MIAMI, Florida – The stage is set for what should be a memorable 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf League Final as long-time Costa Rican rivals Liga Deportiva Alajuelense host Deportivo Saprissa on Wednesday night at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Alajuelense’s path to the Final has been marked by a strong defense that recorded clean sheet victories in the Preliminary Round over Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic (3-0) and Round of 16 against Panama’s San Francisco (1-0).
A 2-1 win against Nicaraguan giants Real Esteli in the quarterfinals was then followed by a 0-0 draw against Honduran heavyweights CD Olimpia, in which Alajuelense emerged with a 5-4 penalty shootout win to punch their ticket to the Final.
It will be Alajuelense’s first Concacaf Final since their famed 2004 Concacaf Champions Cup conquest when they defeated Saprissa 5-1 on aggregate, including a 4-0 victory on home turf in the second leg. Overall, it will be the 10th Concacaf meeting between these two historic rivals.
Alajuelense have plenty of weapons to choose from in veteran FW Bryan Ruiz, who was on that 2004 Concacaf winning side, MF Alex Lopez and rising star FW Jurguens Montenegro.
That attacking trio can expect a sturdy test against a Saprissa side that have only allowed one goal in three matches. The defending SCL champions topped Municipal of Guatemala 4-1 in the Round of 16 before downing Marathon of Honduras 2-0 in the quarterfinals and Arcahaie of Haiti 5-0 in the semifinals.
Many of the players who tasted SCL glory in the 2019 tournament make up this year’s Saprissa squad, including veteran midfielders Michael Barrantes, Mariano Torres and Christian Bolanos.
With five different players finding the scoresheet in the semifinal win over Arcahaie, Saprissa have shown that they can get goals from anywhere on the field.
The rapid-fire transition play of Alajuelense versus Saprissa’s veteran-heavy midfield should make for a Final to remember.
Kick-off is scheduled for 10:00 PM ET and can be seen via TSN.ca/TSN App (Canada), TUDN (USA-Spanish), FS1 (USA-English), ESPN 2 (Central America) and Fox Sports 2 (Mexico).