Two more MLS sides will get a crack at the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, when facing off against a pair of fierce Liga MX competitors.
Real Salt Lake will look to start 2016 off on the right foot when the team travels to Estadio Universitario to take on Tigres, while the LA Galaxy will host Santos Laguna from the StubHub Center.
No MLS side has ever won the CCL in its current format, now in its eighth year. The Galaxy did however win the Champions Cup, which was later renamed the CCL in 2008.
Here’s a closer look at Wednesday’s CCL action:
TIGRES UANL vs. REAL SALT LAKE (Wednesday, 8 p.m., FOX Sports 2)
After undergoing a lot of turnaround this offseason, Real Salt Lake begins its 2016 season against Tigres.
Last season, RSL hovered near the Western Conference basement of MLS for most of season, and with the loss of players like Luis Gil and Luis Silva, the team is certainly faced with some challenges. The additions of former attacker Yuri Movsisyan and veteran defender Chris Wingert will certainly give the team a positive outlook on the season though.
“Our expectations are to advance in the Champions League,” Wingert told SBI. “It’s a tournament that’s been important to us for a number of years now. With us making a good run back in 2011, but still coming up short in the end, it’s a competition that everybody wants to win. The guys that were here back in 2011 are really itching to get back and have another opportunity to try to hoist that trophy.”
For Tigres, which currently sits fifth in the Liga MX Clausura standings, Mexican international Javier Aquino leads the way for Ricardo Ferretti’s side. In seven league matches this season, Aquino has netted two goals and three assists, while teammate Alonso Zamora leads the team with two goals in the CCL. However, Aquino has been ruled out of tomorrow’s game with a tendinitis injury.
The two clubs will play their second leg fixture on March 2 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
LA GALAXY vs. SANTOS LAGUNA (Wednesday, 10 p.m., FOX Sports 1)
If any MLS side is built to win this year’s CCL, it’s most likely the LA Galaxy.
Star power is on full display in Bruce Arena’s squad, which features attacking players like Robbie Keane, Giovani Dos Santos and Steven Gerrard, among others.
Santos Laguna will be a massive test for the Galaxy though, as they are balancing their preseason MLS schedule in preparation for the upcoming season. Djaniny and Luis Ángel Mendoza will be two players for the Galaxy to keep their eyes on. The two players have combined for five goals in this year’s CCL competition, and there could definitely be more on the way.
While Santos has never hoisted the CCL trophy, the Mexican club has finished runner-up twice in back-to-back seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13. It lost to fellow Liga MX side Monterrey both years.
The Galaxy and Santos will play their return leg match at Estadio Corona on March 1.
With the kind of budget they have LA should have absolutely no problem handling any Liga MX team.
Lol……good one Rob. Classic comedy.
They got their ass handed to them 4-1 by Puerto Rico Islanders few years ago. Yes LD was playing. LD the world beater couldn’t even single handedly beat PRI!
Couldn’t disagree more. LA is not the best team in MLS.
First game of the season is a champions league match? Hummmm, can we find more ways to give liga mx an advantage? Oh yeah you can hire old players from Europe!
This season will be designated an absolute failure if LA doesn’t raise one or two trophies minimum. There’s no excuse for their “all of nothing” approach and roster moves.
If this Galaxy team can’t do it then no MLS team can do it under the current league structure. Mexican clubs have much more depth than MLS when it comes to players 12-18, and that makes all of the difference in this competition. Gerard, De Jong, Cole and the rest of the crew need to start earning their paychecks immediately.
The MLS teams have had a huge disadvantage over the last eight years. You cannot achieve a level of fitness aerobically to be competitive in a 90 minute match at this time against a opponent who has played competitive matches while you have worked into achieving just you baseline fitness. The MLS pre-season starts to late ( 4 weeks) an is not enough time. The lack of aerobic capacity also causes a degradation of eye-foot/eye-hand coordination, decreased cognitive ability, and less muscle memory. While superior athletic ability may compensate, soccer is a team sport and one weak link dooms to whole effort.
We saw last nite that both DC United gave up their goals after the 60th minute. Seattle all in the second half , Around 60-70 minutes is about the time, in soccer, your “second wind” kicks in. In the early stages though, it takes longer for this second wind to kick in. You do not press enough, you do not make runs and you do not play the same way you will play in 4 more weeks as your body does not want to seem to cooperate.
Why do we play this early?
When these dates were formed, it was a the insistence of Concacaf who were essentially controlled by the corrupt officials, from the CA and Car nations who are now gone. It was also to fit into those countries football schedules and to the timing of the World CUp Club dates (now different) In short the US was outvoted and were stuck.
Wiser minds have now seen that without the US fully engaged, CONCCACAf is losing out of potential advert revenue from the US by not having it’s teams present in the fnals.
Whoever heard of ScotiaBANK?
No mention of Gignac – really?
How or why did this guy choose Liga MX over MLS? Was he overlooked? He’s fantastic with his grit, tenacity and straight forward approach towards scoring. Very stronger header of the ball and his technical skill is pretty decent.
I doubt he makes more than 3 million playing there, so why isn’t he here in MLS?
Basically, because LigaMX looks for good players while MLS looks for famous players regardless of actual skills. Gignac is more good than he’s famous.