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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - Jose Luis Rugamas will continue as manager of the Salvadoran national team through the Gold Cup in June, receiving a six-month contract extension following the fourth-place finish of Los Cuscatlecos at the Copa Centroamericana.

The Salvadoran Football Federation reportedly had been negotiating with Spanish coach Juan Manuel Lillo heading into and during the Central American championship, but it announced Tuesday that Rugamas would remain through the CONCACAF tournament.

"The vote of confidence given to coach Rugamas will allow him to manage the senior national team in the Gold Cup, which classified after finishing fourth in the recent Copa Centroamericana," the federation said in a statement on its Web site.

Rugamas had been installed as an interim manager following the 2009 resignation of Carlos de los Cobos, who departed after El Salvador had been eliminated from World Cup qualifying.

El Salvador defeated Nicaragua and Belize to qualify for the Gold Cup and reach the semifinals of the Copa Centroamerica, where it was beaten by eventual champion Honduras 2-0. It then loss the third-place game to host Panama 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

El Salvador has never finished higher than third place in the Central American championship and Sunday's loss relegated it to a third straight fourth-place finish, which it has done six times.

It heads to the Gold Cup for the seventh time, having not advanced past the first round the past two trips.