Marathon seeks end to Mexican domination

March 17, 2010

There will not be an all-Mexican CONCACAF Champions League semifinals if Marathon coach Nicolas Suazo has anything to say about it.

Penalty kick goals by Walter Martinez and Carlos Mejia have given the Honduran squad has a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Pumas UNAM on Thursday. The winner faces either Cruz Azul or Arabe Unido in the semifinals.

“I am aiming to keep advancing in the Champions League, because our goal is to reach the final,” Suazo said.

Suazo adjusted his lineup for Sunday’s match at Platense, using three more junior players to give his regulars rest. Marathon still came away with a 1-0 victory – courtesy of Milton Palacios’ 77th-minute goal and now heads into the Champions League clash in Mexico City’s Estadio Olimpico Universitario with even more confidence.

“The victory gives us great courage to travel to Mexico,” Palacios said. “We want to go there to win because we have the capacity. We are in a good time and we must seize it.”

Marathon was ousted from last year’s Champions League quarterfinals by the second-division Puerto Rico Islanders and are looking to make amends.

After a disappointing result in the opening leg, Pumas returned home and played Chivas de Guadalajara to a goalless draw on Saturday night, extending its winless streak at Estadio Jalisco to 28 years.

Pumas are tied with Cruz Azul for second in Group 3 with 17 points, four behind leader Santos Laguna. They face an uphill climb, but veteran Paco Palencia is confident his squad will battle.

“We are a team who play and play, and will look to do the same for the institution,” he told reporters. “Our commitment is to the club, to try to do our best to achieve qualification.”

Concacaf

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