Union draw Costa Rican giants Saprissa in Concacaf Champions Cup

The Union’s season may have just ended, but the club will be back on the field before you know it, with preseason training camp set to open up in January.

On Thursday, the Union learned their first opponent of the 2024 season, as they drew Costa Rican side Saprissa in the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup (formerly the Champions League). The Union will play the 38-time Costa Rican champions in a two-leg playoff in February. The Union will play at Saprissa on Feb. 20 and host the Costa Rican side at Subaru Park on Feb. 27.

Twenty-seven of the top clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean qualify for the tournament with five teams receiving byes to the round of 16. The Union qualified for the Champions Cup by virtue of their third-place finish in this past summer’s Leagues Cup.

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If Saprissa rings a bell, it should, as the Union played them in the previous iteration of this tournament just two years ago. The Union advanced, 5-0, on aggregate from that round-of-16 series, winning, 1-0, in Costa Rica and 4-0 at Subaru Park.

The Costa Rican giants are no pushovers, though, as they have won this competition three times (1993, 1995, 2005) and feature Costa Rica national team stalwarts Christian Bolaños and Kendall Waston. Saprissa also features a couple of imports worth watching in top scorer Javon East, a Jamaica teammate of Andre Blake and Damion Lowe, and 36-year-old captain Mariano Torres of Argentina.

The Union have made deep runs in the premier regional club tournament in recent years, advancing to the semifinals in both their appearances in 2021 and 2023. Last season, the Union were knocked out by Los Angeles FC in the semis by an aggregate score of 4-1.

The Union’s full MLS schedule is expected to be released later this month.

The Union added another young player to the mix Thursday, signing midfielder Nick Pariano to a two-year contract with club options for 2026 and 2027.

Pariano, 20, played the past four seasons at Duke, tallying 10 goals and 26 assists in 72 career appearances for the Blue Devils. He had four goals and eight assists last season in 18 games on the way to being named a first-team All-ACC selection.

The Philly-born Pariano is a graduate of YSC Academy and also played for the Union at the under-15, U17, and U19 levels. Pariano becomes the 21st homegrown player in Union history and also has played internationally for the United States, most recently at the U20 level alongside fellow Union homegrowns Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, and Brandan Craig.