CONCACAF Champions League, Semifinals Preview: Saprissa Vs. Real Salt Lake
When this CONCACAF Champions League semifinal started back on March 15, it was billed as a battle between two of the best home-field advantages in the region. Well, Real Salt Lake certainly held up their end of the bargain, beating Saprissa 2-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Now the series moves back to Saprissa Stadium, where the Purple Dragon has won 73 percent of its international competitions since 2004. They’ve also looked strong at home recently, having gone unbeaten in their past five and outscoring their opponents 7-0 over that stretch. Overall, their only loss since Feb. 13 was that match against RSL, as Saprissa has won nine of 12 matches and outscored their opponents 21-8 during that stretch.
The stadium is notorious for its, shall we say, subpar facilities. The turf is considered to be particularly tough, the stands are concrete and the locker rooms are spartan, especially by U.S. standards.
Making it even tougher will be the fans. The stadium has been reported as a sellout and RSL should expect a hostile environment featuring 24,000 purple-clad supporters who will no doubt be singing, chanting and making enough noise to render thinking a luxury.
If RSL is able to navigate their way to a first CCL finals appearance for a MLS team, they’ll have earned it.
What Happened In Leg 1
Buoyed by a goal by former Saprissa man Alvaro Saborio in the 9th minute, RSL had their way with Saprissa and cruised to a 2-0 victory that also included a Nat Borchers goal that was incorrectly waved off. The RSL defenders were able to handle the twin threats of Jair Arrieta and Alejandro Sequiera with relative ease and Javier Morales was able to find plenty of room to run the attack.
Players to watch
- Saprissa: Trailing by two goals and facing the prospect of needing at least four if RSL scores, you can bet the Purple Monster will be in full-on attack mode. With that in mind, Arrieta and Sequiera really are the gears that make Saprissa's offense tick. The duo has combined for 22 goals in a combined 48 appearances. Arrieta has been the better player in CCL play, having scored three goals in the competition. That's enough to share the team lead with Armando Alonso. Although Walter Centeno has not done much in CCL play, the attacking midfielder is still capable of big moments despite being 36.
- Real Salt Lake: An early goal would all but clinch a spot in the finals, but expect RSL to play it relatively safe. There's no question they have the physical advantage over Saprissa, so they can probably afford to look more for the counter-strike. The play of center backs Jamison Olave and Borchers will be huge, but so will defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman, who will likely be the man springing some of those counter-strikes.
Probable lineups
- Saprissa (4-1-3-2): GK:Bolivar; DF: Wong, V. Cordero, L. Cordero, Badilla; MF: Castillo, Guzman, Ortiz; Centeno; FW: Martinez, A. Sequeira
- Real Salt Lake (4-4-2): GK: Rimando; DF: Wingert, Borchers, Olave, Beltran; MF: Johnson, Beckerman, Morales, Grabavoy; FW: Saborio, Espindola
Head to head
- Saprissa wins if: Simply put, they need to score early and often. An early goal changes the complexion of this game and should open it up some. A second goal would turn the semifinal on its head and force RSL into a much more attack-oriented mindset. At that point, the crowd would be in a frenzy and Saprissa would suddenly be in control.
- Real Salt Lake if: Scoring just one goal puts Saprissa in the position of needing four to win (because of away goals being the first tie-breakers). But even without scoring, RSL can probably afford to come in with a defensive mindset and just look for openings on the counter.
Prediction
Saprissa scores an early goal, but gets caught over-committing and giving RSL a chance to pick up the ever-important away goal. Saprissa will be missing three starters from their first encounter due to yellow-card accumulation - David Sequiera, Jose Mena and Ricardo Blanco - and that just seems to steep a hill to climb.
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