MIAMI, Florida – Tauro FC of Panama will be aiming for a strong start as they play host to Mexico’s Club Leon in the first leg of the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday evening at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.
The Canalero club qualified after finishing in the top six of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League and will now kick off their seventh SCCL campaign and first since 2018.
It will be the first ever meeting between these two clubs, but there is plenty of familiarity between teams from Panama and Mexico, with Mexican clubs having a 19W-2D-7L edge in the series.
Tauro’s last SCCL series came in the 2018 quarterfinals versus Club America after they had eliminated FC Dallas in the Round of 16. Club legend Edwin Aguilar (7 career SCCL goals) was the hero in that series and now Tauro will hope a new one will emerge against Club Leon.
Certainly one player to keep an eye on is FW Omar Browne, who has played in three prior editions of the SCCL with three different clubs: Sporting San Miguelito (PAN) in 2013-14, Independiente (PAN) in 2019 and AD San Carlos (CRC) in 2020.
Browne has a knack for scoring in the SCCL, with two goals in four games in 2019 and a goal in 2020. He’ll be helped by the likes of Gustavo Chara and Rolando Botello. Chara played in the 2018 tournament with Tauro, while veteran Botello has appeared in 18 international games with the club, including the SCCL in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2018.
Club Leon won their first ever SCCL knockout round series last season against Guastatoya of Guatemala and will be hoping to go another step further in 2023, however they must first navigate this tie with Tauro.
This is Club Leon’s fourth consecutive SCCL and the experience is there to get the job done, namely winger Elias Hernandez who has six career SCCL goals in 15 games, along with GK Rodolfo Cota, an SCCL champion with Pachuca in 2009-10 and Chivas in 2018.
Stats Tauro FC vs Club Leon
