GUAPILES, Costa Rica - Few are the teams in CONCACAF that can win a series in their first CONCACAF tournament.
But Santos de Guapiles aren't your ordinary team.
The Costa Rican side produced one of the most memorable runs in CONCACAF club history by reaching the final of the inaugural Scotiabank CONCACAF League last year.
Now, another year gives way to another chance to star on the regional stage.
By virtue of having the second-best aggregate record among non-champions during the 2017/18 Costa Rican season, Santos de Guapiles have reached their second successive SCL.
In 2017, under the guidance of Johnny Chaves, Santos de Guapiles reached the final by toppling Trinidad and Tobago side San Juan Jabloteh 8-3 in the Round of 16, Panama's Chorrillo 2-0 in the quarterfinals, Panama's Arabe Unido 1-0 in the semifinals.
Only a heartbreaking 4-1 defeat in penalties in the final to Olimpia of Honduras after the two teams had played to a 1-1 tie over two legs prevented Santos de Guapiles from qualifying for the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
However, with Chaves still at the helm and a defense that conceded just 16 goals in 22 regular season matches during the 2018 Clausura, there is no reason why this Santos team cannot duplicate or better last season's feat.