Last week’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals were mostly entertaining affairs and were evenly matched. The Seattle Sounders – Club America and the Tigres – Real Salt Lake matches were particularly entertaining to watch. However, results did not go in favor of any of the teams from Major League Soccer. As the second legs of the CCL quarterfinals draw near, only the Los Angeles Galaxy are in anything close to what resembles an advantageous position. Here’s a quick look at where each of the series stand, and which teams have the advantage going into the second leg.
Queretaro 2-0 D.C. United
A flat performance from the American side allowed an underwhelming Queretaro to take a big advantage with them north to the U.S. capital. Despite an uninspired offensive effort, D.C. managed several decent chances, including a Taylor Kemp shot that hit the crossbar. United kept the match close until the 71st minute, when substitute Yerson Candelo put the hosts ahead. An 83rd minute tally from Edgar Benitez sealed the deal and put the Mexican club in a very good place to advance. Though D.C. is known for their defensive organization, it was their defense that let them down late in the match, as the second goal may have killed their chances of advancing. Queretaro needs a professional performance this week, and will have confidence knowing they can even give up a goal to the hosts and still advance. It’s not impossible for United to get a two goal win at home, but they must also keep a clean sheet, something which is never a given against a Liga MX club. Chris Rolfe, Fabian Espindola, and Patrick Nyarko must also get on the same page and make up for their poor performance in the first leg.
Club America 2-2 Seattle Sounders
This was by far the most exciting match of the round. A back and forth affair featuring a Clint Dempsey brace offered hope for Seattle, but left the hosts in a tough position as the series shifts to Mexico City. Seattle would have loved to take a lead to the second leg, but squandered not one, but two leads in this match. The first came as a result of lack of focus in the last seconds of the first half. Dempsey scored in the 44th minute on a beautiful free kick, and the Sounders seemed to forget there were still a couple minutes to play before halftime. The immediate response, a 45th minute goal from Darwin Quintero, served as a reminder of why America are favorites in this series. Seattle went up 2-1 on another Dempsey goal, but gave up a late equalizer to Oribe Peralta. What could have been a big setback for Club America quickly turned into a cause to celebrate. With two away goals in their pocket, they are sitting firmly in the drivers’ seat going into the second leg. Seattle will need to score on the road and keep a clean sheet, unless they plan on getting into a shootout at the Azteca. Without Obafami Martins, they will be hoping to go the clean sheet route.
Tigres UANL 2-0 Real Salt Lake
RSL kept this much closer than the score suggests. The Utah club went toe to toe with the Mexican champions for 67 minutes, and played by far the best soccer of any of the American teams last week. Tigres were struck by a seeming inability to finish in front of goal, and Andre-Pierre Gignac in particular missed several golden chances. However, RSL could have easily scored two goals in this match and were hard done by the result. Joao Plata, Javier Morales, and Burrito Martinez stood out for the visitors, as did newcomer Sunny. RSL only had 33% of the possession, but looked purposeful when they did have the ball. Before the first Tigres goal, the numbers were much closer to 50-50. However, despite their valiant effort against the top team in the bracket, they will take a two goal deficit home with them to Sandy. A 1-0 result would have been manageable, but RSL apparently learned nothing from Seattle or D.C. and gave up a late goal to Jurgen Damm in the last ten minutes of the match. Tigres will likely advance from this series barring a legendary performance from the Royals in Utah. The midfield and defense of the Liga MX side are more than capable of shutting down RSL again, even on the road.
LA Galaxy 0-0 Santos Laguna
The new-look Galaxy fell a bit flat in their debut, failing to score at home vs. Santos Laguna. They were out-possessed 57%-43%, and offered very little going forward. However, there were definitely bright spots for the veteran squad. Emmanuel Boateng looks to be an effective attacker, who will cause trouble for MLS defenses. While his speed was negated a bit by the all around pace of Santos’ defenders, he stood out in this match. Also commendable was LA’s ability to keep a clean sheet with so many new players in the lineup. Santos had chances and LA bent, but did not break. As the series moves south, this one is up for grabs. An away goal for LA would change the complexion of the series, and they will need to get their offense clicking quickly. The Galaxy often looked slow in their buildup play, and had trouble dealing with any high pressure from the younger visitors. Santos will press high early and often at home, and the Galaxy must be more incisive in possession to have a chance at earning a result.
