tickets for tomorrow's crucial soccer clash with El Salvador.

And if enthusiasm counted for goals the Island's national team would already be lifting the trophy.

Five thousand Bermuda supporters clad in blue are being invited to get behind the team and join in the festivities.

Football fans finally woke up to the fact that Bermuda is involved in its biggest ever game during Thursday night's Telethon.

Pledges of more than $60,000 were made towards a target of $322,000 needed to cover expenses for team members.

By yesterday afternoon a total of 1,950 tickets had been sold for the game at the National Stadium in Devonshire.

But the main outlet, Colonial Insurance, on Reid Street, Hamilton, said that there had been an increase in people buying tickets yesterday and they were expecting a last minute flood.

And many fans are so confident of Bermuda's progress that they have already snapped up more than 500 books of tickets for all three games against El Salvador, Jamaica and Canada.

Bermuda Football Association President, Mr. Charlie Marshall has asked people to buy tickets and get to the game early.

Mr. Marshall said yesterday: "I am certain the game is going to be a sell-out. People should buy tickets tomorrow. Once the tickets are gone there will be no room for anyone else.

"People are going to have to turn up early. It is no use turning up a few minutes before three because the kick-off will go ahead as planned.

"We want people to get behind the team, get dressed in blue, join in the wave and make a lot of noise.'' Bermuda has already shown it is keen to back the national team during the terrific Telethon effort.

Members of Parliament joined sports stars and other well known faces to keep the television audience interested while the pledges poured in.

Health and Social Services Minister, the Hon. Quinton Edness took the presenter's chair and proclaimed that Bermuda was already the best team in the world if each country's population was taken into account.

Mr. Edness was referring to a recent Royal Gazette story which showed that Bermuda came out top of the table in the Olympic Games when finishing positions were equated with population.

The BFA president was at Masters Ltd, yesterday, where he met Mr. James A.

Pearman, Chairman of the Board, and Mrs. Susan Wilson, president. The company offered the biggest pledge to Telethon, a massive $5,000.

Mr. Pearman said: "We have always been supportive of Bermudian enterprise.

Soccer is the number one sport in the country and we felt we should make a donation.'' Mrs. Wilson said: "It's not just a donation to the sport, it's a donation to the country. A lot of people have given money and when we are successful in the next round there will have to be a similar money raising effort.'' Accepting the cheque for the team, Mr. Marshall said that he was delighted with the amount raised during the Telethon which had been double what had been expected.

He said that if the team qualified for the finals in the United States it would mean a boost of $1.5 million from soccer's world governing body, FIFA, acting as another carrot to the team. World Cup preview -- see Sports, Page 13 UP FOR THE CUP -- Chairman of the Board of Directors at Masters Ltd., Mr.

James Pearman, hands over a $5,000 cheque to Bermuda Football Association president Mr. Charles Marshall to help the Island's World Cup effort.

RARIN' TO GO -- Bermuda's progress to the 1994 World Cup Finals in the USA is blocked by these gentlemen from El Salvador. The team arrived in Bermuda after a nine hour flight from Central America yesterday. They are assured a friendly welcome until 3 p.m. tomorrow, when they aim to spoil the party.