Honduran Final Preview: Olimpia vs Motagua

After last weekend's super Sunday which saw three champions crowned across the region, we have reached the final final of the Concacaf Spring calendar; the 2nd leg of the championship in Honduras between Olimpia and Motagua. The two played out an intense 2-2 draw in the opening leg (at Motagua, though the two share the national stadium), and with no away goals in play, we have essentially what boils down to a one game winner take all showdown.

The champion in this epic Clasico Capitalino wins not only bragging rights for the long summer ahead, but also their 31st (Olimpia) or 17th (Motagua) title, the two highest totals in the country. Both teams are already qualified directly to the Round of 16 of the 2019 Concacaf League, where the goal has to be to raise the trophy and at bare minimum qualify for the 2020 CCL.

So the scene is set, but who are the key players? For Olimpia it's none other than Concacaf veteran Jerry Bengston who has put in one of the best seasons of his lengthy career with 24 goals in the 2018/19 season so far, good enough to lead the league. Team captain Ever Alvarado is a talented center back with a long national team future ahead of him. He also scored in the 2nd minute of the opening leg.

Motagua had an unlikely goalscorer of their own, 24 year old center back Marcelo Pereira. He scored twice in the first leg, but also netted an own goal, so it was a busy day overall. Pereira is also a national team member and may end up forming a partnership with Alvarado for Los Catratchos at some point down the line. The reigning champs will also run out Roberto Moreira (20 goals) and Kevin Lopez (10 goals), a fearsome duo that will in all likelihood give the fans an exciting game.

This game is essentially the closure of the season in the region; all the major championships will be settled and the field for next year's continental competitions will be set. Fans who really can't get enough may look to the Haitian playoffs which conclude next week, but for me it is officially Gold Cup season. Much to come on that as you may expect.

The final kicks off at 6PM Eastern on Centro America TV in the US, though it will also be on Televicentro 5 in Honduras and on their website. Televicentro 5 is sometimes geoblocked and sometimes not, but the first leg was available worldwide and the network's tweets seem to suggest the same for the second leg, so fingers crossed.