CONCACAF Champions Cup round-up, March 12 (plus USL Championship preview for March 13)

The first 3 of 8 second-leg ties took place last night, with 4 MLS sides in action. Both Philadelphia Union and Orlando City had drawn 0-0 at home against Liga MX opposition in the first legs and there was everything to play for south of the border. Was. Unionwent into their tie with Pachuca having played just 6 minutes at the weekend before their game was abandoned due to all the rain. They lasted less than that before conceding a VAR-given penalty last night and eventually went on to concede 6 (six) goals with no reply. Orlando had lost at home to Minnesota United on Saturday but their opponents last night - UANL Tigres - are in poor form this season and so they must have hoped for a better result. They went a goal behind after 13 minutes, doubled 7 minutes later by a Tigres penalty. The Lions got a goal back with a penalty of their own from Facundo Torres on 24 minutes and went into the break trailing 2-1. An own goal by Pedro Gallese (who had a terrible night in goal for Orlando) restored Tigres' 2-goal lead but there was a glimmer of hope when Rafael Carioca was given a straight red for a high boot with 18 minutes to go. However, Tigres hit on the break and scored a fourth, with Martin Ojeda's stoppage time penalty for City ending up a consolation goal. There was bound to be an MLS winner when Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew met in their second-leg tie in Ohio, with Crew having the advantage courtesy of their 1-0 win in Texas last week. Cucho Hernandez doubled that lead 5 minutes before half-time, giving Dynamo an uphill battle, but Griffin Dorsey's 90th minute penalty briefly gave them hope, with just one goal needed to go through on away goals. It didn't come, however, and Crew will now play UANL Tigres in the quarter-finals.


There's just the one game in the USL Championship tonight as El Paso Locomotive welcome Monterey Bay to west Texas having already lost at home to Hartford on Saturday. Monterey Bay didn't play at the weekend but, given El Paso's dreadful home record of late, they must be eager to get started here.

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