MONTERREY, Mexico – It has already been a very memorable 2021 for Sebastian Cordova and it could become even better for the Club America FW by the time Thursday night comes to a close.
Cordova and Las Aguilas will take on Liga MX rivals Monterrey in the Final of the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, nearly three months to the day that Cordova helped Mexico win a Bronze Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and seven months after the 24-year-old pocketed Golden Boot honors in helping Mexico win the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.
Needless to say, the chance for Cordova to add a SCCL crown to his hardware haul before the end of year is a tantalizing thought.
“It means a lot to play this Final, it is one of the clear objectives that the team had and now that we’ve done that, the idea is to win the championship,” said Cordova in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“For me personally, any tournament I play my goal is to go for the title, so now this Final presents itself and I’m 100 percent motivated,” added Cordova.
A win in Thursday’s Final would also extend Club America’s dominance at the top of the all-time Concacaf club titles list to eight, two more than second-place Cruz Azul (6).
Cordova was a ballboy the last time Club America conquered the Concacaf region in 2015-16 when they defeated Tigres in the Final, and now five years later he finds himself with a chance to be part of a celebration as a player.
“I think it is something that I’ve always sought. The last title I experienced it as a ballboy, so to now play the final is a very wonderful moment for me,” said Cordova, who has nine career SCCL appearances and one goal.
It won’t be an easy task for Las Aguilas, who take on a Monterrey side that have never lost an SCCL Final in four previous appearances, including just two years ago in the 2019 season.
Cordova knows that Club America’s finest effort will be required to topple Rayados, especially playing in the new format of a single game Final in which Monterrey will host.
“It seems like there is a bit of a disadvantage because we are playing away, but when one wants to be a champion, you try to win it wherever and against whomever. It’ll be a tough game, just like all the matches are against Monterrey. They are great players and they also want the title. It will be a very good game,” concluded Cordova.
