Two out of three for MLS in the Champions League
The soccer news starts with the Seattle Sounders crashing out of the 2018 Concacaf Champions League at the semifinal stage. Carrying a 1-0 advantage into the away leg against Chivas, Seattle lost 3-0 on the night with Chivas advancing 3-1 on aggregate. Oswaldo Alanis put Chivas up in the 50th minute with Javier Lopez scoring in the 55th. Jose Godinez added a third goal in the 80th minute. Seattle had to sub out Will Bruin just 8 minutes in due to injury. Chad Marshall exited in the 35th minute following a clash of heads that left him with a noticeably swollen eye.
“I would say that number one I don’t want to take anything away from Chivas, because I thought that they played hard and that they played well,” Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer said. “Certainly, it is a disadvantage if you lose the captain and your playmaker. It certainly is a disadvantage when you lose two players in the first-half. But our team does not make excuses. The expectation is that the next player has to step forward.”
In the other Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal, Joe Corona’s Club America had no trouble at Tauro winning 3-1 on the night and 7-1 on aggregate. Henry Martin scored in the 6th and 19th minutes with Alejandro Diaz adding a goal in the 67th. Tauro’s Julio Sanchez scored in the 70th minute. Club America advances to play the Toronto FC on April 3 with Chivas facing the New York Red Bulls on April 4 in the semifinal first-legs. Both of those series conclude on April 10.
Moving to the Copa MX quarterfinals, Ventura Alvarado’s Necaxa knocked out UNAM Pumas 2-1 away. Necaxa played down a goal from the 3rd minute and down a man from a 28th minute red card to Dieter Villalpando. Matias Fernandez equalized in the 55th and Luis Perez scored Necaxa’s winner in the 79th minute. In Ligue 1, Tim Weah was on the bench for PSG’s 2-1 home win over Angers. Kylian Mbappe scored for PSG in the 12th minute. PSG went a man down with a red card to Thiago Motta in the 16th. Mbappe scored again in the 25th with Angers pulling a goal back in the 75th minute.
Also in the soccer news, The Chicago Sun-Times’ Brian Sandalow and Dan Mihalopoulos report that Chicago won’t be a part of the 2026 North American World Cup bid. With Vancouver also dropping out of the bid, The Breaker’s Bob Mackin reports on what FIFA is requiring from cities in 2026.
ESPN’s Mark Ogden on what two teams exiting the Champions League means for the Premier League. Training Ground Guru’s Simon Austin explains how Belgium revitalized its national team following Euro 2000.
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Photo by Robin Alam – ISIPhotos.com
