Union-Saprissa dates, times revealed for Champions Cup showdown

The Philadelphia Union’s dates and times for February’s 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup showdown with Deportivo Saprissa have been revealed.

Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica will host the first leg on February 20 (9 p.m. ET) before Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania hosts the second leg on Feb. 27 (8:15 p.m. ET). It will mark the second all-time meeting between the Union and Saprissa in the CONCACAF competition.

The Union eliminated Saprissa 5-0 on aggregate in that head-to-head showdown, winning 1-0 in Costa Rica before enjoying a 4-0 second leg rout at Subaru Park. Former Union players Kacper Przybylko (twice), Jamiro Monteiro (twice), and Anthony Fontana all scored in the two-legged showdown

The series is famously remembered for the end-of-match altercation in the first leg after left back Kai Wagner was viciously tackled by Saprissa’s Ricardo Blanco in stoppage time. Blanco was one of five players to receive yellow cards after the scrum.

The newly revamped Champions Cup will feature home-and-away matches for Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinal and Semifinal action. Round of 16 play will occur from March 5-14.

The quarterfinals are slated for April 2-11 while the semifinals will take place between April 23-May 2. June 2 has been chosen as the single-leg date for the tournament final. 

2024 will mark the Union’s third all-time involvement in a CONCACAF competition. They reached the semifinals in 2021 and 2023, losing to Club América and LAFC respectively.