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CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals: Your Running Commentary

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One of two Major League Soccer teams is guaranteed a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, and the first step to finding out which team that will be takes place tonight in Columbus when the Crew hosts Real Salt Lake (8 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel/Galavision) in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup.

The Crew hardly resembles the team that got through the group stage, with a bevy of key players from its 2010 squad no longer on the roster. Real Salt Lake, on the other hand, will try to steal a result on the road with a veteran, cohesive group that has had plenty of success over the last two seasons.

In the night's other quarterfinal first leg, Cruz Azul hosts Santos Laguna, which just fired its coach this week, in one of two all-Mexican quarterfinals (10 p.m., Telefutura).

If you will be watching either match — or both — please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. He’s much more excited when there are actually some fans in the seats. Columbus should have done better considering this is the 1st real match of the year.

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  2. +1

    Bad soccer. Columbus needs to find someone who can link up between the defenders and forwards real quick.

    RSL looked to be mailing it in from the get-go. Espindola was an off-sides machine in the first half. Lazy couldn’t get back onside.

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  3. Word, i’m glad it’s level going into RIOT, but good god, what the hell was that? I started to attribute the poor play to the frozen field, but that wasn’t the cause, haha.

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  4. Both teams really looked uninspired. It certainly wasn’t the worst I’ve ever seen though. Typical game from Jair Marrufo, the field conditions weren’t conducive for RSL’s game, Columbus looked the more likely to score but they didn’t do enough. Both teams were horrendous in the attacking third, especially RSL…. all two times they got there. Overall, a very forgettable game

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  5. It’s insane to be playing soccer in February in Ohio. Too cold and windy to be playing on a frozen field. Who could play good soccer under those conditions?

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  6. Lol subjectivity is not fact. Keep trying though.

    As we are being subjective, I actually agree they didn’t play well. Now should I copy and paste that to every post on thes boards?

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  7. Ironic that you are complaining on the replies of a long post, not made by me, saying the same thing.

    And guess what? I was just pointing out “facts” as well.

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  8. Guess what?

    Don’t read my posts. Or don’t read the dozens of other commentators expressing the exact same sentiment.

    So quit whining about my comments, and get off me.

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  9. let get this straight soccer player lose their physical yes!!! but one thing they cant lose is the skills if they have any. the preseason is no excuse ok. a soccer player should still be able to play good.

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  10. Edgar Renteria got an elbow up high on Borchers who then stuck a leg out and brought him down, and they both got sent off, maybe a little harsh on Borchers who didn’t really kick out just stuck his foot in Renteria’s way, and I couldn’t really even tell if Edgar’s elbow really connected when I was replaying it, so they could have both been harsh.

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  11. And for that matter 90% of teams in the EPL looked very rusty for a few weeks into the season.

    This is why Russia is moving to the traditional season, as their teams are usually bad in knock-out of Champions League.

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  12. Of course not.

    You suggest we watch the entire game and not comment because the play was trash?

    Would you prefer people only comment when it suits your liking? The reality is that the play on that field was trash.

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  13. Then turn it off. Bitching about it won’t change anything. This is preseason, even Man City looked awful during their preseason in NYC and that team is full of World Class players.

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  14. I am actually offended that either commentator would even think of suggesting that either team was alright, let alone outright stating that the teams overall played well.

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  15. Even during the preseason, these teams should not be this bad. Some of these players cannot even complete a 20 yard pass, or they are passing to nobody at all.

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  16. This is awful. Awful play. Awful refereeing. Awful play-calling. Awful television production and direction.

    The only positive I see is that Nick Rimando’s uniform makes him look like he stepped off the set of Tron: Legacy.

    I was hoping that an MLS side could win the CONCACAF Champions League this year, but that doesn’t look likely after this game.

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