América visits New England, Tigres at Columbus in Champions Cup quarterfinals
Liga MX looks to extend regional bragging rights as MLS clubs are 0-4 against Mexican teams this year
The Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals offer fans three MLS-Liga MX clashes and two of them are on tap tonight.
Tigres are in Columbus to take on the Crew while América is in Massachusetts to tackle the New England Revolution. The third MLS-Liga MX collision is the highly anticipated Monterrey-Inter Miami game and that kicks off Wednesday.
Thus far, Mexican clubs have dominated the inter-league rivalry this year, winning all four Liga MX-MLS battles this year by a combined score of 17-5.
The fourth quarterfinal, also on Wednesday, features another Liga MX side, Pachuca, paying a visit to Costa Rica’s Herediano. The host’s Mexican manager, Héctor Altamirano, would like nothing better than to knock off another Liga MX side after “Los Rojiamarillos” dispatched Toluca in the Round of 32.
Aguilas aim to reach eighth CCC semifinal
América coach André Jardine is no doubt pleased that his walking wounded have been given clearance to play.
The defending Liga MX champs were forced to start Friday’s match against Atlético de San Luis with six subs after a run of injuries threatened to derail their repeat chances.
As it turns out, only winger Julián Quiñones did not make the trip to Boston and starters Álvaro Fidalgo and Alejandro Zendejas are available.
Midfield playmaker Diego Valdés returned to action on Friday as did defender Israel Reyes, both of whom had missed two weeks due to leg ailments.
The Aguilas hope to maintain their perfect CCC quarterfinals record intact. The Mexico City club is a perfect 7-for-7 in Cup quarterfinals series.
New England has never gotten past the quarterfinals in this Concacaf tournament, losing at this stage in its three previous appearances.
Although the Revolution has done well in the CCC, cruising past Panama’s Independiente and Costa Rica’s Alajuelense by a combined 9-1 scoreline, the MLS side has struggled in league play, currently sitting last in the Eastern Conference with a 0–1-4 record.
Tigres aiming for 12th straight win vs MLS teams
Tigres arrive in Ohio to take on a Columbus Crew side that has been dominant at home this year, winning all three league matches and drawing against Houston Dynamo in the CCC Round of 16.
The Crew are third in the Eastern Conference standings but the big question mark is whether or not leading scorer Juan Camilo “Cucho” Hernández will play.
“Cucho” was held out of the club’s MLS match against Nashville on Saturday for an unspecified violation of “team policy.”
As for Tigres, they’ll be without back-up striker Nico Ibáñez who played 90 minutes in place of starter André-Pierre Gignac on Friday.
Gignac missed the game against Puebla with bronchitis but the star forward will be available tonight in Columbus.
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Columbus is participating in its fifth CCC quarterfinal series but has yet to reach the semifinals. Tigres is in its eighth quarterfinals, reaching the finals four times and winning it all in 2020.