MIAMI.- Everything is left to play for in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League semifinals when the second legs take place next month.
Both home teams were able to find victories in the first legs, with Monterrey topping Cruz Azul 1-0 and América getting a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union. That means home sides have now won 34 matches in the SCCL semifinals, compared to five losses and nine draws.
That clearly bodes well both for the teams that lost this week and for Concacaf fans eager for tight matchups in September.
Before we start to look ahead to those matches, let’s take a look back at the best moments from the week’s action:
Persistence pays for Club América’s Richard Sanchez
In the first half of América’s match with the Philadelphia Union, Las Aguilas won a free kick in a good area. Richard Sanchez didn’t take it, with that honor going to Sebastian Cordova, the recently returned bronze medalist with Mexico.
Cordova put his shot into the Union wall, though, and rather than stand around Sanchez took advantage of the moment. He sprinted forward and smashed a shot with a swing of his right leg that grazed a Union defender and went into the back of the net for the opening goal.
Maxi Meza puts Monterrey up early
Monterrey was seeking an early home goal but had its efforts rebuffed in the eighth minute. One minute later, Rayados were able to find what they hoped for: The goal to put them ahead against Cruz azul.
It came from a beautiful cross from Carlos Rodriguez, with the goalkeeper left unsure whether to hold his ground or come off his line to claim it. He went for the ball, but found it was missing after Maxi Meza nodded the ball past him and into the back of the net. He was off to celebrate as the Rayados fans at Estadio BBVA cheered the tally.
Gudiño’s fingertips keep series tight
With Jesus Corona injured and Sebastian Jurado only recently back from the Olympics, it fell to Andrés Gudiño to make his first-ever start in a Concacaf competition Wednesday night.
The 24-year-old Mexican shot-stopper rose to the occasion and perhaps came up biggest in the second half. In the 69th minute, Carlos Rodriguez put in a high, looping cross that Rogelio Funes Mori put a strong header. It was bound for the top corner of the net, but Gudiño leapt and brought his right hand across his body, getting his fingertips to the shot and pushing it onto the crossbar to keep the margin at 1-0.
Aguilera takes it confidently
Andre Blake is one of the best goalkeepers in the Concacaf region, as fans have seen both in the Union’s run to the SCCL semifinals and when Blake has played with Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League and at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
So, a bit of nerves could be understandable when you’re going one-on-one with him about to take a penalty. Not so for Emanuel Aguilera. América’s veteran center back ran up and thumped his kick right where he wanted it with Blake going the other way, doubling América’s lead and giving them a larger advantage to defend.
