Veterans meet novices as Saprissa host Union

MIAMI, Florida – It will be quite the contrast in Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League experience when Costa Rican giants Deportivo Saprissa take on the Philadelphia Union in the first leg of their 2021 SCCL Round of 16 series on Wednesday night at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in San Jose, Costa Rica.

For Saprissa, the 2021 SCCL marks their 10^th appearance in the tournament, which is tops among all teams in Costa Rica and second overall behind Olimpia of Honduras (12 appearances).

The Monstruo Morado already have plenty of Concacaf action under their belts in 2021 after winning their 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf League semifinal versus Arcahaie of Haiti 5-0 before falling to rivals Alajuelense in the SCL Final, 3-2.

Saprissa have a wealth of SCCL experience, including familiar faces in midfield like David Guzman, Marvin Angulo and Michael Barrantes, while the likes of Jimmy Marin, Christian Bolanos and Ariel Rodriguez offer plenty of punch in attack.

As for the Union, they will be making their SCCL debut after qualifying as 2020 MLS Supporters’ Shield champions.

While the Union did lose some key pieces over the winter in MF Brenden Aaronson and DF Mark McKenzie, there is still an abundance of talent with MF Alejandro Bedoya, MF Jamiro Monteiro and FW Kacper Przybylko.

While the affair is the first official meeting between these two sides, Saprissa are very familiar with MLS opponents, against whom they boast a 6W-5D-3L record.