SCL glory awaits as Motagua, Comunicaciones kick off Final

MIAMI, Florida – After months of dramatic finishes, great goals and end-to-end action, the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League reaches its conclusion with Honduran side Motagua taking on Guatemalan giants Comunicaciones in the first leg of the Final on Wednesday night at the Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Wednesday’s contest will mark the 15^th all-time meeting between the two sides, with the Catrachos holding a 4W-9D-1L advantage in the series.

There will also be plenty of familiarity between these two groups of players, as Motagua and Comunicaciones met in last season’s SCL, producing one of the most memorable moments in Concacaf club history.

A 2-2 draw after 90 minutes in their Preliminary Round encounter gave way to a historic penalty shootout that lasted 18 rounds and saw Motagua win 15-14. It was not only the longest penalty shootout in the history of Concacaf club competition, but the longest penalty shootout of any international professional club competition among the world’s six Confederations.

Comunicaciones, who are the first Guatemalan club in an SCL Final, will be keen for revenge and they have the pieces to get a good result away from home.

Attacker Andres Lezcano leads the 2021 SCL in scoring with five goals, while Oscar Santis is the only player in this season’s edition that has a hat trick. The Cremas are solid in the back as well with GK Kevin Moscoso, who leads the 2021 SCL in saves (28) and has three clean sheets thus far.

Motivation will not be a problem for Motagua. After failing to take the title in 2018 and 2019 when they reached the Final, Motagua will hope the third time is a charm.

Wednesday’s hosts have been very impressive in the later rounds, with three clean sheets and six goals scored in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

A veteran-laden squad led with ample SCL Final experience, Motagua will be boosted by the presence of Kevin Lopez, Omar Elvir and Matias Galvaliz.

Lopez is the club’s all-time leader in goals and games played in the SCL with eight and 26, respectively. Elvir leads the side in assists in the current edition with two, while Galvaliz is the co-leader in all-time SCL assists with six.

Game Notes FC Motagua vs Comunicaciones FC 

SCL History 2017 2021