CONCACAF League Game Notes: Platense v Alianza

PLATENSE FC

• Qualification Method: 2016 Apertura runner-up, runner-up with second best aggregate record
• Previous Scotiabank CONCACAF League appearances (SCL): 1st SCL appearance
• CONCACAF club titles: 0
• Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) appearances: 0 ... competed in a pair of CONCACAF Champions Cups (1975, 1998) and one CONCACAF Cup Winners’ Cup (1997)
• Honduran league titles: 2 (1965/66, 2001 Clausura)
• In order to qualify for 2017 SCL, finished second in the 2016 Honduran Apertura (9W-5D-4L; 37GF, 26GA) ... (SEMIFINALS v Real España) 1st Leg: 1-1 away draw, 2nd Leg: 1-1 home draw (agg: 2-2 / advanced by virtue of better regular-season record ... (FINAL v Motagua) 1st Leg: 0-1 away loss, 2nd Leg: 1-1 home draw (agg: 1-2)
• 2017 Honduran Clausura (7th place): 5W-5D-8L (14GF, 24GA) ... didn’t qualify for playoffs
• Opens 2017 Honduran Apertura campaign with a visit to Real España on August 5
• Erick Norales, Defender (32): with Marathon, played in three SCCL editions ... scored two goals in 2008/09 SCCL (1 in a 2-0 home win v D.C. United; 1 in a 1-1 away draw v Cruz Azul) ... competed in one CONCACAF Gold Cup for Honduras (2009: 5 games/0 goals)
• Joshua Nieto, Midfielder (22): scored two goals for Honduras in 2-0 win over Guatemala in Central American qualifying for 2014 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
• Brunet Hay, Forward (32): the Panamanian has appeared in two SCCL editions (2008/09: Tauro; 2014/15: Herediano) ... scored five goals in three games during the 2008/09 SCCL with Tauro (2 in 2-1 home win v Municipal; 1 in 2-0 home win v Santos; 2 in 2-2 home draw v Puerto Islanders) 

ALIANZA FC

• Qualification Method: 2016 Apertura runner-up, non-champion with best aggregate record in 2016/17 season
• Previous Scotiabank CONCACAF League appearances (SCL): 1st SCL appearance
• CONCACAF Club Titles: 1 (1967) ... prevailed over Netherlands Antilles’ Jong Colombia in CONCACAF Champions Cup final (1st leg: 1-2 loss, 2nd leg: 3-0 win, Playoff: 5-3 win) ... first of three teams from El Salvador to win CONCACAF club crown (1976: Aguila, 1978: FAS)
• Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) appearances: 2 (2011/12, 2016/17)
• Best SCCL Finish: Group Stage-1 (2016/17)
• All-Time SCCL Record: W-1; D-2; L-3; GF-5; GA-6
• Went winless in first five SCCL games, before earning 3-1 away win v Guatemala’s Antigua GFC on October 18, 2016 (Oscar Guerrero 42’, 51’, 61’) ... conceded one goal in each of six all-time SCCL games
• Salvadoran league titles: 10 (1965/66, 1966/67, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1993/94, 1996/97, 2001 Apertura, 2004 Clausura, 2011 Clausura, 2015 Apertura) ... also won 1998 Copa Pilsener (Apertura) crown
• 2017 Salvadoran Apertura (2nd Place): W-1; D-0; L-0; GF-1; GA-0 ... Last match: (July 30, 2017) 1-0 home win v Dragon (Herbert Sosa 31’ pen)
• Eight players on El Salvador’s roster for 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Oscar Arroyo (goalkeeper); Alexander Larin, Ivan Mancia, Ruben Marroquin, Henry Romero (defenders); Oscar Ceren, Narciso Orellana (midfielders) and Rodolfo Zelaya (forward)
• Rodolfo Zelaya, Forward: El Salvador’s all-time leading CONCACAF Gold Cup scorer (9 goals) ... only Salvadoran to score in three different CONCACAF Gold Cup editions (2011: 4; 2013: 4, 2017: 1)
• Alexander Larin, Defender: scored two goals for El Salvador in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (1 in 1-0 win at Curacao on September 4, 4015; 1 via penalty spot in 1-3 home loss v Mexico on September 2, 2016) ... scored Alianza’s first-ever SCCL goal in 54th minute of 1-1 home draw v New York Red Bulls on August 16, 2016