MIAMI, Florida – Atletico Vega Real of the Dominican Republic will make their Scotiabank Concacaf League debut this Thursday when they duel with Guatemalan side Municipal in the first leg of the 2022 SCL Preliminary Round at the Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Atletico Vega Real became just the second team from the Dominican Republic to qualify for the SCL, following in the footsteps of Cibao FC, by finishing third in the 2022 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship last May.
Jarol Herrera and Mauro Gomez were among the players finding the back of the net for the Dominicans in the FCCCC and they will try to do the same against Municipal. Also aiding the cause will be a solid defense that conceded just two goals in three FCCCC games.
Municipal are in the SCL for a second time and their first since the 2020 edition when they were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.
Municipal finished as the non-champion club with the best aggregate record in Guatemalan football in 2021-22 and will look to Guatemalan National Team players FW Luis Martinez, MF Rudy Barrientos and DF Moises Hernandez for leadership in their pursuit of a first SCL series win.
Known as one of the giants of Guatemalan football, Municipal were Concacaf champions in 1974 and have appeared in six different editions of the SCCL. A deep run in the SCL could lead to a seventh SCCL campaign, which would be their first since 2015-16.