MIAMI, Florida – Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS) will renew acquaintances on Tuesday night at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica, in the first leg of Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
These two teams met three years ago in the 2021 Champions Cup Round of 16, with Philadelphia winning both legs, a 1-0 final in Costa Rica in the first leg, followed by a 4-0 triumph at home.
With the backing of their venerable home crowd, Saprissa will be targeting a much better start this time around. The Ticos qualified for their 37th Champions Cup thanks to winning one of the two 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup Play-In matches.
The three-time Concacaf champions, like always, have some very good attacking pieces, among them Javon East, Ariel Rodriguez and Orlando Sinclair. Each player scored four goals during the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup.
The Philadelphia Union claimed their 2024 Champions Cup spot by finishing third in the 2023 Leagues Cup, defeating five-time Concacaf champions Monterrey to do it.
Philadelphia, Saprissa familiar foes in Champions Cup
Philadelphia Union are no strangers to bagging goals, either. FW Julian Carranza and attacking MF Daniel Gazdag enjoyed exceptional seasons in 2023 in MLS with 14 goals each, while Gazdag also chipped in with 11 assists.
That duo also led the Union to the semifinals of the 2023 Champions Cup, with Gazdag scoring three goals and Carranza notching a pair of scores.
In two Champions Cup appearances, Philadelphia have reached the semifinals in each instance and will be targeting a strong first leg in Costa Rica to start another deep run.
Match Officials Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) vs Philadelphia Union (USA)
REF: VICTOR CACERES (Mexico)
AR1: JORGE SANCHEZ (Mexico)
AR2: ENRIQUE BUSTOS (Mexico)
4TH: MARCO ORTIZ (Mexico)
VAR: ERICK MIRANDA (Mexico)
VAR1: OSCAR MEJIA (Mexico)
