The 2nd leg of the Liga Nacional de Guatemala Final is this Sunday afternoon, and there is still everything to play for. Antigua and Malacateco will be battling it out for both the title and Guatemala's final place in the 2019 Concacaf League.
In the first leg in Malacatan, Los Toros fell 1-0 at home to Antigua courtesy of an Alejandro Galindo goal in the first half. There are no away goals in the final, so Malacateco aren't dead yet, but they will have to win in the deciding game in Antigua on Sunday, which is expected to draw a sizable crowd.
These two sides have very different histories, though they do share the trait of being from smaller towns. The national title has rarely left the confines of Guatemala City throughout its history, but it will do so this weekend. Antigua have risen up in recent years, claiming their first ever title during Apertura 2015, and repeating the feat in Apertura 2016 and 2017 as well. Along with Guastatoya (who had won the previous two titles before this season), Antigua represent the new order in Guatemalan football. Comunicaciones and Municipal have 30 titles each, but neither have been able to match the top new sides in recent years.
Malacateco, on the other hand, are experiencing their greatest ever success just in being here. For the better part of their history they played in the 2nd or 3rd Division, though Los Toros have remained a stable top flight team since 2010. Should they go home with the trophy it would be another sign that Guatemala's duopoly has fallen off and the league is entering a period of newfound parity unlike anything in its history.
Antigua have claimed the one-seed in a close and competitive regular season. They finished 12-5-5, snatching first place on the final jornada. But for a first place finish, they weren't overwhelmingly dominant. They didn't have the best offense, or the best defense, or the best goal differential. They did however, beat Guastatoya, who I consider the actual best team in the league, in the semifinals to get here. And they deserve a lot of respect for that feat. The Mexican (and former Santos Laguna player) Agustin Enrique Herrera poured in a whopping 23 goals this season, the only player to crack the 20+ mark.
Malacateco held down first place for large parts of the early season, but stumbled throughout the second half and dropped all the way to 5th place. They fought their way through the wildcard round and semifinals to get this far, and it feels like that early season form is back despite the first leg defeat. A 10-man Malacateco side won away from home in the semifinal against 2nd placed Coban Imperial to punch their ticket to their first ever league final.
Antigua are the better side and need only a draw at home to seal the title, so of course they are the favorites. But a spirited Malacateco performance in the vain of what they did last week at Coban would certainly be enough to give them a chance.
One of the great things about the Guatemalan league is that the biggest matches of each week are typically broadcast for free on ChapinTV, and Sunday's final should be no exception. Tune in here at 1:30 Eastern on Sunday to catch the action.
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