• The semifinal with Alajuelense will be Olimpia’s seventh match against a Costa Rican opponent in the SCL. 
  • The Catracho club owns a 4W-0D-2L record in the previous six,
  • The two clubs have a storied rivalry in Concacaf dating back to 1962.

MIAMI, Florida – The Scotiabank Concacaf League has become familiar territory for CD Olimpia of Honduras.

The club is participating in its third SCL in the 2020 edition and has reached the semifinal stage for the third time, where they will face Alajuelense of Costa Rica. 

The inaugural SCL champions in 2017 defeated Santos de Guapiles of Costa Rica in a penalty shootout in the Final, before two years later falling narrowly to Costa Rican giants Deportivo Saprissa in the 2019 semifinals.

With their ticket punched to the semifinals of the 2020 SCL, it is perhaps no surprise that Olimpia will once again be paired with a Costa Rican opponent.

It is almost like Olimpia is coming full circle, since Alajuelense was their very first opponent in the 2017 tournament when the Albos collected a 3-0 victory on aggregate in the Round of 16 thanks to goals from Carlos Costly, Kevin Alvarez and Roger Rojas.

The semifinal with Alajuelense will be Olimpia’s seventh match against a Costa Rican opponent in the SCL. The Catracho club owns a 4W-0D-2L record in the previous six, with seven goals scored and five conceded.

There is also plenty of history between Honduran and Costa Rican clubs in the SCL and the Olimpia-Alajuelense match-up will be the 12th meeting between teams from the two countries.

Further evidence of the parity between the two leagues is the fact that each country has five victories, while there has been one draw. Honduran teams have a slight edge in goals, with 11 compared to nine for Costa Rican sides.

While it will be the third match between Olimpia and Alajuelense in SCL history, the two clubs have a storied rivalry in Concacaf dating back to 1962.

In that span, Olimpia have battled with Alajuelense 19 times, with six victories for Olimpia, five for Alajuelense and eight draws. Olimpia have scored 16 goals, while Alajuelense have 10.

If history is any indication, the margins will once again be razor-thin when Olimpia and Alajuelense meet in the 2020 SCL semifinals on January 20.