Rivalries

Julián Carranza's second goal of the night, in the 78th minute, lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 3-2 aggregate victory over Atlas on Wednesday in Guadalajara, Mexico, at the conclusion of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series.

The Union escaped with a 2-2 draw in Mexico after beating Atlas 1-0 in Chester, PA, on April 4 in the two-game, total-goal series. Philadelphia moves on to a semifinal series against Los Angeles FC, with the first leg scheduled for the last week of April and the second legs due to be played in the first week of May.

Ismaël Bennacer got a lot of high-fives after scoring the only goal in AC Milan's crucial 1-0 win over Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. 

However, if we have to choose a man of the match, that recognition should be in the hands of left fullback Theo Hernandez. The dyed-blond Frenchman probably didn't lead any stat some people care about nowadays, but he fueled his teammates from an emotional point of view.

Especially after seeing the aggressive tête-à-tête he starred alongside Mexican Hirving Lozano during a trivial throw-in.

With the countdown to the 2026 World Cup now underway, this summer's Gold Cup — now just 75 days away — takes on an added significance with CONCACAF rivals the United States, Mexico and Canada all aiming for regional supremacy. 

The Gold Cup begins on June 24 and ends with the final on July 16 at SoFi Stadium in California. On Monday, CONCACAF announced the 14 other venues that'll host the 16 teams attempting to claim the region's crown (including invited guest Qatar).