1. Deportivo Arabe Unidos (PAN) v Arnett Gardens (JAM)
Round of 16, First Leg
Deportivo Arabe Unidos (PAN) v Arnett Gardens (JAM)
Match Officials
R: Rubien Vazquez (USA)
AR1: Ian Anderson (USA)
AR2: Jeffrey Hasking (USA)
4th: Drew Fisher (CAN)
Estadio Cuscaltan, San Salvador, El Salvador
Tuesday July 31, 2018 – 10:00 p.m. ET
Deportivo Arabe Unido (PAN)
Arnett Gardens (JAM)
Qualification Method: 2017 Apertura Runner-up
Previous SCL Appearances:
All Time Record en SCL: G- 6 W- 3 D- 1 L-2 GF-7 GA- 3
Best SCL Finish: Semifinals 2017
Concacaf Club Titles: 0
Domestic League Titles: 13 (last 2016 Apertura )
Qualification Method: 2018 Caribbean Club Championship Runner-up
Previous SCL Appearances: First ever SCL appearance
All Time Record en SCL: G- W- D- L- GF- GA-
Best SCL Finish: First ever SCL appearance
Concacaf Club Titles: 0
Domestic League Titles: (5) last 2017
FACTS
FACTS
Arnett Gardens have qualified for the SCL based on their runner-up finish at the 2018 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship after falling to Atletico Pantoja (Domican Republic) 6-5 in penalty kicks (0-0) in the final.
The club’s last foray in a CONCACAF tournament came in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup when they were narrowly eliminated by Mexican club Necaxa 1-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16.
However, the island club does have a track record of success in CONCACAF play. In the 2001 CONCACAF Giants Cup, Arnett Gardens eliminated Suriname’s Transvaal in the first round 6-2 on aggregate in which Denton Shedden and Gerald Neil each scored two goals during the series.
That set up a quarterfinal date with MLS side DC United. A 3-0 first leg defeat proved too much for Arnett Gardens to overcome in the second leg, as they succumbed 5-1 on aggregate.
Fabian Reid (Arnett Gardens) was the team's top scorer during the Jamaican Premier League (16 goals in 30 games played). He was also the club's leading scorer in the Caribbean Club Championship 2018 with (4).
Among the achievements of Arnett Gardens at International level—runner-up obtained in the Caribbean Club Tournament 2002 and 2018 stand out.
The two teams will face each other for the first time in their history.
It will be the 2nd participation for Árabe Unido (PAN) in the Scotiabank Concacaf League, SCL. Record in SCL GP-6 3-W-1-D 2-L (7-GF-3-GA).
No strangers to CONCACAF competition, Arabe Unido of Panama.
The three-time Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinalists and 2017 SCL semifinalists convened back on June 15 to begin preparation for the upcoming competitions.
The club has also been busy in the transfer market, with four new players arriving this summer.
FW Alexis Palacios was the first to ink a deal, as the 23-year-old Panamanian will give Arabe Unido pace and power on the right flank.
DF Mauricio Castaño was next to join the club, giving the Arabe Unido defense a skilled and steady 25-year-old left back.
The club still fancied to bolster its attack, so it added a pair of Colombians, 23-year-old FW Faber Gil and 27-year-old Raul Penaranda. The two are already impressing having each scored a goal in preseason.
On the field, the results in preseason have been positive. On June 30 Arabe Unido squared off against Brazilian giants Palmeiras and went toe-to-toe with the legendary South American club in a narrow 2-0 defeat.
That was followed by a strong 2-0 win over Panama’s Costa del Este in which DF Luis Canate and Gil scored for the home side.
Árabe Unido have 3 winless games in the Scotiabank Concacaf League: 1E-2P. They did not score goals during this negative streak. They also played 3 home games: 1G-1E-1P, and did not receive goals in the second half. In turn, could not convert in the last 2 games.
Árabe Unido, led by Carlos Ruíz (COL), are undefeated in 6 matches in the Panamanian Football League (2G-4E). Their last defeat was in February 2018 vs. Academic.
It will be the first match for Árabe Unido against a Jamaican rival in the Scotiabank Concacaf League. In 2017, they faced teams from Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
HEAD TO HEAD: Previous SCCL meetings: First time
First-ever SCCL Meeting