The 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League resumed last night, and a matchup between the New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps guarantees that at least one MLS side in preseason form will advance to the semifinals of the competition.
MLS declined to revamp the scheduling of the tournament because the alternative was to hugely disrupt MLS playoffs, and it’s pretty obvious which knockout competition is more important to the league.
Having said that, there’s no defense for Sacha Kljestan here. The newly-named Red Bulls captain has been going at it since January with the national team and should be able to hit a better penalty than this sitting down.
With the ‘Caps taking an early lead at Red Bull Arena, this was New York’s opportunity to equalize in the 46th minute. This might be the worst Panenka penalty of all time — if it qualifies as a Panenka.
46' Royer wins a penalty but THE GREAT DANE SAVES!
'Caps still lead 1-0. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/N4LrnFDOnT— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) February 23, 2017
‘Caps goalkeeper David Ousted moves one way and then just lays down and waits. He knowingly CLEARS the ball with his save. Has that ever happened before? Did that even have the pace necessary to cross the line?
The Red Bulls would find an equalizer through Bradley Wright-Phillips, but that probably didn’t make Kljestan feel any better.
The second leg in Vancouver is scheduled for March 2.
The18 Recommends For You
