July 28, 2022
The Concacaf League is the second-tier annual club competition for sides located in the Concacaf region of the Caribbean, North and Central America, and is currently sponsored by Scotia Bank. It features 22 sides, one from Canada, 18 from the Central America Zone and 3 from the Caribbean zone. The champions and the next best 5 sides qualify for the 2023 Concacaf Champions League. The 2021 winners were Comunicaciones from Guatemala, who beat Honduran club Motagua 6-3 on aggregate in the final.
The preliminary round features 12 sides who play over two legs to qualify for the last 16, which then continues on a two-legged knock-out basis to determine the winners. Today’s preliminary round tie featured two sides making their first-ever appearance in the Concacaf League, as Malacateco from Guatemala faced Sporting San Miguelito from Panama. The winners of this tie will go on to face Tauro FC from Panama.
Malacateco are based in the town of Malacatan in the west of the country, which has a population of just under 100,000 in the municipality. It is located approximately 370 kilometres from the capital Guatemala City, which takes around 10 hours by road.
Malacateco won their first ever title by winning the 2021 Apertura competition in Guatemala thanks to their 2-0 triumph in the two legged final over Comunicaciones.
Home is the 7,000 capacity Estadio Santa Lucia which has an artificial grass pitch, but today’s match is being played at the Estadio Pensativo in Antigua ( a city in Guatemala which is around 260km away from Malacatan, and not to be confused with the Caribbean island ! ), which has a capacity of 10,000 and a grass pitch, presumably a requirement of CONCACAF. The home colours are all red.
Malacateco had no players called up to the most recent Guatemala national squad, but their key players include Uruguayan goal-keeper Dario Silva, who kept two clean sheets in the Apertura final, young attacking midfielder Jose Ochea has one cap, whilst midfielders Raul Calderon and Yonathan Moran ( who scored 7 goals in the 2021 Clausura campaign ) have been called up but without earning national honours. Centre-back Sixto Betancourt has one cap whilst experienced defender Edwin Fuentes, who has won 3 caps, was an unused substitute.
Malacateco started with two Mexicans in their line-up, striker Othaniel Arce has played at the highest level in Peru with Melgar and Ayacucho as well as several clubs in Mexico, and defender Oscar Manzanarez has just joined from Tampico Madero, who play in the second level in Mexico
Malacateco have played one match so far in the 2022 Guatemala Apertura, drawing 0-0 at Deportivo Guastatoya.
Sporting San Miguelito qualified for the tournament thanks to having the best aggregate record apart from the sides winning the Panama Apertura and Clausura tournaments in 2021/22, who were Tauro and Alianza. Whilst it is the first Concacaf League appearance for SSM, the club have experienced the thrills of Concacaf competition before when they qualified for the 2013-14 Concacaf Champions League, where their participation ended in the group stage, although they did register a 1-0 home win against Costa Rican giants Alajuelense.
SSM are located in Panama City and normally play in red and black stripes but today wore a very tasteful kit of all white with a half black, half red band across the breast of the shirt. Their home ground is the Estadio Los Andes II, which has an official capacity of 1,450. As a result, the second leg tie will be played in the 32,000 capacity Estadio Rommel Fernandez, which has a grass surface.
Like Malacateco , San Miguelito they have played one league match in their season, losing 0-1 at home to Alianza.
Sporting San Miguelito also didn’t have any players selected in their country’s most recent squad, but veteran centre-back and captain Adolfo Machado won 93 caps for Panama, and was in their squad for the 2018 World Cup Finals, featuring in the 1-2 loss to Tunisia. Fellow centre-back Eric Vasquez has 10 caps, midfielder Jeanine Portillo has 1 cap, and midfielder/wing-back Kevin Galvan has 4 caps. Striker Edson Samms has played for Zamora and Deportivo Lara in Venezuela and has one cap, whilst fellow striker Tomas Rodriguez and midfielder Edgar Aparicio have been called up to national squads but without earning a cap.
40 year-old striker Nicolas Munoz ( 13 caps ) was on the bench, having just returned to Panama after playing virtually his whole career for various sides in El Salvador. Alongside him amongst the substitutes was Brazilian journeyman midfielder Dwann Oliveira, who has played in the lower divisions in Portugal and was the only foreigner in the Sporting squad.
All Concacaf League games are being streamed live on Concacaf’s YouTube channel with an American English commentary. Bet365 are also streaming all matches and made Malacateco 5/4 favourites, with SSM 21/10 outsiders and the draw at 21/10.
Kick-off was at 18.00 local time ( 1am in the UK ) with temperatures around 18 degrees but with storm clouds threatening overhead. Martinique referee Damien Rosa was in charge, with assistants from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
The match started slowly, with both sides playing possession football but San Miguelito won the first corner of the match in the 6th minute, which keeper Silva punched away under pressure. Malacateco appealed for a penalty in the 10th minute when Ochoa went down under a challenge, but their cries fell on deaf ears.
SSM then had a spell of possession, culminating with a 35 yard shot from Jeanine Portillo which Silva saved with ease. It was then Malacateco’s turn to keep the ball, and in the 16th minute they worked an opening to enable Calderon to get to the by-line on the right wing. His low cross beat the defenders and reached Arce 8 yards out at the back post. Unfortunately for the home side, the Mexican striker’s control was appalling and the ball rolled gently to the SSM keeper. The phrase “trap it farther than he can kick it” sprang to mind.
San Miguelito then took a firm grip on the rest of the half, with the lively Luis Zuniga impressing. After forcing successive corners, Silva needed to be alert to tip over a fierce 30 yard effort from Arapicio. With 25 minutes played, Zuniga’s low shot from the edge of the area was gathered by the sprawling Silva before it could sneak in at the far post, then four minutes later Zuniga fed Rodriguez into a similar position. However, although his low shot was better struck to beat Silva, it crashed against the base of the post and off for a goal-kick.
SSM came close to opening the scoring in the 41st minute. Rodriguez had too much strength and easily brushed off Godoy to bear down on goal, but a brave block by Betancourt diverted the goal-bound shot for a corner. The set-piece was delivered beyond the back post and steered back into the danger zone by Vasquez. Samms reacted the quickest and was able to lift the ball over Silva’s attempt to intercept. However, Calderon in the right place to prevent the goal and headed off the line.
As the heavens opened, Malacateco finished the half well. Ochoa’s low shot didn’t look too dangerous, but SSM keeper took no chances to push away. In the minute added on for injury time, the block of Choy’s shot was deemed to be handball, but Aguilar’s free-kick from just outside the area was sent several feet harmlessly over the bar to send the teams into the dressing rooms on level terms.
In the 52nd minute San Miguelito finally grabbed the goal their play had deserved. Casazola’s chip was sent over the top of the defensive line down the right-hand channel. Substitute Dwann Oliveira, introduced at half-time, ran onto the ball and got there before the advancing keeper. Although Dwann lobbed the ball over Silva onto the top of the net, the keeper’s momentum saw him flatten Dwann and sent him somersaulting to the floor. After a moment’s hesitation the referee pointed to the spot, and following lengthy treatment to the Malacateco guardian, Samms converted into the roof of the goal over the keeper’s despairing dive. Silva was fortunate to only see yellow rather than red, with perhaps the referee being sympathetic to the injury he received.
The visitors pressed for a second goal, and after Samms was tripped on the edge of the penalty area in the 60th minute, they saw Galvan’s left footed free-kick go past wall but pushed away in the middle of the goal by Silva, who gathered before an in-rushing attacker could take advantage of the loose ball.
All Malacateco could immediately offer in response was Kevyn Aguilar’s tame 30 yard free-kick, which was easily saved. SSM threatened again, and a good combination between Rodriguez and Zuniga put Zuniga in space on the right, and his low cross looked certain to leave Corpas a tap-in into the empty net, but Calderon got back to make a vital interception.
Malacateco made the most of this reprieve, first Calderon’s free-kick found Aguilar unmarked 8 yards out, but his header was pushed away for a corner by the outstretched, diving Frias. The subsequent corner was poor, but despite two chances for SSM to clear, the ball reached Aguilar on the edge of the area, and a fabulous volley on the turn saw the ball hit the inside of the post and go into the net, giving Frias no chance. It was only the home side’s third shot on target.
Being back on level terms, Malacateco then took the opportunity to replace their injured keeper. The introduction of more substitutes seemed to benefit the home side, and San Miguelito’s defence was put under sustained pressure for what seemed to be for the first time. Despite that, the best opportunity in the closing stages fell to Sporting, as a left-wing cross was headed on by Munoz, but Corpas’ attempt to steer into the net was screwed across goal for Ruiz to stick out a leg and save.
The final few minutes were a bit of an anti-climax, as neither side were able to fashion a final opportunity to score, so the teams head to Panama next week all square. However, on the evidence of today’s game, Sporting San Miguelito should be strong favourites to progress to the next round in front of their own supporters.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE9_Gw_QsJI
Club Deportivo Malacateco : Silva ( Ruiz ) – Calderon, Manzanarez, Betancourt ( Ramirez ), Godoy, Aguilar – Moran ( Perez ), Laparra, Quinteros ( Reyes ) – Ochoa, Arce
Sporting San Miguelito : Frias – Casazola, Vasquez, Machado, Galvan – Samms ( Corpas ), Portillo, Choy, Aparicio ( Dwann ) – Zuniga, Rodriguez ( Munoz )
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