As United gets ready to face their next opponent in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League, here's some information about the Honduran champion, CD Marathon. The team is on their way to Honduras today and will face Marathon on Wednesday. Following a home loss to Saprissa last week, the Black-and-Red will look to earn crucial road points against a tough opponent.  

 

Club Deportivo Marathon was born in 1925, when a group of friends gathered in Eloy Montes’ store in the city of San Pedro Sula and decided to form a soccer club. To get the club started, Montes ordered a 'futbol' ball from Chicago mail order company Montgomery Ward, but when the package arrived, the group found instead an American football. Though it wasn’t what they had asked for, one of them saw the word “Marathon” inscribed on the ball and thought it would be a great name for their new team. Thus, CD Marathon was born, symbolizing resistance, endurance and heroism.

 

As the 07-08 Apertura tournament winners, Marathon got the chance to earn a spot in the inaugural Champions League. In the preliminary round, Marathon defeated El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan by 4-3 aggregate score to advance to the group stage.

 

Marathon currently sits atop the standings in the 08-09 Apertura tournament of the Honduran National League with a record of 7-1-3. Striker Saul Martinez, who played the 1999 season with the MLS’s Miami Fusion, leads the team with five goals and is tied for fourth best in the league.

 

Though the club is more than 80 years old, Marathon first began to experience success later in their existence, winning the National Championship for the first time in 1979. They followed that win with a 1985 championship and didn’t win again until the 2001-2002 Clausura tournament. Since then, Marathon has been to the finals of the championship eight times, winning the 2002-2003 Clausura, 2003-2004 Apertura and 2007-2008 Apertura.

 

Though the team prides itself for its wins against international clubs, Marathon has never won an international title. During the 60s and 70s, the club was known as the ‘executioner of foreign teams’, as they defeated teams like Saprissa, 4-0, and Pachuca, 2-1. In 1981 they became the first Honduran team to ever beat a Mexican team in an official match, defeating Group A rival Cruz Azul 3-1. The Green Monster also claims a win over River Plate, when they defeated the Argentine powerhouse 3-1 in 2002.

 

Marathon has perhaps one of the most interesting mascots ever, a dinosaur, earning them the nickname of ‘el Monstruo Verde’ (the Green Monster).

 

 

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