The 2019 Concacaf League final is set, and Motagua (Honduras) and Saprissa (Costa Rica) will meet over two legs to determine the champion of Concacaf's second tier continental tournament. Both clubs have already qualified to the 2020 Champions League, but the series still has plenty of juice; it is a final after all.
Motagua come in as the higher seed and will travel to San José for the first leg on November 7th, then return home for the second match on the 26th. This is the third edition of the Concacaf League, and the third straight final to feature a Honduran team vs a Costa Rican team. Olimpia (HON) defeated Santos de Guapiles (CRC) in the inaugural tournament, while Herediano (CRC) beat Motagua last year for the crown.
Road to the Finals
MOTAGUA entered during the Round of 16 and have remained unbeaten throughout:
2-1 W at Managua
1-1 D vs Managua
2-0 W at Waterhouse
0-0 D vs Waterhouse
1-1 D at Alianza
3-0 W vs Alianza
As you can see, three huge road results have carried Las Aguilas thus far, and they've mostly treaded water at home. Worth noting however, their previous two home matches were played out of town behind closed doors due to the violence at a domestic match two months ago, but the final will be at home in front of a full crowd.
SAPRISSA have had a more conventional run. They had to enter in the preliminary round and played one extra series as a result:
3-1 W at Belmopan Bandits
3-1 W vs Belmopan Bandits
2-0 W vs Aguilá
1-0 L at Aguilá
3-2 W vs CAI
1-0 W at CAI
2-0 L at Olimpia
4-1 W vs Olimpia
Four big wins at home, as you would expect from a team that plays in one of the most feared fortresses in the Americas. They also beat Mexican champion Tigres in the Monster's Cave back in February during the CCL.
Key Players
Saprissa possess the two top scorers in the competition; Johan Venegas with 6 and the youngster Manfred Ugalde with 4. Very different players, but both are a joy to watch. Ugalde is just 17 years old and has a very long future ahead of him for La Sele, while Venegas has matured into a clinical goalscorer that Saprissa can rely on after his stint in MLS.
Midfielder Marvin Angulo has been putting in work in Concacaf play for some time now, and it showed once again when the veteran had two massive goals (and good ones, at that) in the epic comeback against Olimpia in the semifinal.
Motagua have spread the wealth much more in this tournament; defender Juan Montes leads the team with 2. Six other players have contributed once, and they scored once via an own goal. Even in their domestic league, it's true that they lack a player who scores at the rate of Venegas, but Roberto Moreira is still a capable striker to say the least.
In the midfield Erick Andino is not all that different from Angulo. He's been bossing the midfield for a long time, scores a decent amount of goals, and brings a veteran presence that pays dividends in big games.
History
As two giants of Central America, this isn't the first time these two have met in a competitive series. The most notable clash was the 2007 UNCAF Interclub Cup final, where Motagua emerged victorious 2-1 on aggregate after Jocimar Nascimento's dramatic home winner.
But aside from the famous defeat, El Monstruo Morado has had the upper hand. Saprissa defeated Las Aguilas 2-1 in the group stage of the 2001 edition of the same tournament, and 2-0 in the 1999 group stage. The two sides also drew in the 1997 and 1998 group stages.
In Concacaf play, the two sides haven't met since 1995, when Saprissa won a two legged series 4-0 in the first round of the Concacaf Champions' Cup. Saprissa also won 5-0 on aggregate way back in the first round of the 1971 Champion's Cup, and 5-1 in 1969.
No comments:
Post a Comment