Last Hope For MLS In Concacaf Champions League Destroyed By Monterrey In Semifinal First Leg

Sporting KC was the last hope. 

After four other MLS sides were tossed aside in embarrassing fashion — three to Liga MX sides — Sporting was the only squad north of the Rio Grande left in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League. 

They won’t be around much longer.

Sporting KC traveled to Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA Bancomer for the first leg of the CCL semifinals on Thursday night. The three-time winners of the competition were not friendly to their visitors from the north, throttling SKC 5-0 to all but put the tie to rest after 90 minutes.

It was a nightmare match for Sporting, which found itself down 2-0 after 14 minutes. The club regrouped a bit to go into halftime still just down the two goals, but it would only get worse after the break.

Monterrey added a third early in the second half and tacked on two more as SKC pushed for an away goal.

¿Te lo perdiste? ¡Acá tenemos todas las acciones del partido entre @rayados y @SportingKC! #SCCL2019 #MTYvSKC pic.twitter.com/SoX6BXQojq

— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) April 5, 2019

Dorlan Pabón scored twice while Avilés Hurtado, Jesús Gallardo and Nicolás Sánchez each scored for the home side. 

Down 5-0 returning to the States leaves SKC with little realistic chance of advancing. The team currently sixth in the Western Conference standings was the only MLS club to beat a Liga MX team over two legs of this competition, but that came in the Round of 16 over a Toluca side that frankly was trash. 

Monterrey meanwhile looks to be on a collision course with crosstown rival UANL after the Tigres whipped Santo Laguna 3-0 in the first leg of the other semifinal. Honestly, a Clásico Regiomontano Derby in the Concacaf Champions League final would be far more entertaining than Sporting KC at this point. 

"5-0 down is tough to fit, but we´ve seen worst" said @Krowe210 of @SportingKC #SCCL2019 #MTYvSKC pic.twitter.com/Urnj6hj0cr

— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) April 5, 2019

Assuming Donald Trump doesn’t follow through on his potentially disastrous decision to close the border, the second leg will be April 11 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.