Concacaf heavyweights Olimpia, Club America set to do battle

MIAMI, Florida – A pair of Concacaf heavyweights will do battle on Wednesday night as Honduran giants Olimpia take on Mexico’s Club America in the first leg of the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 at the Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Seven-time Concacaf champions Club America will make their sixth appearance in the SCCL and their third in the last four years.

In 2018 and 2020 Las Aguilas fell just shy of reaching the Final, losing in the semifinals, but a new opportunity awaits in 2021 under new Head Coach Santiago Solari.

The Mexico City club have been hugely impressive in the Liga MX season thus far, with a 10W-1D-2L record and are receiving goal-scoring contributions from a wide-range of players, including veteran MF Giovani dos Santos, MF Richard Sanchez, FW Henry Martin and 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying top scorer Sebastian Cordova.

Club America can also take heart in their SCCL record against Central American opposition, with an overall mark of 12W-5D-3L, with 42 goals scored and just 13 conceded.

Olimpia are fresh off of their best ever finish in the SCCL when they reached the semifinals of the 2020 edition before losing to eventual champions Tigres.

Under Head Coach Pedro Troglio, Olimpia knocked off a pair of MLS sides in the 2020 tournament in the Seattle Sounders and Montreal Impact, and now will be looking for a similar achievement against Concacaf’s most decorated club.

The Hondurans are making their 12^th appearance in the SCCL, the most all-time of any club in Concacaf, and will be relying on the midfield presence of Edwin Rodriguez, who not only was named to the 2020 SCCL Best XI but also earned that same distinction with Honduras in the recently completed 2020 CMOQ.

With an all-time record of 2W-2D-5L against Liga MX opposition, Olimpia will provide a very stiff challenge for Club America.

Match Officials