LAFC made MLS history Thursday night while the Seattle Sounders avoided it. The Sounders left a sour taste in the mouth of MLS fans on what was a monumental night in the Concacaf Champions League.
Let’s start with the good news. Carlos Vela and company became the first MLS team to defeat a Liga MX side after losing the first leg by multiple goals.
Last Wednesday, El Salvador’s Alianza FC upset Tigres 2-1 in the most eye-catching result of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 first legs. Playing the reverse fixture at El Volcán in Mexico tonight, Tigres’ wrath seemed unavoidable. After all, the Liga MX club has finished runner-up three of the last four years and has a favorable route to this year’s final as the only Mexican team on its side of the bracket.
After a wild afternoon of UEFA Champions League play, all we want is more. Thankfully the football doesn’t end here as the Concacaf Champions League knockout stages kickoff Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Can MLS finally compete with Liga MX? Will a club from another nation rise up? Or will the Mexican clubs once again prove their dominance over the region? The must-see match Tuesday is between MLS new giant LAFC and León, third place in the Clausura.
I’ve never played goalkeeper before, but I can imagine it’s pretty damn infuriating when an opponent stands directly between you and your distribution. I’m not trying to excuse the behavior of Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzmán — who absolutely lost it in those exact circumstances and attempted to punt a man — but I also can’t suppress a chuckle while he blatantly attempts to drive his knee up Eduardo Aguirre’s sphincter.
According to a press release from FOX Sports, the network has landed an exclusive multi-year English-language rights deal with CONCACAF for coverage of the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups as well as men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers and the CONCACAF Champions League.
Fresh off cementing their reputation as the third-best team in the world, Rayados have captured the 2019 Liga MX Apertura title after a brilliant performance inside the house of the beast.
After doing CONCACAF proud with a third place finish at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, Monterrey finally returned home to contest the first leg of the Liga MX Apertura final on Thursday night. Coming off four games in ten days in Qatar, it was always going to be a test of Rayados’ fortitude against a Club América side that hadn’t played a match in over two and a half weeks.
After a remarkable shootout performance from backup goalkeeper Luis Cárdenas, Monterrey can claim it’s the third-best team in the world after edging Al-Hilal on penalty kicks on Saturday at the Club World Cup. After a 2-2 draw, Los Rayados won the shootout 4-3 in the third-place match.
OK, maybe the Liga MX side isn’t actually the third-best club team in the world, but don’t let that ruin a good excuse to party.
Monterrey gave Liverpool all it could handle in today’s FIFA Club World Cup semifinal in Qatar. The two sides exchanged early goals through Naby Keïta and Rogelio Funes Mori, but it was the substitute Roberto Firmino who scored the dramatic winner in second half stoppage time to book Liverpool’s place in the final, where they’ll meet Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo.
Leonel Vangioni booked a date with Liverpool with one monstrous lash of his left foot.
Monterrey’s 31-year-old Argentine left back launched a stunning long-range goal to help his team beat Al-Sadd 3-2 in the Club World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday in Qatar. The victory sends Los Rayados to the semifinals against UEFA Champions League champion Liverpool on Wednesday.