SAN PEDRO SULA – One of the most intriguing storylines heading into the start of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League quarterfinal match-ups is current Herediano Head Coach Hernan Medford taking on former club Real Espana of Honduras.
Medford has had many successes in his career both as a player and at a coach, and Real Espana was one of the places where he reached a zenith.
The 54-year-old former Costa Rica international had three different spells with the Catracho club as Head Coach. The first was over a period of three seasons in the 2013 Apertura, 2014 Clausura and 2014 Apertura. After a time as Honduras National Team Head Coach, Medford once again took the reins of Real Espana for the 2015 Clausura and then once again for the 2019 Apertura.
Medford’s overall record with Real Espana saw him post a mark of 24W-30D-22L, with 123 goals for and 109 against. Most notable, however, was his guiding Real Espana to the Honduran domestic title in his first season with the club in the 2013 Apertura.
It was the 11th domestic title in the history of the club and one that fans won’t soon forget. After opening the season with a 3-0 loss to Real Sociedad, Medford won his first game as Real Espana coach in a 4-1 final over Parrillas One. That served as the spark for an excellent regular season that saw Medford’s side finish in second place in the table, slightly behind Real Sociedad.
After eliminating giants Olimpia in the semifinals, Real Espana took aim at the side that Medford had faced in his debut, Real Sociedad. This time around, though, the spoils belonged to Real Espana. A 3-1 Real Espana win in the first leg was followed by a 2-0 defeat in the second leg, setting the stage for a dramatic penalty shootout, won my Medford’s squad.
By virtue of winning the title, Real Espana qualified for the 2014-15 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, a tournament Medford won as a player and a coach of Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa. While Real Espana were unable to advance from the group stage, they did record a victory against Mexican giants Pachuca with a 3-2 win in San Pedro Sula.
Medford would qualify Real Espana for the Honduran postseason in three of his next four seasons as Head Coach, but his Real Espana legacy remains the great 2013 Apertura title conquest.
Thursday night’s game will also see Medford take on a very familiar opponent on the opposite touchline in Hector Vargas. Nine times these two decorated managers squared off in Honduras’ domestic league, with Vargas holding a slight 5W-1D-3L edge over Medford. In their lone two-legged postseason series with Vargas at the helm of Olimpia and Medford at Real Espana, Vargas’ side emerged victorious in both contests, 1-0 and 5-0.
But this time around Medford will attempt to return the favor, and there is no doubt his return to the Estadio Francisco Morazon on Thursday night for Herediano’s quarterfinal first leg will evoke many great memories and also present a chance to make some new ones.