Alajuelense kicks off their title defense against newcomers Marathon | OneFootball

MIAMI — The 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup concludes its first matchweek with two encounters on Thursday, as the 20 best clubs compete to be crowned champions in early December.

The inaugural tournament winner, LD Alajuelense, kicks off its title defense against Marathón of Honduras. CD Olimpia and Club Atletico Independiente square off in the second encounter.

LD Alajuelense vs. CD Marathón

Liga Deportiva Alajuelense meets Club Deportivo Marathón at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The teams will match wits in the Central American Cup for the first time in their all-time fifth encounter. LD Alajuelense leads the series with three wins and one draw.

Alajuelense won the 2023 edition by defeating Real Estelí in the final, 4-1 on aggregate. The club also had the most points (24), goals scored (24), victories (7), and passes (4155) in the inaugural edition.

Carrying a rich soccer history, LD Alajuelense won the Concacaf Champions Cup in 1986 and 2004, and the Scotiabank Concacaf League in 2020, on top of the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup. They will seek to defend their crown, qualifying as one of the top teams in the domestic league standings.

CD Marathón will debut in the Central American Cup. The club qualified due to its placement in the 2023/24 standings.

In the Concacaf Champions Cup, Marathón has participated six times: 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2019, and 2021. They can return by clinching one of the six berths in the Central American Cup.

CD Olimpia vs. CAI

Club Deportivo Olimpia faces Club Atlético Independiente de La Chorrera at the Chelato Uclés National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The two will face each other for the second time in the Central American Cup.

In their previous encounter, in Group B, the teams drew 1-1 on August 2, 2023, with goals from Carlos Small (51’) and Jorge Benguché (64’) in Tegucigalpa.

CD Olimpia qualified for the tournament after winning the Apertura 2023 tournament. The team arrives as the current Honduran champions after also winning the Clausura 2024.

The Lions hold the record for the most titles in Honduras, with 38. CD Olimpia previously won the Concacaf Champions Cup in 1972 and 1988.

Club Atlético Independiente also returns to the Central American Cup after winning its domestic Apertura 2023 tournament. CAI was eliminated in the semifinals of the inaugural edition by Real Estelí with a 3-2 aggregate score (1-0 and 2-2). Independiente was one of the clubs with the most penalty goals (2) in the tournament's first edition, alongside Herediano and Cartaginés.