CD Olimpia vs. New York Red Bulls
2018 CONCACAF Champions League – Round of 16, Leg 1
Estadio Nacional - San Jose, Costa Rica
10 pm ET – Feb. 22, 2018
WATCH: go90.com, univisiondeportes.com, Univision Deportes Network
Navigating the away leg in Central America is always tricky for Major League Soccer teams, but the New York Red Bulls won't have to deal with a hostile environment when they take on Olimpia from Honduras in San Jose, Costa Rica in the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16.
The move to a neutral venue was due to political unrest in Honduras as Olimpia was handed a six-match stadium ban following crowd control problems in their run to a CONCACAF League title.
The Red Bulls also are also navigating tactically without former captain and influential playmaker Sacha Kljestan, who was dealt to Orlando City SC as part of a blockbuster offseason deal.
Unruly fans is just part of the problem for Olimpia, which is battling injuries and inconsistency despite being undefeated after nine rounds of the Honduran Clausura.
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CD Olimpia
Nine games without a loss is a great start to the season, right? Not when you’re the most decorated club in Honduras (30 domestic titles) with massive expectations. That’s the current reality for Carlos Restrepo’s side who are two points behind leaders Motagua in the Honduran Apertura following a 2-0 victory over UPNFM on the weekend. The Colombian used largely a reserve lineup in that game to rest regular starters, including the ageless Carlo Costly.
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- Injury Report: OUT: M Jaime Cordoba (left foot), D Nick Del Grecco (dengue fever), D Jose Tobias (achilles tendon)
Projected Starting XI
(4-3-2-1, right to left)
GK: GK: Donis Escobar — Kevin Alvarez, Johnny Palacios, Jonathan Paz, Luis Ovalle — Gerson Rodas, Brayan Moya, German Mejia — Diego Reyes, Michaell Chirinos — Carlo Costly
New York Red Bulls
Just when you thought #KakuWatch was over, Red Bulls fans, who had to wait eight weeks to land the young Argentine, will need to hang on a bit longer before Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra steps onto the field. The 23-year-old will not be in the lineup for the opening leg, with his debut more likely coming in the club’s MLS opener against Portland on March 10.
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- Injury Report: None
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Luis Robles — Michael Murillo, Aaron Long, Aurelien Collin, Kemar Lawrence — Tyler Adams, Felipe — Alex Muyl, Sean Davis, Daniel Royer — Bradley Wright-Phillips
Previous Meetings
This is the first-ever meeting between CD Olimpia and the New York Red Bulls
- CONCACAF Champions League history: Olimpia - 9 appearances, only team to appear in every edition (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17) 18 wins, 14 losses, 8 ties (65 goals) … New York Red Bulls - 3 appearances (2008/09, 2014/15, 2016/17) 3 wins, 3 losses, 6 ties (12 goals)
Referees
Referee: John Pitti (Panama)
Assistant Referees: Gabriel Victoria (Panama), Ronald Bruna (Panama)
Fourth Official: Ariel Ameth Sanchez (Panama)
