There is a certain amount of homogeneity in Concacaf club football. Apertura/Clausura formats have become the norm, stretching beyond the Spanish speaking sub-region to places like Haiti and Canada. Playoffs are everywhere. Across Mexico and Central America, we typically see two-legged playoff series settling the final, but El Salvador remains the exception. Rather than a two-legged home and home final, the tiny nation opts for a one off national championship game. Unlike their regional neighbors at Major League Soccer, this final is not hosted by either team but is instead played at the massive Estadio Cuscatlan every season.
It's *the* big sporting event in El Salvador. For a league with dwindling attendance numbers, the final remains a must see event across the country. Not only does a win in the big game mean a national title for your club, but it also means an automatic berth in continental competition, and if you've watched any CCL over the last decade you'd know how important that is to Salvadoran fans.
The most recent Apertura final, played in front of 50,000 fans, produced a classic match. Alianza trailed Santa Tecla 1-0 for the majority of the game. They equalized late, but then were struck down by an 89th minute Santa Tecla goal to send the stadium into chaos and Santa Tecla into the history books. Alianza are back for another shot at glory, but revenge is not an option; it is Aguila, not Santa Tecla, who stand in their way this time.
These two were the top two finishers in the regular season and this is the final everyone wanted to see. Alianza, seeking their 13th championship, had a dominant regular season and quarterfinal but were played tough by a stingy Limeño side in the semis, advancing only on away goals. Aguila, the 15-time champions who are in a title drought, having not won since Apertura 2012, come in a bit hotter after back to back 2-0 victories over Isidro Metapan in their semifinal encounter. Both teams have already qualified to the 2019 Concacaf League, though the winner of this clash will go to the Round of 16 rather than the new preliminary round.
Alianza are the favorites for a good reason. These two sides had the two best defensive records in the league, but Alianza scored a staggering 49 goals (in 22 games) compared to Aguila's 27. That's in large part thanks to Colombian Bladimir Diaz, who has bounced around El Salvador for several seasons now for different clubs. His league leading 16 goals (and two hat-tricks) make him by far the most dangerous man in the Primera Division. Alianza also boast Oscar Ceren, brother of FC Dallas' Darwin Ceren. Oscar has linked up with Diaz numerous times this season and the duo are the ones to watch for Alianza.
On the other side, Aguila boast Ricardo Guevara who led the team with 7 goals, and goalkeeper Benji Villalobos has been in the mix for La Selecta's starting job for almost a decade, though he is not on the Gold Cup roster. A match-fixing scandal a few years back put a dent in his international career, but Villalobos' quality is still there. Aguila have three players named in El Salvador's 40-man preliminary roster, compared to nine for Alianza.
There is a lot of soccer on Sunday. The 2nd leg of the Liga MX final (Vamos Tigres 🐯) is at night, while the 2nd leg of the Guatemalan final is on in the afternoon. The Salvadoran "Final Soñada," as this edition has been dubbed, falls comfortably between the two, with scheduled kickoff at 3PM Local Time (5PM Eastern).
It's a unique specimen. A cup final atmosphere but with the weight and impact of a league title decider. If you can, make some time for it and enjoy El Salvador's biggest match.
For streaming information, check out my twitter (@tim_sokol) as kickoff approaches and I'll hopefully have some options tracked down.
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