MIAMI, Florida – Platense of El Salvador will be out to makes waves in their first ever Scotiabank Concacaf League appearance when they take on Belize’s Verdes FC in the first leg of the 2022 SCL Preliminary Round on Wednesday night at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize.
Platense reached their first ever Concacaf tournament thanks to having the best aggregate record among non-champions in El Salvador’s first division in 2021-22.
The club did win the 1975 UNCAF Club Championship, known then as the Copa Fraternidad, but then spent 41 years outside of El Salvador’s Primera Division until June 2021 when they earned promotion to the top flight.
While the club has never been in the SCL, several members of the squad have Concacaf experience, namely FW Irvin Herrera, who appeared in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League with Santa Tecla and Alianza, plus the SCL in 2018 as a member of FAS.
Platense will take on a Verdes side that qualified for a third straight SCL after being the champion with the best aggregate record in Belize.
Last season’s SCL campaign ended with a 6-1 aggregate defeat to Santos de Guapiles of Costa Rica, but it did see the club score their first SCL goal in a 5-1 second leg defeat in the Preliminary Round.
Verdes also have participated in two editions of the SCCL, in 2008-09 and a memorable campaign in 2015-16 when earned a 0-0 draw with Mexican club Queretaro and defeated San Francisco FC of Panama 2-1.
Mexican FW Camilo Fajardo was the goal-scorer for Verdes in that game against Santos and he will be back in the fold with a pair of countrymen, Edwin Villeda and Christian Ramirez, try to earn Verdes their first SCL series win.