After months of anticipation, Philadelphia Union begins play in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday night, starting off Leg One at Deportivo Saprissa. The match will be broadcast nationally for fans to watch on both FS1 and TUDN.
While the Boys in Blue have only played four preseason matches, Wednesday’s contest won’t be Saprissa’s first match as they just concluded their 16th league matchday. The first leg hosts are coming off a scoreless draw against Cartagines that saw Saprissa unable to take advantage of a 50th minute red card.
Hailed as a Manchester United or Bayern Munich of Costa Rica, Deportivo Saprissa finds itself tied for third place in the Clausura 2021 Tournament of the Promerica League of Costa Rica with a 4W-9D-3L record and 13 points out of first place. Saprissa is winless in their last seven matches, with their last win coming via 1-0 fashion back on February 21st. Since then the Purple Monsters has racked up five draws and netted only four goals.
Player wise, Deportivo Saprissa features some recognizable names for Union fans with former FC Cincinnati and Vancouver Whitecaps center back Kendall Waston back with his home club. He’s joined by MLS alums Christian Bolanos and David Guzman. Bolanos and Waston both had scored three goals while forwards Daniel Colindres and Ariel Rodriguez are tied atop the team with four.
