Horacio Melgarejo: "We'll get to Boca and we're going to beat them" in the Copa Sudamericana final

When a coach laughs at his own joke about "hiring 100 police officers" for a possible matchup against Boca Juniors, it already says a lot about the moment Cienciano is living in the Copa Sudamericana. But behind the joke was a line that didn't go unnoticed: "We'll get there and we're going to win it."

The remark came from Horacio Melgarejo, the Argentine coach of the Cusco club, during an appearance on the show Buen Dia ESPN, hosted by German Paoloski. He was asked, almost in passing, whether he could see Boca and Cienciano meeting in a Copa Sudamericana final. Melgarejo, without much hesitation, answered with a boldness rarely heard from a coach running one of the lowest budgets in the tournament.

He quickly toned down the excitement, though. He knows that talking about finals before even settling the next round can sound premature, so he laid out his priorities in order: first the domestic league, then the matchup against Montevideo City Torque, and only after that, if things go well, thinking about the winner of the tie between Atletico Mineiro and Santos.

First we have to respect the process. Right now we're focused on the local league, and after that we want to put in a good showing against Montevideo City Torque. If God is with us and we can get through, we've got a big matchup against the winner of Mineiro and Santos, and I've already talked to a security company, I'm going to hire about 100 police officers to bring with me. Just kidding, that's a joke. And from there, we go step by step.Horacio Melgarejo

The lowest budget, but "eleven against eleven"

What made the conversation interesting wasn't just the excitement about Boca, but the context Melgarejo laid out. The coach was frank in acknowledging where Cienciano stands among the eight remaining teams: the club with the fewest resources, both in budget and infrastructure, within a Peruvian soccer scene going through a tough financial stretch.

That assessment, however, didn't make him doubt his team's chances. Quite the opposite. He leaned on a simple, almost locker room style idea to explain why he doesn't fear any opponent, no matter how deep their pockets are.

Of the 8 teams, and I say this with total honesty, in terms of budget, infrastructure, and the state Peruvian soccer is in right now, we have the lowest budget by far. But like I always say, it's 11 against 11 out on the field, nobody plays with their wallet, so we're going to fight to the death no matter who we face.Horacio Melgarejo

Before thinking about Boca or any final, Cienciano has a concrete task ahead: getting past Montevideo City Torque to reach the final four of the Copa Sudamericana. Only after that step will the matchup against the winner of Atletico Mineiro and Santos determine whether Melgarejo's dream stays alive or ends up as just a fun line from a morning show.