Concacaf Champions Cup: Crew held by Tigres, América routs Revs

SPORTSAREENA.comApril 3, 2024

7 3 minutes read

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

Liga MX has the benefit over MLS after two first leg matches of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.

Following a two-hour delay due to inclement climate, MLS Cup-holders Columbus Crew settled for a 1-1 tie with Mexican counterparts Tigres on Tuesday within the first leg of the home-and-home, whole objectives wins sequence in Ohio’s capital — a outcome that will enable Tigres to advance to the semis even with scoreless tie south of the border subsequent week.

In wet New England, Liga MX titan Club América demolished MLS’s Revolution 4-0, a victory that may all however actually see the file seven-time regional champs advance to the ultimate 4.

The different remaining MLS-Liga MX sequence kicks off on Wednesday when Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hosts CF Monterrey (kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

Here are three fast ideas on Tuesday’s video games.

Crew cannot discover the winner

Even with out Colombian worldwide and foremost headliner Cucho Hernandez (extra on that under), the Crew needed to like their possibilities of beating Tigres at dwelling.

But the guests’ assault has been spearheaded for years by former France nationwide group ahead André-Pierre Gignac who, at age 38, stays certainly one of Concacaf’s most deadly finishers. He proved it with a wonderfully taken strike that put the hosts in an early gap Tuesday.

Columbus finally dug out of it via Diego Rossi’s equalizer simply earlier than halftime. They have been higher over the 90 minutes. But they nonetheless could not discover the primary leg winner they needed and perhaps even deserved.

Now nothing however a win at Estadio Universitario subsequent week will do. That’s in no way inconceivable for a group pretty much as good because the Crew, nevertheless it will not be simple in a rustic the place MLS sides hardly ever prevail — particularly with key midfielder Aiden Morris suspended after being proven a second yellow card late in Tuesday’s encounter.

Revs’s embarrassing night time has one silver lining

This Champions Cup run had been the lone brilliant spot of New England’s in any other case dismal begin below first 12 months coach Caleb Porter, whose group sits useless final amongst MLS’ 29 groups 5 weeks into the home league’s 2024 season.

That ended rapidly on Tuesday. Over the opening 24 minutes at a soggy Gillette Stadium in suburban Boston, América scored two probably tie-breaking away objectives to successfully render the mixture dwelling and residential sequence over earlier than it actually began. Veteran striker Henry Martin opened the scoring simply after the quarter-hour mark, and U.S. males’s nationwide teamer Alex Zendejas doubled the Aguilas‘ lead with a beautiful left-footed strike effectively earlier than the primary half was over, a lot to the delight of the hundreds of América followers in attendance.

Two extra objectives after the break added the exclamation mark.

Sure, loopy stuff occurs in soccer. But anticipating the Revs to go 7,200 ft above sea stage and rout Mexico’s richest and most profitable membership by 4 or extra objectives on the Iconic Azteca Stadium is not reasonable. New England’s run is over. And if that truth permits Porter’s facet to prioritize slowly climbing up MLS’s Eastern Conference standings and into playoff rivalry, maybe it is for the very best.

Where was Cucho Hernández?

The most intriguing subplot of both recreation Tuesday was simply Crew coach Wilfried Nancy’s obvious choice to not even costume star Colombian striker Cucho Hernández for the essential opener in Ohio’s capital. Nancy sat Cucho in an MLS common season contest over the weekend for what the boss known as a violation of “team policy,” in line with the Columbus Dispatch. The unspecified infraction was seemingly extreme sufficient to increase to the largest match the Crew – who’ve by no means reached the Concacaf last 4 – have performed since profitable MLS Cup final December.

It was a gutsy choice, little question, but in addition one which left the hosts at a definite drawback with out their match-winning talisman. It additionally makes you marvel what occurs subsequent. Will Cucho be again in Nancy’s lineup for subsequent week’s decider in Monterrey? Is the injury past restore? There have been no clear solutions within the quick aftermath of Tuesday’s stalemate, one which left the Crew needing an unlikely win south of the border within the rematch to advance to the semifinals.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.