MIAMI, Florida – Alianza FC of Panama will be faced with a tall task in their Scotiabank Concacaf League debut, as they take on 2020 champions Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the 2022 SCL Round of 16, beginning with Thursday’s first leg at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Alianza qualified for their first Concacaf tournament thanks to winning the 2022 Apertura in Panamanian football.
Alianza will turn to the stars that helped them secure the Apertura, including ageless striker Cesar Medina, who at age 42 could become the oldest goal scorer in the history of the SCL if he were to find the back of the net.
Other players to watch are GK Kevin Melgar and left winger Gabriel Chiari. Melgar kept 11 clean sheets in 20 games during the 2022 Apertura, while Chiari was voted the best player of the 2022 Apertura after scoring two goals in the Final versus fellow SCL Round of 16 side Sporting San Miguelito.
As for Alajuelense, it is a Who’s Who of Central American football when it comes to their squad.
Up top there is all-time SCL top scorer Johan Venegas, who has 14 goals in 12 games. 2020 Golden Ball winner Alexander Lopez figures to serve an important role in midfield again, and then of course there is the dynamic veteran duo of Celso Borges and Bryan Ruiz.
Alajuelense advanced from the Preliminary Round thanks to a 4-1 aggregate win over Aguila of El Salvador in which the likes of 19-year-old Brayan Felix and veteran defender Aubrey David found the back of the net.
History is also on Alajuelense’s side, given that Costa Rican clubs own an impressive 11W-1D-1L mark versus Panamanian opponents in the SCL.
Referee: Julio Luna (GUA)
AR1: Humberto Panjoj (GUA) AR2: Luis Ventura (GUA)
4th Official: Mario Escobar (GUA)
Game Notes, Stats Alianza FC vs LD Alajuelense