SB Nation 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League
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With their playoff fates sealed in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC and FC Dallas are playing their best teams as they fight for a place in the CCL knockout stage
Toronto already defeated Dallas on the final match day to clinch one of the top two spots in Group C and advancement in the CONCACAF Champions League, but the second spot was still up for grabs. Tauro could edge out UNAM Pumas for the second advancement spot with a win in Mexico on Wednesday night, but it was not to be. Pumas were able to do just enough to pick up a 1-0 win to win Group C and eliminate the Panamanian side.
The lone goal of the match came just before the halftime break when Martin Bravo spotted Juan Cacho and crossed for the striker. Cacho was first to the cross and he nodded the ball home for the go-ahead goal. That goal would prove to be the winning goal as Pumas held on for the victory. It leaves them on 11 points for the group stage, one ahead of Toronto who will also advance from Group C, but they will do so as runners up, while Pumas are the winners.
As expected, Santos Laguna had no problem dispatching of the Colorado Rapids. The team that has proven themselves to be far and away the top team in Group B of the CONCACAF Champions League added another competition win to their resume by cruising past the Rapids, 2-0, on Wednesday in Mexico. The win clinches Santos' spot atop the group, while Colorado will now need Metapan and Real Espana to draw tomorrow or they will be out of the competition.
Both of Santos' goals came after the break and were pretty, vollied finishes. First it was Aaron Galindo came flying in with a rocket of a volley from 18 yards that went right into the bottom corner of the goal to make it 1-0 Santos. Later on it was Alonso Escoboza who got the goal, coming in with a volley of his own, but this time the pass came from the right. The result was the same though, a Santos goal that pushed them on to victory and the top spot in Group B, while Colorado are now at the mercy of Metapan and Real Espana.
Cesar Delgado scored a 60th minute goal and backup goalkeeper Juan de Dios Ibarra made a point-blank save a few minutes later as Monterrey held off the Seattle Sounders for a 2-1 win in CONCACAF Champions League group play on Tuesday. The win allowed Monterrey, the defending CCL champions, to win Group D. The Sounders had already clinched a berth in the quarterfinals, but would have won the group witha tie.
Delgado's goal came off some pretty shoddy defensive work from the Sounders. The Monterrey attack was started on a turnover in the defensive third and created an odd-man rush. Humberto Suazo took the first shot of the sequence, which deflected off a Sounders defender and went out to Delgado. It was Delgado's second goal of the tournament in just his second appearance.
The Sounders had a golden opportunity to equalize when Patrick Ianni got a free header inside the goal box, but Ibarra was able to make a diving save. Ibarra had entered the match only moments earlier for an injured Jonathan Orozco.
Until Delgado's goal, the Sounders seemed to be in good position to pull out the tie and become just the second MLS team to win their CCL group. It would have also marked the first time a MLS team had gone undefeated against a Mexican team.
Fredy Montero scored the Sounders goal on a well taken free kick in the 42nd minute. It was his third goal of the tournament and his 18th goal in all competitions this season.
Dario Carreno gave Monterrey the early lead with his fifth goal of the tournament.
For more on the Sounders, be sure to check out Sounder at Heart. For all the latest updates on CCL action, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
Fredy Montero scored on a free kick from about 24 yards out in the 42nd minute to send the Seattle Sounders into halftime tied 1-1 with Monterrey in their CONCACAF Champions League group stage match. The Sounders need at least a tie to win the group, while Monterrey could potentially be eliminated with a loss.
The goal was Montero's 18th across all competitions this season and his third in CCL play. No MLS player has scored more all-competition goals.
Monterrey took the early lead on Abraham Carreno's fifth goal of the tournament. In the 3rd minute he got behind the Sounders defense and easily beat goalkeeper Bryan Meredith, who is making his first ever start in a Sounders uniform. Humberto Suazo found Carreno with a well placed pass that Meredith seemed caught between, neither coming out to get nor cutting off the angle.
Other than their goal, though, Monterrey were largely outplayed. The Sounders out shot the defending CCL champs 5-2, putting two of their shots on goal. The Sounders also held a 54-46 possession advantage and were on the attack much of the match.
For the lastest updates on all the CCL matches, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
Alajuelense were in control of their own destiny. A result against Monarcas Morelia on Tuesday and they would win Group A of the CONCACAF Champions League. A win? That would have worked. A draw? That would have worked too. Any result at all would do the job. Instead, they blew a one-goal lead, handing Morelia the three points and clinching a spot for the Mexican side in the knockout stages. Now, if the LA Galaxy win on Thursday Alajuelense is out of the competition, an awful scenario for a team that two hours earlier were in complete control.
Pablo Gabas put the visitors in front after 36 minutes. It was the goal that Alajuelense thought would at least earn them a draw and a spot in the knockout stages, but then Morelia came battling back in the second half. First, Joao Rojas scored off of a pass from Manuel Perez 10 minutes into the second stanza, then Miguel Sabah won it for Morelia with a header that beat Patrick Pemberton and Alajuelense were in trouble.
While Alajuelense are in trouble because they are dependent on Motagua beating the Galaxy on Thursday, Morelia is safe. They have clinched a spot in the quarterfinals and if the Galaxy win, they will likely win Group A. If the Galaxy lose or draw to Motagua though, Alajuelense goes through and as group winners. Oh, the joy of tournament football.
FC Dallas only needed a draw against Toronto FC to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, but that didn't look line a possibility after the first 30 minutes of the game. Brek Shea put in a brilliant first half performance for FCD, but he was the only player who appeared to bring anywhere near his best for the home side. Winger Joao Plata put on a show for TFC, notching a two goals in an assist in a brilliant performance, as TFC defeated an abysmal Dallas team 3-0 to advance to the knockout stage.
In the 28th minute, Julian de Guzman played a great through ball to Plata, who cut the ball back for Danny Kovermans. He didn't make the best of his first shooting opportunity as Kevin Hartman saved easily, but no one was able to clear the rebound. Kovermans finished his second chance, giving TFC a 1-0 lead. Dallas looked strangely defeated, but complacent in their defeat. At 1-0 down. Against a poor team. At home. In the 28th minute.
Plata would add two goals of his own in the second half, scoring with great finishes in the 69th and 80th minute. Dallas hardly bothered to show up for the second half, and it would have been hard to imagine a scenario before the match in which Toronto FC would win so easily.
TFC now sit on top of Group C and await the result of the Tauro-UNAM Pumas match to see if they will finish first or second in the group.
For more on the game and the two teams, check out FC Dallas blog Big D Soccer and Toronto FC blog Waking The Red.
Needing just a tie to become just the second MLS team to win a CONCACAF Champions League group and to become the first MLS team to go undefeated against a Mexican team, the Seattle Sounders are using a mixed lineup in their match against Monterrey on Tuesday. Among the normal starters are Fredy Montero, Jeff Parke, James Riley and Osvaldo Alonso. It is Parke's first start since leaving the game against the Philadelphia Union a couple weeks ago with a concussion. Bryan Meredith will get his first start in a MLS uniform over Kasey Keller.
Monterrey is using a lineup featuring many of their starters including forward Humberto Suazo and goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco
Sounders starters: GK Meredith; DEF Riley, Scott, Parke, Wahl; MID Estrada, Alonso, Friberg, Levesque; FWD Montero, Ochoa. Bench: Fucito, Evans, Ianni, Fernandez, Keller, Noonan, Neagle.
CF Monterrey starters: GK Orozco, D Meza, D Osorio, D Morales, D Basanta, M Perez, M Delgado, M Perez, F Carreno, F Santana, F Suazo.
For updates on all the CCL matches, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
FC Dallas and Toronto FC go into the final matchday of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage needing a result to advance. Toronto FC need a win at Pizza Hut Park to advance, while FC Dallas need just a draw. However, seeding is always important in the knockout stage, and FC Dallas can potentially finish ahead of UNAM Pumas to become a top seed in the quarterfinals if they get a win tonight. Here are the lineups.
FC Dallas Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kevin Hartman; Jeremy Hall, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Zach Loyd; Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Jacobson; Ricardo Villar, Brek Shea, Jackson; Marvin Chavez
Substitutes from: Danny Cruz, Bruno Guarda, Bobby Warshaw, Jack Stewart, Victor Ulloa, Chris Seitz, Ruben Luna
Toronto FC Lineup (4-3-3): Milos Kocic; Doneil Henry, Ty Harden, Andy Iro, Ashtone Morgan; Nick Soolsma, Torsten Frings, Julian de Guzman; Ryan Johnson, Danny Koevermans, Joao Plata
Substitutes from: Stefan Frei, Eddy Viator, Nathan Sturgis, Mikael Yourassowsky, Terry Dunfield, Gianluca Zavarise, Peri Marosevic
Kickoff is just after 8:00 pm ET from Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The game can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel and CONCACAF.com.
Apparently Brek Shea is the bee's knees in Dallas. He's at least popular enough to get the attention of 2011 NBA Finals MVP Dirk Notwitzki, who is going to make the trek out to Frisco to see the 21-year-old MLS MVP candidate in CONCACAF Champions League action on Tuesday night. Shea has had an incredible year, becoming a fixture on the U.S. National Team and also drawing the attention of teams from around the world. That includes clubs in Germany, Nowitzki's home.
With Toronto FC out of the playoff picture in terms of domestic play and neither the Canadians nor home team FC Dallas assured of a place in the knockout rounds with anything but a win, the CONCACAF Champions League match between the two sides is set to be one of those matches that neither team is willing to lose. It'd be nice to expect that we'll see two teams hammering each other, but that seems unlikely considering the composition of the clubs.
Daniel Robertson of SB Nation's FC Dallas Blog Big D Soccer and the combination of Dave Rowaan and Duncan Fletcher at Toronto FC blog Waking the Red both agree that it's going to be incredibly nervy, and both blogs agree that the hosts' ability on the counterattack will dominate the match. Here's Daniel's take:
This one is probably going to be a nervy, nail-biting game. Dallas has not allowed a goal to Toronto in 3 1/2 games this season, but they've also never been more than a goal up on them. The difference in tonight's game is that TFC goes into this one knowing anything other than a win is curtains for them so there should be plenty of room for the Dallas counter-attack to exploit a poor Toronto back line.
I think the key for Toronto will be to keep the game tight early on, if we go a goal down early and have to chase the game, then i think it could end up getting ugly with another of those heavy losses we've been sporadically having all year as Dalllas will burn us on the break. If we can keep it at 0-0 for as long as possible, eventually we'll get a chance from somewhere, if that chance can fall to Danny Koevermans, there's a very good chance he'll bury it. If it gets to the last 15 minutes or so and we still need a goal, then I'd suggest change things around to a more attacking formation, but not much earlier than that.
So, if you're looking for expansive, open football, it's best to look elsewhere. However, if you like the pressure cooker of tight games that neither side can really afford to lose, you could do far worse than tuning into the affair at Pizza Hut Park this evening at 8:00 PM EST.
It all comes down to this. One matchday left and of the eight spots in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League, six are still up for grabs. Maybe more incredibly, only two teams have been eliminated from the competition going into the final matchday, leaving us with an absolute mess. It's the good kind of mess though. It's the every match matters kind of mess. It's the kind of mess that leaves us scrambling while we try to watch multiple matches, check the tables and do basic math that for some reason feels far more complicated than it normally would be. Maybe it is the variables? God damnit, x, y and z.
Group A
This one is a little easier because one team in this group is already eliminated. CD Motagua hasn't gotten a point yet in five matches and won't be in the knockout stages, but they still have a role to play because they play the Los Angeles Galaxy, who are in a battle with Monarcas Morelia and Alajuelense for the two advancement spots. Alajuelense lead the group with 12 points, while LA and Morelia are on nine points. The Galaxy and Alajuelense each control their own destiny as wins put them through, but it gets a bit complicated if there's a three-way tie atop the group. The first three tiebreakers are all of the head-to-head variety and it's not until the fourth tiebreaker that total goal-difference factors in.
If Los Angeles wins: They will advance to the knockout stages with a win in Honduras as they could finish no worse than second in a tiebreaker.
If Alajuelense wins or draws: The Costa Rican side will advance to the knockout stages as the group winner if they can get a result in Mexico.
If Morelia wins: They can win the group if they win by more than one goal, but would finish no worse than second.
If Los Angeles loses: Morelia go through to the knockout stage with just a draw if LA loses. If Morelia also loses, LA could technically still advance, but odds are that Morelia would go through over them on goal difference.
If Los Angeles draws: They will advance only if Alajuelense wins. If LA draws and Morelia either draws or wins, LA is out and Morelia moves on.
Group B
This one is a little easier because Santos Laguna is already through to the next round and will win the group unless they lose by more than three goals. The real battle is for the second advancement spot in the group. It's a spot the Colorado Rapids currently hold with seven points, but Isidro Metapan are on their heels with six points, while Real Espana have five. That's a tough spot for Colorado, who travels to Santos, while Metapan hosts Real. .
If Colorado wins: They will advance to the knockout stages along with Santos.
If Colorado loses or draws: A loss would leave the Rapids hoping for a draw in the other game, as they hold the tiebreaker with Metapan. A draw would still leave them exposed as well, because Real Espana holds their head-to-head tiebreaker and Metapan could leapfrog them with a win.
If Metapan or Real Espana win: Either team will advance with a win so long as the Rapids do not win.
Group C
Not only are all four teams still alive in Group C, but all four can finish anywhere from first to last in the group. UNAM Pumas lead with eight points, while FC Dallas and Toronto FC are tied for second place with seven points and Tauro FC brings up the real with five points. As Toronto travels to Dallas and Tauro heads to Pumas on the final matchday, Pumas has a plus-five goal difference, Dallas is minus-two, Toronto is minus-three and Tauro is even.
If Pumas wins: A win and Pumas wins the group. Simple as that and they also eliminate Tauro
If Dallas or Toronto win: The winner of this match advances to the knockout stage. A win, along with a Pumas loss or draw will give them first place in the group, but at the very least three points guarantees the winner a spot in the next round.
If Dallas and Toronto draw: A draw would eliminate Toronto and send Dallas to the knockout stages so long as Pumas at least draws. If Tauro wins, that would create a four-way tie for second and would eliminate both MLS teams.
If Tauro wins: A win could give Tauro a spot in the next round, but only if Dallas and Toronto tie.
Group D
A draw in Guatemala last matchday was enough for the Seattle Sounders to clinch a spot in the knockout stages, but with 10 points, they are not guaranteed the top spot in the group. Monterrey trails them by just one point as they head to Seattle for the final group stage match. Comunicaciones are still in the race too on seven points with a trip to Herediano, who have already been eliminated, on tap. The only relevant tiebreaker is between Monterrey and Comunicaciones, in which Monterrey wins 3-2 on aggregate.
If Seattle wins: They win the group. Very simple for them.
If Monterrey wins: A win and Monterrey will top the group, also eliminating Comunicaciones.
If Seattle and Monterrey draw: A draw here hands Seattle the top spot in the group, while also earning Monterrey second place and eliminating Comunicaciones.
If Comunicaciones wins and Monterrey loses: Second place in the group goes to Comunicaciones and the defending champions are eliminated.
If Comunicaciones loses or draws: Night, night, thanks for coming.
Herediano Vs. Comunicaciones, 2011 CONCACAF Champions League: Herediano Win Meaningless Match
Wednesday's match between Herediano and Comunicaciones didn't mean a thing. It doesn't matter that it was a CONCACAF Champions League match. It really did not mean anything at all. Monterrey had already clinched first place in Group D and Seattle had second place. Herediano were already locked into last place in the group and Comunicaciones third place. The two teams were only playing because the schedule mandated that they do, but if you have to play it's always nice to win and Herediano got to be on the smiling side of the scoreboard as they topped their Guatemalan visitors 4-1.
Comunicaciones were actually the quick starters, getting a Carlos Mejia goal in the sixth minute, but then Jorge Barbosa got involved for Herediano. He struck in the 13th and 41st minutes to give the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead. Cristian Montero put the match on ice just three minutes into the second half, but Jose Cordero came off the bench to add one more just for fun as Herediano got to exit the competition on a win at least.
Oct 20 12:38a by Ryan Rosenblatt - 0 comments