thing right now is that all of El Salvador is of support to his national team and his coach, José Luis Rugamas, to reach the goal is to qualify for the next Gold Cup. It is the most important thing right now." Lillo would be in Panama the following week to see the performance of the national team in the 2011 Copa Centroamericana. Carlos Méndez Cabezas had also declared that they were in negotiation with Lillo to coach "La Selecta" ("the selected") for the next World Cup qualifying campaign.