Saprissa's Daniel Colindres (white jersey) in Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League action against Sporting Kansas City on September 18, 2014. (Photo: Mike Gunnoe/SKC)
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Just call it a clash of the CONCACAF titans.
That's what Wednesday’s Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) quarterfinal, first leg match between Costa Rican champion Saprissa and Mexican champion Club America is shaping up to be, especially when you consider both team's past history and present results.
At one end of the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa pitch will stand Club America, which has worn the continental club crown five times.
At the other end will be Saprissa, the most successful non-Mexican club with three confederation championships.
Saprissa plays in the La Cueva del Monstruo (the Monster’s Cave), a venue that has provided a great home-field advantage and where it is 3-0-0 in the current Verano season. The Monstruo Morado (6-0-2) tops the table with 18 points, one more than fellow SCCL quarterfinalist and rival Alajuelense (5-2-3).
In a meeting between the sides this past weekend, Saprissa earned a 2-0 victory thanks to goals on either side of halftime by Jordan Smith and Daniel Colindres.
Forward Ariel Rodriguez is tied with America's Martin Zuñiga and Ariel Nahuelpan of Pachuca for the SCCL’s scoring leadership on five goals each.
Club America (4-2-1, 14 points) sits second in the 2015 Liga MX Clausura, trailing Club Tijuana by two points. Unbeaten in their five games (3-2-0), the Aguilas are coming off a 1-0 victory at Pumas on a second-half goal by striker Dario Benedetto.
Forward Oribe Peralta was the 2013 CONCACAF Player of the Year and has 15 career SCCL goals, good for fourth on the all-time list.
It doesn't get much bigger than this in CONCACAF.
The second leg is scheduled for Mexico City on March 4.
