Champions League resumes with Crew-Toluca

March 9, 2010

Champions League resumes with Crew-Toluca
The CONCACAF Champions League returns after a four-month hiatus on Tuesday, with the first of four quarterfinals as the Columbus Crew host Toluca in the opening leg Tuesday night at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

The second leg will be played at Estadio Nemesio Diez on March 17.

Since becoming the only Major League Soccer squad to advance to the group stage, Columbus re-signed Argentine legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto and also brought in Colombian forward Sergio Herrera from Deportivo Cali.

Schelotto, the Crew’s top player, will miss Tuesday’s home leg, serving a one-game ban because of accumulated yellow cards. He was booked in the 89th minute of the Crew’s final group stage match.

Also serving a one-game suspension is American international fullback Frankie Hejduk, while Columbus central defender Chad Marshall will miss both legs and possibly the Major League Soccer opener against Toronto FC after suffering a hamstring injury in preseason. Also out is defender Jed Zayner with a knee injury.

“It’s a strain, but you could see an area that was torn,” Marshall told the Columbus Dispatch. “Hopefully I’ll be back by the [MLS] opener, but we have [a bye week] after that, so maybe no later than the second game.”

The Crew wrapped up the 2009 Major League Soccer season losing to eventual MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake on aggregate in the quarterfinals. In Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, Columbus tied the Kansas City Wizards 1-1 in its final preseason tune-up before its CONCACAF Champions League tilt.

While the Crew is winding down its preseason, Toluca is in the middle of its Clausura campaign, having won two of its last three games and is unbeaten in four straight. On Saturday, Toluca battled Atlas to a 1-1 draw at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara. Hector Mancilla put Toluca in front in the 31st minute, but Herbert Alferez equalized with six minutes remaining.

Last Sunday, Mancilla dedicated a goal in a 3-0 victory against Indios to his native Chile and those affected by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake. He lifted up his jersey to display a shirt that read “Animo, Chile.”

“Family members closest to me were fine, thank God,” Mancilla said. “There is no water, food or power, but friends and family a bit more distant lost their houses and that makes me sad. So that’s why I dedicate the goal to them.”

The Diablos Rojos are fourth in Clausura’s Group 1, two points behind third-place Atlas.

Since winning Group B in the CONCACAF Champions League, Toluca, which will be without Edgar Duenas, who will serve a one-game suspension, has added Chilean defender Osvaldo Gonzalez. The 25-year-old previously played for Universidad de Chile after coming up through Universidad de Concepcion’s youth system.

A positive result in the opener at Crew Stadium is critical for Columbus because Major League Soccer clubs have struggled mightily in Mexico over the years. In fact, D.C. United’s group stage draw against Toluca at Estadio Nemesio Diez in October was only the second time an MLS team has earned a point on Mexican soil.

Concacaf

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2009: Honduras joins USA, Mexico in World Cup

December 22, 2009


To some, which teams would get to the World Cup from CONACACAF was clear.

After one game of the final round of CONCACAF qualifying – or the “hexagonal”, former international coach Bora Milutinovic made what many thought was a bold prediction.

“Mexico, USA and Honduras will be the first three,” he said when spied by a reporter in Columbus, Ohio, an hour after the United States beat Mexico 2-0 on February 11.

Milutinovic, who had coached all three teams, including Costa Rica, was amazingly prophetic.

Mexico and the United States have made it a habit, both qualifying in each of the last five World Cups. Honduras clinched a berth for the first time in more than a generation — since 1982.

The odd team out was Costa Rica, which had qualified for the 2002 and 2006 tournaments.

For the second time in three qualifying cycles, the Mexicans needed coach Javier Aguirre to rescue their campaign at the start of the final round. Sven Goran-Eriksson was fired as coach and Aguirre was brought in the rescue an underachieving side. He accomplished that feat in 2001.

Given a new direction and vitality, the Mexicans gained momentum and qualified as the hottest team in CONCACAF. They clinched a spot behind a 4-1 home win over El Salvador at Estadio Azteca October 10 to finish with a 6-1-3 record and 19 points.

The United States likewise claimed their place in the 32-team South Africa field with a game to spare, outlasting Honduras 3-2 in San Pedro Sula to earn a sixth straight trip to the World Cup and finish atop the qualifying standings (6-2-2, 20) – one point ahead of Mexico.

Conor Casey, who had never started a qualifier or an important international match and who had a 14-game scoreless streak, scored twice for the Americans. The encounter was so riveting that the capacity crowd applauded the effort, despite the home side going down to defeat when Honduran veteran Carlos Pavon put an 87th-minute penalty kick over the bar.

That sent the last berth down to the last match day to decide between Honduras and Costa Rica.

Costa Rica needed at least a draw against the United States in Washington and loss by Honduras in El Salvador. A Honduras victory would require a Costa Rica victory for the Ticos to advance.

Neither scenario occurred.

Pavon atoned for his penalty miss four days earlier with a 65th-minute tally to give Honduras (5-1-4, 16 points) a 1-0 victory and a chance to go to the World Cup. But its efforts seemed in vain, with Costa Rica taking a 2-0 first-half lead over the United States and still leading 2-1 heading into extra time.

But U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein scored 4 1/2 minutes into stoppage time, lifting the Americans to a 2-2 draw and earning himself hero status in Honduras.

Costa Rica (5-1-4, 16 points), was denied its berth on goal difference, but had another opportunity to qualify in a two-leg playoff against Uruguay, the fifth-place finisher from South America.

However, the Central American side lost at home to Uruguay in the first leg in San Jose, Costa Rica, on November 14, and wasn’t able to overtake the South Americans four days later in Montevideo, settling for a 1-1 draw and only hopes for 2012.

By Michael Lewis

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FAS, Municipal clinch Champions League berths

December 21, 2009


CD FAS won a record 17th El Salvadoran league title to earn a place in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League, outlasting long-time rival Aguila in extra time to claim the country’s Apertura championship.

On own-goal by Arturo Albarran in the 95th minute and an eventual winner by Juan Carlos Moscoso two minutes later gave FAS a 3-2 victory in the title match Sunday, overcoming a pair of goals by Aguila’s Nicholas Addlery.

FAS enters the Champions League field along with Municipal, which drew 0-0 with Comunicaciones on Sunday to claim a record 27th Guatemalan league crown. The draw gave Municipal a 1-0 aggregate victory, having won the first leg of the Apertura final on Thursday, and returns the capital club to the Champions League after its appearance in the inaugural competition.

Both winners assured themselves of places in the knockout Preliminary Round while Municipal can advance to the Group Stage by finishing with the best overall record between the Apertura and Clausura.

The teams become the ninth and 10th clubs to clinch berths in the 2010-2011 Champions League, filling nearly half of the 24-team field. Teams that already have qualified are American sides Real Salt Lake, Columbus, Los Angeles and Seattle; Mexican clubs Monterrey and Cruz Azul; Honduran Apertura champion Marathon; and Arabe Unido of Panama.

FAS’ title was its first since the 2004-2005 Clausura, and gave it three more than Aguila, sending the annual confederation club championship next year to Santa Ana, El Salvador’s second largest city with a population of 275,000.

Municipal will try to improve on its first showing in the Champions League, when it won only one of six Group Stage matches and finished last behind Santos, the Puerto Rico Islanders and Tauro of Panama.

NEW YORK

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Columbus-Toluca to open CCL quarters on March 9

November 26, 2009

Columbus will host Toluca on Tuesday, March 9 to open the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, kicking off the tournament’s knockout stages.

Marathon will be home against Mexico’s Pumas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the following day in the first leg of their two-game series while Comunicaciones will host Pachuca of Mexico in Guatemala City later that night.

Panama’s Arabe Unido will be home against Cruz Azul on Thursday, March 11 to complete the first leg matches.

Pachuca will host the second leg against Comunicaciones in Hidalgo, Mexico, on Tuesday, March 16, the only game that day. Toluca will play Columbus and Arabe Unido will travel to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul on Wednesday, March 17.

Pumas will complete the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 18.

The winners will advance to the semifinals March 30-April 1 and April 6-8 with the finals set for April 20-22 and April 27-29.

Quarterfinal Schedule
(Home teams listed first; times U.S. Eastern, local time in parentheses)
First Leg
Tuesday, March 9
Columbus (United States) vs. Toluca (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 10
Marathon (Honduras) vs. Pumas (Mexico), 8 p.m. (7 p.m.)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs. Pachuca (Mexico), 10 p.m. (9 p.m.)

Thursday, March 11
Arabe Unido (Panama) vs. Cruz Azul (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Second Leg
Tuesday, March 16
Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 17
Toluca (Mexico) vs. Columbus (United States), 8 p.m. (6 p.m.)
Cruz Azul (Mexico) vs. Arabe Unido (Panama), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Thursday, March 18
Pumas (Mexico) vs. Marathon (Honduras), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

NEW YORK

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Real Salt Lake claims CCL Group Stage berth

November 24, 2009

footballcupleague.com

Real Salt Lake will join the Columbus Crew in the Group Stage of next season’s CONCACAF Champions League, earning the second spot in the main phase of the continental club championship with its victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup final.

Sunday’s 5-4 victory on penalties after a 1-1 draw marked the first time in the 14-year history of Major League Soccer that a team with a losing record in the MLS regular season has won the title. The Galaxy will play in the Preliminary Round along with the Seattle Sounders, which clinched its berth in the Champions League with a 2-1 victory September 2 against D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup.

Columbus, which will face Toluca in the quarterfinals of the this season’s Champions League in March, claimed its spot in next year’s Group Stage by finishing with the best record in the MLS regular season.

Twenty berths remain to be decided for the 2010-2011 Champions League, six in the Group Stage. Mexico will determine its first two entrants with the conclusion of the Apertura Liguilla in December.

The winners of the autumn tournaments in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama will be assured of at least Preliminary Round berths with the remainder of the spots to be chosen early next year.

Real Salt Lake, in its fifth year of existence, is only the second expansion team to win the MLS Cup and will be the ninth different team from the U.S. league to play in the Champions League since its inception.

SEATTLE

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Columbus grabs second berth in 2010-2011 Champions League

October 24, 2009


NEW YORK – The Columbus Crew, which earlier this week earned its place in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, has guaranteed its place in next year’s competition having clinched the best regular-season record in U.S. Major League Soccer.

The Crew becomes the second team to qualify for next year’s 24-team field, joining fellow MLS club Seattle, and the first berth in the Group Stage. The first-year Sounders earned their place September 2 by winning the U.S. Open Cup, 2-1 over D.C. United.

Columbus was assured of winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield for the second straight year Thursday night when the Chicago Fire beat Chivas USA. Columbus has 49 points, four better than four other teams – none of which has more than one game to play.

The United States has two berths still to be determined, which will be decided by the conclusion of the MLS Cup championship game November 22 in Seattle. The initial berths from Mexico and Central America will be determined with the conclusion of the apertura tournaments later this year.

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Mexico again leads way into Champions League quarters

October 24, 2009


The Mexican clubs are back. So is one team from U.S. Major League Soccer. But there will be no teams from the Caribbean in this season’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.

Mexican teams won each of the four groups, further proving the Mexican Primera Division is the strongest league in the region.

Cruz Azul was the only team to complete the group stage undefeated following a 2-1 win against Saprissa in Costa Rica Tuesday. Ramon Nunez and Pablo Zeballos struck for second half goals for La Maquina, which finished 5-1-0 in Group C. A year ago, Cruz Azul lost to Atlante in the two-leg finals.

“I saw a determined Saprissa squad, with a strong will, but they never dominated the match,” Cruz Azul coach Enrique Meza said.

The victory, though, wasn’t without cost as Alejandro Vela fractured his fibula early in the match and will be lost for the remainder of the season.

Led by Ulises Mendivil, who leads all scorers in the Champions League with nine goals, Pachuca also won five of six matches to cruise to the quarterfinals as the Group A winner.

Pumas’ bid to go through undefeated was ruined Thursday night when Comunicaciones struck twice in the opening half for a 2-1 win in Guatemala City. But Pumas still finished atop Group D with 13 points to advance to the quarterfinals for a second straight year. That was the same total for Toluca, Group B winners, which finished the group stage with a 1-1 draw against D.C. United.

A year after just one Central American team advanced out of the group stage, the region sent three squads to the quarterfinals this time. Marathon returned to the knockout stage, clinching its berth on the final matchday. The Honduran side defeated San Juan Jabloteh 4-2 in Port-of-Spain on Thursday, ending D.C. United’s hopes of advancement.

It is joined by Arabe Unido, which finished second in Group A, also clinching its berth on the final day of the group stage. The Panamanians lost to Pachuca 2-0, but were aided by Metapan, which stopped the Houston Dynamo from a second straight quarterfinal bid with its first group stage victory.

The third Central American squad to qualify for the knockout stage is Comunicaciones, which needed a win against Pumas on Thursday night to advance.

Major League Soccer sends one team to the quarterfinals for a second straight year as the Columbus Crew claimed the second berth out of Group C with a 1-1 draw against the Puerto Rico Islanders Tuesday night in Bayamon.

“The Champions League is very important,” Columbus coach Robert Warzycha told MLSnet.com. “We are pleased that we are playing in the competition, but we’re happy all the games are out of the way and we can concentrate on the league. We accomplished our goal, which is to get to the next round.”

The quarterfinalists will learn their knockout round opponents on November 17 when the draw at the confederation’s New York headquarters will set the pairings for the final eight.

The group winners will be drawn against one of the four teams that finished in second place, with no team playing another that it faced in the Group Stage in the two-leg series.

The teams that finished second will host the first leg of the quarterfinals the week of March 9-11, with the group winners hosting the second leg the week of March 16-18.

By Dylan Butler

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Crew claims place in quarterfinals with 1-1 draw

October 21, 2009


The Columbus Crew became the first team from U.S. Major League Soccer to reach the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, getting a 74th-minute goal by second-half substitute Emilio Renteria to earn a 1-1 draw with the Puerto Rico Islanders on Tuesday.

The draw gave Columbus eight points in Group C, three better than Costa Rica’s Saprissa, which played Cruz Azul later Tuesday. But the Crew beat Saprissa in Costa Rica and drew with it at home to advance on head-to-head results.

Renteria, who  entered the game two minutes earlier for Emmanuel Ekpo, capitalized on the work of Steven Lenhart, who replaced Frankie Hejduk in the 61st minute. Lenhart won a ball outside the area and closed on Puerto Rico goalkeeper Justin Myers, who raced off his line to give the Columbus forward a smaller target.

Myers blocked Lenhart’s initial shot, but the rebound bounced back to Renteria, who shot over the out-of-position keeper.

The Islanders, who advanced to the semifinals of last season’s inaugural competition, finished this year’s tournament without a win in the Group Stage and only two points. Tuesday’s match was their first since October 4 against Montreal, a 2-1 loss that eliminated it from the United Soccer League First Division playoff semifinals.

Neither side looked particularly dangerous in the first half, but and Puerto Rico took the lead on a seemingly innocuous play.

Noah Delgado headed a wayward ball back toward goal and teammate Cristian Arrieta attempted a twisting side volley at the edge of the six-yard box. But Arrieta missed, and the ball bounced in front of goalkeeper Will Hesmer, who appeared to be bracing for Arrieta’s shot but instead let the ball go underneath and between his legs.

Knowing a draw would clinch a place in the quarterfinals, Columbus manager Robert Warzycha inserted Adam Moffat for Kevin Burns to start the second half. Moffat had two chances in the first two minutes, a shot from distance high and a soft header into Myers hands, and Brian Carroll also went just wide from distance in the third minute.

Columbus, the defending MLS champion which has the best record in this year’s U.S. league play, joined Mexican sides Pumas, Pachuca, Cruz Azul and Toluca in the knockout round and will learn its quarterfinal opponent in the November 17 draw at CONCACAF’s New York headquarters.

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico

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Nunez, Zeballos keep Cruz Azul unbeaten, send to quarterfinals with 2-1 win

October 21, 2009


Ramon Nunez and Pablo Zeballos scored second-half goals to rally Cruz Azul to a 2-1 victory over Saprissa on Tuesday, sending it to the quarterfinals as at least one of possibly two unbeaten teams.

Cruz Azul already had clinched its place in the knockout round and heads to the final eight with a 5-1-0 record, atop Group C with 16 points. Fellow Mexican club Pumas has a chance also to finish the Group Stage unbeaten, needing a win or draw Thursday in its last match against Comunicaciones.

Saprissa entered the day with a chance to advance, but was eliminated before kickoff when the Columbus Crew scored a second-half goal and drew 1-1 at the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Columbus finished with eight points, eight behind Cruz Azul and three ahead of Saprissa in third place. Even if Saprissa had won, it had lost at home to Columbus and drew its away leg, surrendering the tiebreaker advantage.

It was the second straight year Saprissa failed to advance past the Group Stage. Last season, Saprissa won only one of its last three matches to be edged out by Cruz Azul for a berth.

Anticipating a chance at the quarterfinals, a boisterous crowd at Estadio Saprissa greeted both teams, which struggled to created chances in the first half.

Saprissa took the lead four minutes before halftime when Armando Alonso created enough space along the right to launch a cross between two defenders and feed Kendall Watson, who stuck a side-footed volley at the corner of the six-yard box to beat Cruz Azul keeper Yosgart Gutierrez.

Gutierrez had to punch away another chance four minutes into the second half, keeping Cruz Azul within a goal and giving Nunez his opportunity to equalize.

Hector Gutierrez stipped the ball just outside the area and quickly fed Zeballos in the middle of the box. With his back to goal, Zeballos was able to hold off defender Alexander Robinson before dropping a ball into the path of Nunez, who ran on to the roller and volleyed a right-footed blast from the top of the 18 for his second goal of the tournament.

Zeballos then added the winner in the 82nd, running unmarked at the back post onto a low, rolling cross from Nunez and easily finishing for his fifth goal in the Champions League. Zeballos finished with four goals in last year’s championship.

Cruz Azul, which advanced all the way to last season’s finals before falling to fellow Mexican side Atlante, will learn its quarterfinal opponent on November 17, when CONCACAF conducts its Championship Round draw at its New York headquarters.

Costa Rica – SAN JOSE

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CCL quarterfinal berth would complete triple for Crew

October 20, 2009


The Columbus Crew already has clinched a berth in the Major League Soccer playoffs and could lock up a second consecutive Supporters Shield.

A berth in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals would make a nice triple.

That’s why the squad wasn’t that upset following a 1-0 loss to D.C. United at RFK Stadium Saturday night.

“We can clinch the second round of the Champions League and that is a very important game for the guys and also for the club,” coach Robert Warzycha said. “We can bounce back from this game. We have a game against New England at home. The game against Puerto Rico is very important.”

Columbus has seven points from five matches and is two points in front of Deportivo Saprissa for second place in Group C. A win or a draw at Puerto Rico sends the Crew through to the Champions League knockout stage.

Saprissa must travel to Mexico City to play already qualified Cruz Azul, needing a least a victory to have any chance of advancing.

With Tuesday’s game against Puerto Rico on his mind, Warzycha sat Brian Carroll and Gino Padula, while Argentine veteran Guillermo Barros Schelotto played less than an hour on Saturday.

“We have another very important game against Puerto Rico, so I was trying to rest some guys basically for that game against Puerto Rico and obviously give some minutes to the other guys,” Warzycha said.

Puerto Rico, a semifinalist last season, already has been eliminated from contention. And with the United Soccer Leagues season over, the Islanders are looking to play the part of spoiler in Bayamon.

“If you look at the bigger picture, we need to get some type of result in Puerto Rico, which isn’t going to be easy,” Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers said. “It may be raining down there and the field is going to be bad as well.”

Cruz Azul already has clinched its berth in the Champions League quarterfinals, but La Maquina will look to bounce back from what coach Enrique Meza viewed a disappointing 3-1 win against Estudiantes Saturday at Estadio Azul.

Los Azulinos needed goals by Javier Oroczco and Emanuel Villa in the final 10 minutes to defeat 10-man Estudiantes. Rogelio Martinez also scored in the 46th minute for La Maquina, which has 21 points in Group 3 of the Mexican Apertura.

“We did not do anything right, but a victory under those circumstances I find extremely valuable,” Meza said. “We had no conjunction, we lacked mobility and we took risks, but they did not capitalize.”

Columbus won in Costa Rica and drew with Saprissa in its home leg to assure itself of winning any tiebreaker against the Central American club. Now it still needs a draw to assure MLS of at least one team in the knockout stage.

By Dylan Butler

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