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CCL Rewind: RSL bounce back, Santos Laguna rout Aguila and more

Saborio (Reuters Pictures)

Real Salt Lake got the performance they were looking for to end a four-game losing streak.

In need of a bounce-back performance after a CONCACAF Champions League-opening loss to Herediano and after three straight losses in league play, RSL topped Panamanian side Tauro FC 2-0 behind second-half goals from Alvaro Saborio and Kyle Beckerman. With the win, RSL is tied with Herediano atop Group 2 with three points and on goal differential, though Herediano has only played the one match.

Both RSL goals — Saborio's close-range follow-up and Beckerman's low, left-footed blast from distance — were set up by Paulo Junior, who was a difference-maker in the second half after being given the start by Jason Kreis over Fabian Espindola. Kreis also had to shift his back line with an injury to Jamison Olave and suspension to Nat Borchers, opting for a centerback tandem of Chris Wingert and Kwame Watson-Siriboe. The defense did its job in front of Nick Rimando, while the RSL attack came alive after being stymied by Tauro in the first half.

It was not all good news for RSL, which lost Beckerman to a red card in the 72nd minute after a challenge on which he resorted to a high kick and exposed cleat moments after he had been kneed in the head on a separate play. He'll be forced to miss RSL's next CCL match, which is a rematch at Tauro on Sept. 18.

In other CCL results from Tuesday:

SANTOS LAGUNA 5, AGUILA 0

When teams need to boost their goal differential, they turn to Aguila.

The Salvadoran side was routed for the second time in as many group games, as Darwin Quintero's hat trick paved the way for an easy Santos Laguna win at Estadio Corona. Edgar Lugo and Daniel Luduena also scored for Santos, which led 4-0 by halftime. Herculez Gomez came off the bench as a 66th-minute substitute for the Mexican champions.

Aguila, which fell to Toronto FC 5-1 in their opener, is all but eliminated after two matches, while Group 1 figures to come down to the two TFC-Santos matchups, which will be rematches of last season's semifinals. They meet for the first time next Tuesday at BMO Field.

XELAJU 1, CHIVAS DE GUADALAJARA 0

On paper, Chivas de Guadalajara looked to be the favorite to capture Group 8, but through the first round of games, the Mexican side sits in last place.

Xelaju's Edgar Chinchilla scored the lone goal — giving him three in two CCL matches thus far — heading home a corner kick in the 68th minute to lift the Guatemalan side to three points and first place in the group. 

Chivas trail Xelaju (four points) and Trinidadian side W Connection (one point) in the group.

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What did you think of RSL's win? Do you think TFC can give Santos Laguna a battle for Group 1? Surprised at Chivas' struggles?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I never said the CC is more legit than OC. There are problems with both. But they qualified and they aren’t representing the mls any worse than most of the teams. Didn’t they eliminate LA in the Spring? Shouldn’t you be embarrased for LA? Isn’t LA bring a bad name to the league under your arguement? My arguement is this, TFC won and they are in the tournament. They don’t bring shame on MLS if they choke. Our history in this tournament is a history of choking. The only team to make it to the final under the current format was RSL, my team, which made it under a serious of very lucky circumstances. We are a growing league. We have made great strides but TFC going and lossing big is par for the course. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for better but to call them out as losers and a black eye to the league is bad sportsmanship. You can point your finger in a million directiosn with the league and Open Cup and Concacaf. But don’t be so self righteous about it. SJ was the laughing stock of the league two years ago. Look at them now. In two years who knows what will happen.

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  2. We could disagree and we could both make good points, but as of now you have not made a good point. I also did not call you stupid. I told you not to be stupid, implying that you probably are not stupid, but your reasons for your argument are ridiculous.

    You can throw out whatever opinion you wish, but there are certainly ones that are more right and yours that the USOC is bs and the NCC is legit is, quite honestly, one of the most ridiculous stances I have ever seen.

    If you find parity to be embarrasing then you follow the wrong league. Each team having a fighting chance each year is much better for the sport than having one or two teams you know are going to dominate.

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  3. Open Cup is BS. If you can call me stupid, I can call the OC bs. And until you can’t buy home field advantage and the qualifying schedule is played during breaks of the MLS schedule the tournament has its flaws. We don’t have to agree. And we both can have decent points that may differ in conclusions. If you think Toronto doesn’t represent the MLS well then what would you say about Colorado who won the MLS cup two years ago and now suck eggs. To me that is more of an embarrassment if you team can go drom No 1 to a noncontender in 48 months. That is much more of an embarrasment to the league than Toronto qualifying through the Canadian Championship.

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  4. Well put, although Toronto hs had decent showings in the past at this tournament, so has Puerto Rico and other teams of the like. But no one actually expects them to win the thing, we expect them to do exactly what they did last year, hold there own for a little while and then get smashed eventually. If they play in MLS no matter how they got in, it gives people a negative view on the quality of the league. What people usually don’t realize is that they didn’t finish in the top half of the league to qualify but in actuality, the bottom half.

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  5. They most definately are representing MLs. Anytime an MLS team steps on the field they represent the league, no matter what they are playing for.

    The Canadian Championship is nowhere near as legitimate as the US Open Cup, the USOC is like most major cups around the world, the NCC is a four team show, its more like the World Football Challenge than a real tournament. Dont be stupid.

    Having said that, TFC qualified by the means set before them and are just as much a part of CCL as the other MLS teams that qualified. Just dont try to defend them by trying to change what they are or demeaning other tournaments, you make yourself seem foolish.

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  6. Get over yourself. They qualified as the best team from Canada through a legit tournament. They aren’t representing the MLS. The tournament they qualified through is about as legit as the stupid Open Cup.

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  7. Do the top two advance? If not RSL will have a tough time finishing first. Also, I realize Toronto get in through winning the Canadian championship but since they play in MLS they should have to qualify through MLS play. It’s embarrasing having them represent us, especially since they consistenly are one of the worst teams in the league.

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