Sunday night’s Concacaf Nations League final between the United States and Mexico was the craziest game I have ever seen. Period.
The game had everything on and off the field, including a fan parkouring off the Paramount+ set to evade security. The fact that a fan taking a plunge into the stands from the broadcast booth isn’t big news goes to show how nutty this Concacaf classic was.
A sensational, helter skelter Concacaf Nations League final between the USMNT and Mexico in Denver, Colorado, was ultimately won 3-2 by the home nation after a 120-minute match that included sensational moments of play, godawful refereeing, raucous fan behavior, five goals and a backup goalkeeper making a decisive penalty save at the death.
The story of the Reyna family is well-known on the pitch. Claudio excelled for the USMNT, winning 112 caps and playing at three World Cups, and his 18-year-old son Gio has already shown early signs of usurping his genius.
On Sunday evening, Gio scored his third senior U.S. goal in only his seventh appearance. It was his first competitive goal for the USMNT, serving as a 27th minute equalizer against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League final.
The excitement around the USMNT is warranted. The quality of our young core is evident in the roll call of clubs they play for: Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund among them.
But the expectations have to be tempered. These players are still developing, which is also evident in the roles they play for those teams. Gio Reyna started the highest percentage of league games with BVB at 67.6%, followed by Dest with Barça (60.5%) and then Pulisic with the Blues (47.4%) and McKennie with the Old Lady (47.4%).
En México se respira, come y bebe fútbol. El balompié es el deporte rey en el mundo entero y en México no es la excepción. Los aztecas han invertido dantescas cantidades de dinero en su liga y en la adquisición de jugadores de enjundia, que pueden marcar la diferencia en momentos claves de un partido de fútbol. Igualmente, las categorías inferiores tampoco se quedan atrás. México se ha coronado dos veces en mundiales juveniles. La pregunta del millón: ¿Dónde juegan esas estrellas del Tri campeonas de los mundiales Sub-17 de 2005 y 2011 en la actualidad?
It’s all square between Columbus and Monterrey after an enthralling 2-2 draw at Historic Crew Stadium on Wednesday night.
The first leg of this CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal began disastrously for the Crew with Aké Loba opening the scoring for the visitors in the ninth-minute, but Milton Valenzuela equalized in the 65th before Lucas Zelarayán (a former Tigres player himself) scored a dramatic second in the 87th-minute.
With five MLS clubs and three Liga MX sides making up the quarterfinals of the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League, the stage is perfectly set to deliver the matchups we all want to see.
While one MLS side is guaranteed passage to the semifinals (Atlanta and Philadelphia do battle in the quarters), we’re eagerly anticipating 2018 CCL finalist Toronto against 2014 CCL winner Cruz Azul, reigning MLS Cup titleholder Columbus taking on 2019 CCL victor Monterrey, and 2020 MLS is Back Tournament champ (the highest accolade around) Portland clashing with 2016 CCL top dog América.
When the topic of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) is discussed among American soccer fans, the inevitable focus is on the struggles of MLS sides in the competition.
Since the tournament was expanded and renamed in 2008, a Mexican side has won the title every season. More than half of the CCL finals have been contested between Liga MX teams and only four MLS sides have reached the final in that timespan.
The last American team to lift the trophy was LA Galaxy back in 2000, only the second MLS club to win in the 33 seasons of the competition up to that point.
Mientras los goles del Cruz Azul caían y caían en el arco del Arcahaie FC, el reportero en cancha de TUDN, Adrián Esparza, narraba que nunca había visto una escena tan triste en un campo de juego. "Hay jugadores llorando", contaba a sus compañeros de transmisión. El 8-0 de La Máquina sobre el club haitiano, sí, era demoledor, pero la sensación en el ambiente también insinuaba un elemento más profundo y mucho más relevante que una simple llave de la Concacaf Champions League.
Menospreciada a veces por sus propios participantes (Club América, te hablamos a ti), pero no carente de emociones. Hoy comienza la Liga de Campeones Concacaf 2021 y hacemos un breve análisis de las parejas que inician los octavos de final de la competencia.
Antes, el cuadro para que vayan pensando, imaginando y pronosticando el camino al título. ¿Ven a alguien que pueda interrumpir el dominio mexicano en los últimos 15 años?