Two invitations still unclaimed for Champions League quarterfinals

October 31, 2008

Two games remain, and two places in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals are still undecided.

The Houston Dynamo and CD Luis Angel Firpo still have to fight it out over the second quarterfinal from berth from Group B, while Cruz Azul and Deportivo Saprissa remain in contention in Group A.

Cruz Azul, however, can only sit and wait to learn its fate.

Marathon already has guaranteed itself one of the berths from Group A, but still has a home game left against Saprissa on Wednesday.

With all three teams tied with 10 points atop Group A, Cruz Azul needs Marathon to win at home next week to get through. A draw between Marathon and Saprissa would give both 11 points and put both sides from Central America through.

A Saprissa victory would leave Marathon tied with Cruz Azul, but the Honduran side won the head-to-head meetings with the Mexico City club.

Cruz Azul split its two meetings with Saprissa, but won 4:0 at home and lost only 1:0 in San Jose, giving it an advantage on goal difference over the Costa Rican team.

Even though Marathon would advance with a loss, it could claim the group title and a top seeding for the next round with a 1:0 victory, or a win by two or more goals.

The issue between Firpo and the Dynamo won’t be decided until 26 November due to their originally scheduled match on 17 September being postponed because of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Houston.

For Houston, the match will come three days after the USA’s MLS Cup final, and for Marathon, four days before the final game of Honduran regular season.

Besides Marathon, five other teams already have begun to investigate travel arrangements for the quarterfinals in February and March.

Pumas UNAM confirmed its knockout round berth with a 6:0 rout of San Francisco FC on Wednesday, the most lopsided result so far in the Champions League, and guaranteeing itself of a top seed for the quarterfinals.

Atlante FC rallied from an early deficit to beat the Montreal Impact 2:1, edging out the Canadian side for the top spot from Group C on head-to-head results. Gabriel Pareyra’s goal in the 83rd minute that won the match marked the first time the Impact had been behind in Group Stage and handed Montreal its first loss.

In Group D, the Puerto Rico Islanders became the second team from the United Soccer Leagues – essentially the second division of North American soccer – to reach the final eight. It held on for a 2:2 draw with Tauro FC on Wednesday, joining Mexico’s Santos and claiming the second berth from the group having won the head-to-head meetings with the Panamanian club and also scoring more away goals.

Each of the qualified teams will discover their quarterfinal fates on 10 December, when the draw will be conducted for the knockout rounds. The top seeds will have the advantage of hosting the second leg at home.

Somebody will pack be packing thermal underwear for a trip to Montreal, and somebody else will have to pick the proper sun block for Cancun.

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Tags: CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Comments

One Response to “Two invitations still unclaimed for Champions League quarterfinals”

Trinidad » Happy Halloween on October 31st, 2008 12:15 pm

[...] Two invitations still unclaimed for Champions League quarterfinals… Three goals by Zelaya pace El Salvador to 5:0 victory over shorthanded Haiti (1); Ten-man Trinidad & Tobago holds Guatemala to 0:0 draw (0); Tauro, Puerto Rico face off for quarterfinal berth from Group D (0) [...]

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