Herculez Gomez has made a habit of burning Toronto FC for goals, and Wednesday night was no different as the U.S. national team striker delivered the winning strike against a TFC side that tried and failed to score a major upset in Mexico.
Toronto FC needed a big win against the Mexican champions to beat them out for a place in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, but after wasting some quality early chances, TFC was left without a goal to show for their early work.
A draw would have eliminated TFC just the same, but Gomez did what he does best these days. Score against Toronto. He belted a hard shot from outside the penalty area in the 73rd minute for the game’s only goal. The strike marked his fourth goal scored against TFC in four matches in 2012.
The victory propels Santos Laguna into the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals for the third straight year, as they look to return to the final and take care of unfinished business. They lost in the 2012 Champions League final to Monterrey.
For TFC, the loss ended their hopes of finding a silver lining in a truly dismal season. They close out their MLS campaign on Saturday against the Columbus Crew.