Verdes seek redemption in Honduras on Wednesday against Olancho after 3 consecutive losses in Concacaf Central American Cup

Published by [email protected] at August 21, 2023

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Posted: Monday, August 21, 2023. 4:43 pm CST.

Photo Credit: Verdes FC

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Verdes made the long trek to Honduras by road to face Olancho in the Central American Cup looking to redeem themselves after three consecutive losses in which they have conceded 12 goals and scored none. The only straw the Premier League of Belize champions now have left to save face is to salvage a decent score against Honduras’ third place team at the Chelato Uclés Stadium in Tegucigalpa at 4:00 pm on Wednesday.

Verdes were first pounded 5-0 by Honduran champs Motagua at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan on Wednesday, August 2. One week later, on Tuesday, August 8, they succumbed 3-0 to Costa Rica’s Liga Deportiva Alajuelense at the FFB Stadium.

Next, they travelled to Panama City where they were railroaded by San Miguelito 4-0 on Wednesday, August 16.

Their hopes of advancing to the second round were vanished from the get-go. Olancho, who have lost their first two games, are now their only hope of finishing with at least a draw. But though Olancho are on paper the weakest Honduran team, they are no pushover having only conceded two goals in 1-0 losses to Alajuelense and Motagua.

Verdes boarding bus on Saturday to travel to Honduras for Concacaf Central American Cup match. (Photo Credit: Verdes FC)

Surely, coming off with a good performance against Olancho, despite all their foreign acquisitions, isn’t going to be easy for Verdes who have also been struggling at home, finally picking up a victory this past weekend when they beat Wagiya 4-2. Prior to that they had only managed back-to-back 1-1 draws against Benque Viejo United and Bandits.

The reality is that Verdes, now coached by another Spaniard José Migallón, is on the brink of their worst Concacaf participation ever. Though they have been beaten by more than five before, they have not bagged four consecutive blowouts. They need to come up with a superlative performance against Olancho for that not to happen.

Verdes arriving in Tegucigalpa for Concacaf Central American Cup match. (Photo Credit: Verdes FC)

Verdes started out in Concacaf with a 2-1 win to Bermuda’s Pembroke Hamilton in 1986. Their worst losses were 12-2 to Mexico’s Cruz Azul in 1988, and 8-0 to Mexico’s Querétaro and Panama’s San Francisco in the 2015-2016 Concacaf Champions League when playing away. But they can boast of pulling off a 0-0 draw against Querétaro in the first leg here and a 2-1 win in their Belize game against San Francisco.

Apart from the Pembroke Hamilton and San Francisco wins, they also beat Guatemala’s Aurora 3-2 in 1998.

Verdes have recorded five draws: 0-0 against Guatemala’s Xelajú in 1997, 0-0 against Honduras’ Platense in 1998, 0-0 against Querétaro in 2016, and the two draws (0-0, 2-2) against El Salvador’s Platense in 2022.

So far, their Concacaf record stands at three wins, five draws, and 23 losses since 1986. That’s not counting the 3-0 withdrawal loss to Haiti’s Arcahaie in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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