With the Scotiabank Champions League quarterfinals poised for some enticing second legs this week, it’s time to take stock of all four match-ups and how they might play out over the coming days.
Before we dive in, a few notes on how this all works – the away goals rule is in effect for the quarterfinals, meaning that if the aggregate score is even after the second match of the home-and-home series, the team that has scored more goals away from home will go through.
Should that fail to break the tie (both teams scored the same number of goals away from home), then the teams will play two 15-minute periods of extra time (away goals will no longer serve as tiebreaker), followed by a penalty-kick shootout should the score remain level.
The winners of each series will move on to the semifinals, which take place March 17-19 and April 7-9. The Montreal-Pachuca winners will face the DC United-Alajuelense winners, and the America-Saprissa survivor will face the Herediano-Olimpia winners.
MONTREAL IMPACT vs. PACHUCA
Tuesday, 8 pm ET | Olympic Stadium, Montreal
TV: Fox Sports 2, Galavision (US); Sportsnet One (CAN)
However encouraging the Montreal Impact’s 2-2 result in Mexico was last week, the battle is only half-won. Well, half-drawn.
A 0-0 or 1-1 tie would see the Impact through by virtue of their two away goals, while each side can simply advance with a win. That said, keeping Pachuca under two goals will be no easy feat. Montreal has shown they can match the Liga MX side in attack, and though the defense was commendable in the first leg, they’ll need an equally strong performance – this is not a game the Impact want to be chasing.
The Impact came oh-so-close to eliminating Santos Laguna at this stage of the 2008-09 competition (albeit with the second leg in Mexico) when they were a second-division team. This time they look like MLS’ best chance at a deep run in this competition.
D.C. UNITED vs. ALAJUELENSE
Wednesday, 8 pm ET | RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
TV: Fox Sports 2, Univision Deportes Network
United have a tall order on their hands to salvage their series against Alajuelense after a rough 5-2 loss to the Ticos last Thursday. DC did grab two away goals, but they still need to win by three at home – by four if they concede two or more away goals.
On the flipside, this means we should see a fairly entertaining affair on Wednesday night – with nothing to lose, DC will likely attack Alajuelense from the get-go. United did post a few three-goal wins and a few more three-plus-goal performances last year, so the result is not entirely out of this squad’s reach. But it will still take something special to pull through.
It’s worth noting, perhaps more as a tidbit than anything else, that two players in particular have experience with deep runs in this competition. Head coach Ben Olsen was a rookie when DC went out and won the thing in 1998 (when it was known as the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup), while Fabian Espindola, who played a key role in RSL’s run to the 2010-11 final, will likely have to turn in one of his best performances in a DC shirt if United are to give themselves a lifeline.
CLUB AMERICA VS. SAPRISSA
Wednesday, 10 pm ET | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
TV: TV: Fox Sports 2, Univision Deportes Network
However small DC's chances are, they're better than Saprissa’s. The three-time CONCACAF champions suffered a crushing 3-0 home defeat to high-flying America in last Wednesday’s first leg, and with the second leg heading to the formidable Estadio Azteca the series looks to be over, barring a truly monumental collapse by the Mexican side.
Some reserves might therefore be in order for Club America, who suffered a shock loss to Universidad de Guadalajara over the weekend, putting them back in a very tight Liga MX playoff race. Still, US fans should be on the lookout for Phoenix-born America center back Ventura Alvarado, who is rapidly making a name for himself on one of Mexico’s top teams and whose future international allegiance has been the subject of much recent discussion.
HEREDIANO VS. OLIMPIA
Thursday, 8 pm ET | Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, Heredia, Costa Rica
TV: Fox Sports 2, Univision Deportes Network
Herediano come in with a slight edge in this one, having picked up an away goal in the 1-1 draw at Olimpia last Tuesday, but it’s not enough of a margin to rest on for Herediano. Playing at home in Costa Rica should prove a considerable advantage, with the intimate but noisy confines of Herediano’s home ground serving as a fine backdrop for such a key encounter.
Watch out for Herediano forward Cristian Lagos, who has scored a goal in each of his last four games, including the lone Herediano goal in last week’s game in Honduras.
And should Herediano advance, they could well be the closest thing to US representation in the later stages of the tournament. Since 2013, the team has been owned by American businessman David Patey, who has become something of a celebrity in the Costa Rican soccer world after helping save the club from some tough financial times.
