Category: CONCACAF Champions League

Kara bicycle kick equalizer not enough for Orlando City as Tigres advance in CCL

Orlando nearly stole it at the end, but Tigres is moving on

ORLANDO – André-Pierre Gignac stayed home for the second leg of Tigres’ CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 tie with Orlando City. His substitute, on the other hand, netted the vital goal for the Liga MX side to progress.

Sebastián Córdova controlled a cross with his chest and fired a 21st minute strike past the seemingly impenetrable Pedro Gallese as Tigres advanced via away-goals tiebreaker with a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium.

Tigres will face either Honduran side Motagua or Liga MX’s Pachuca, who after a scoreless first leg will settle their clash Thursday in Mexico.

Attacking woes continue to plague Orlando, which made its first CCL appearance in club history. The Lions have scored just three goals in five matches across all competitions this season.

Gallese, however, once again kept Orlando in contention. He made three crucial saves in the opening 15 minutes, including one to deny Nicolás Ibáñez on a header from point-blank range. Across the two legs, the Peruvian international stopped 15 Tigres shots.

“Obviously, he represents a lot of security for us, especially in the second half as we pushed. The lines were higher, and we left spaces in behind,” Orlando manager Oscar Pareja said. “It’s very, very good to see him in good form.”

Gignac, the 37-year-old Frenchman who has five goals and two assists in eight Liga MX Clausura matches, was unavailable due to his unvaccinated status. Current U.S. government rules state all air travelers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before entering the country.

Orlando very nearly struck against the run of play shortly after that stop on Ibáñez, building up an attack down the left flank. Iván Angulo took a delicate touch in the box, but his curling shot drifted just wide of the far post.

Tigres cashed in its very next opportunity as Córdova evaded Luca Petrasso with the ball in the air. Córdova took it down with his chest and lashed it past the diving Gallese.

Córdova was one of two players inserted into Marco Antonio Ruiz’s starting 11, along with midfielder and captain Guido Pizarro replacing Juan Pablo Vigón.

Orlando nearly staged a miraculous comeback in the final minutes. Ercan Kara equalized on a 90th minute bicycle kick from a corner. Tigres defender Samir was then sent off for a second yellow in the 95th minute, while Orlando rookie Duncan McGuire blazed one last chance over the bar at the final whistle.

“We gave it our all and played to the end,” McGuire said. “From now on, in the games that we play, we have to play the way we finished that game.

“It’s definitely tough to lose a game like that, definitely thought that there maybe should have been more [stoppage] time. … We’ll keep our heads high and move on to the next one.”

Pareja was shown a red card following the match’s conclusion. In the post-game press conference, he argued that Orlando should have been given more stoppage time due to Tigres’ numerous delay tactics.

“Between the 89th and 96th minutes, there were four minutes and 50 seconds that they did not play. They did not allow us to play the game,” Pareja said. “We saw it in the World Cup, guys. If you give five minutes, and they are wasting time, you need to add more time.

“We are respectful, but we are not stupid. We are competing, and they need to realize that.”

Asked about the late stages of the match, Tigres boss Ruiz said, “It’s things that happen in soccer. Logically, a team doesn’t advance, and they get bothered. I don’t know what exactly happened or what the motive was, but people know those things happen in soccer and it’s the passion of the players.”

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Violette AC, with no league to play in, bounces Austin FC in historic CCL upset

History for Violette, and infamy for Austin

Remember the name Violette AC.

The Haitian club posted arguably the single greatest upset in CONCACAF Champions League history, overcoming some massive disadvantages and an excellent opponent in Austin FC to advance to the tournament’s quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate.

Violette became the first Caribbean-based team to eliminate an MLS side since Trinidad and Tobago club W Connection got past the New York Red Bulls in 2009’s preliminary round.

More notably, Violette’s advancement came amid some astoundingly difficult circumstances. The Haitian side had gone 290 days without a competitive game due to political unrest preventing their domestic league from being played, yet beat Austin 3-0 at a neutral venue in the Dominican Republic last week.

Visa problems restricted numerous Violette players and staff from entering the United States for the second leg. Hudson River Blue reported that the club signed defender Mardoché Samuel Pompée and winger Maudwindo Germain from NPSL club FC Motown —  both former Violette players — to stock their roster. In the end, the Haitian champions had 14 total players (and only one goalkeeper) in uniform; Pompée was reportedly not cleared in time to be in uniform, while Germain started on the right wing.

Austin, fielding 2022 MLS MVP candidate Sebastián Driussi after resting him in the first leg, piled the pressure on Violette from the start. Saves from goalkeeper Paul Robert Décius, and some narrow misses from Gyasi Zardes and Owen Wolff kept the game scoreless.

Austin’s chances seemed limitless, as they produced 18 shot attempts in the first 45 minutes. Driussi thought he had a crucial 25th minute opener, but after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was called back after Ethan Finlay was seen to handle the ball in the build-up. The star attacking midfielder would then be denied by an incredible save from Décius as the Verde kept lobbing crosses into the goalmouth from promising spots.

Austin finally changed things up with an attack through the middle, but the outcome was similar: Zardes slipped a shot past Décius in first-half stoppage time, only for an offside flag to deny him the opener.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 51st minute, as Driussi managed to at last solve Décius. It was yet another in the bombardment of crosses, with Emiliano Rigoni picking out an open Driussi for a thunderous volley from 11 yards.

Even that goal wouldn’t come completely cleanly, as a clash over the ball after it had bounced out of the back of the net saw Driussi kicked, a brief scuffle between the teams, and a VAR check all come and go before play finally resumed.

Driussi then had a seemingly clear goal blocked by Wendy St. Felix, but after so much frustration, got an absolute gift to make it 2-0.

Alex Ring’s service from a recycled corner found Driussi breaking the offside trap, but in truth, the Argentine’s header was easy work. Sadly for Décius, his brilliant performance had a momentary letdown, and an easy save slipped off his hands and over the line.

This being the CONCACAF Champions League, the strangeness ramped up from there. As Zardes pleaded his case for a penalty kick, Décius very nearly had his pocket picked by Diego Fagundez while trying to milk the clock for some precious seconds.

A VAR check over the Zardes incident lasted over four agonizing minutes, but referee Oshane Nation at last concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn his initial call. Violette maintained their narrow lead.

Austin had already thrown the kitchen sink at Violette, so the late stages had to be something along the lines of tossing anything else that wasn’t bolted down. Wolff’s sliced attempt at a side-volley left everyone in the stadium holding their breath before floating inches wide, while Driussi’s attempt at a shot from 70 yards or so was arguably less of a threat.

With Violette putting all 11 men within 30 yards of their own goal, the refereeing crew agreed to 10 minutes of stoppage time. Adam Lundqvist’s bullet of a half-volley flashed wide after a glancing deflection in traffic, while every chance Violette had to put the ball into the Q2 Stadium stands was taken.

At long last, Nation — who tacked on about 90 additional seconds due to stoppage-time knocks for Décius and several Violette players cramping up from their efforts — ended what has to go down as an all-time classic for the CCL.

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Orlando City’s CCL shot boosted by Gignac’s refusal to get one

The Tigres star is not permitted to enter the United States

Orlando City earned a massive 0-0 away draw against Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 first leg on Tuesday night.

Facing the heavily favored Liga MX side, Orlando conceded plenty of possession and allowed 22 total shots, but a strong defensive performance and some key saves from Pedro Gallese allowed the MLS side to secure a huge result.

The Lions will return home for the second leg full of confidence, not just because of the result but because star Tigres striker André-Pierre Gignac won’t be traveling to Florida for the game.

Gignac isn’t injured and he won’t be suspended — though he nearly was after being shown a first-half red card only for it to be changed to yellow after a VAR review.

Instead, the French striker won’t travel because he is unvaccinated against Covid-19. Current U.S. government rules state all air travelers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must be fully vaccinated before they enter the country.

Gignac also missed the 2022 MLS All-Star Game for the same reason — though this game, of course, counts.

Explaining his decision last year, Gignac said: “I want to clarify that I spoke with the board and asked them to respect this issue, which for me is a point of belief, education and something that comes from my childhood and my origin.

“I appreciate the support and respect for my decision on this issue, which is 100 percent personal.”

Gignac is joined by another high-profile anti-vax athlete who is set to miss out on competing in Florida this month: tennis star Novak Djokovic won’t be able to play in the Miami Open due to the same rule that will keep Gignac out.

Whether Gignac plans to petition Ron DeSantis remains to be seen.

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Austin FC’s CCL debut ended with a nightmarish 3-0 loss to Haiti’s Violette AC

The club’s first continental match couldn’t have gone worse

Austin FC’s CONCACAF Champions League debut couldn’t really have gone much worse.

Facing another CCL debutant in Violette AC of Haiti Tuesday night, the Texas club fell to a calamitous 3-0 first-leg defeat. Miche-Naider Chéry powered two first-half headers home before a nearly unimaginable own goal from Amro Tarek early in the second half took the game into unforeseen territory.

The situation seemed to promise good things for Austin. They were one of MLS’s best teams in 2022, and with a deep, experienced roster, there was plenty of room to rotate and still hold high expectations. Josh Wolff made nine changes from the team that beat CF Montréal 1-0 over the weekend, but every starter for Austin had at least one full pro season under their belt. MLS veterans like Diego Fagundez (along with goalkeeper Brad Stuver, one of the two holdovers), Hector Jiménez, and Nick Lima were all in the fold.

On top of that, political unrest in Haiti saw CONCACAF relocate the game from Port-au-Prince to Estadio Cibao FC in the Dominican Republic. Cibao FC, incidentally, is the team Violette had knocked off to secure their place in the round of 16. No Haitian team had ever won a CCL match since the the region’s top club tournament changed to its larger format.

Instead, things started poorly and never really got better for Los Verdes. A 13th minute cross from the electric Roberto Louima — who made light work out of Jiménez on Austin’s right flank all night — picked out Chéry with an in-swinging cross, and the 25-year-old was left unmarked by Lima or the late-arriving Tarek, heading Violette into the lead.

Violette’s recipe seemed pretty simple: stay in a compact, 4-4-2 mid-block scheme, allow Austin easy possession but deny space between the lines, and steer all counters towards Louima on the left.

With Austin never really solving the puzzle, it was little surprise that the same tactical pattern ended up leading to a second Violette goal.

Jiménez was stuck trying to prevent Louima from cutting into the box, and with Jhojan Valencia taking forever to get into position so they could team up on the winger, Violette took advantage. Louima shimmied before slipping the ball to overlapping left back Denilson Pierre. From the endline, Pierre’s cross found Chéry with a more difficult task on his hands, as Tarek and Lima were closer to him, but the big man simply overpowered Tarek to make it a brace.

Austin got into the locker room down 2-0, and Wolff opted to show some trust in his guys to solve the problem ahead of them. No panic, no “coach makes five substitutions at halftime” headlines. Think a few tactical pointers and a stern reminder that this team is a lot better than what they showed for 45 minutes on the turf in Santiago de los Caballeros.

Whatever good that did was undone by a disaster that flummoxed Fox’s broadcast team, such was its sheer unlikeliness.

Once again, the move started with Louima, with Chéry bringing play over to the left to find Violette’s star attraction. Louima danced into the box before taking a shot that Lima could only deflect rather than block to safety. The looping rebound floated into Chéry’s path, and that’s where Tarek’s miseries began.

First, after having been in a reasonable defensive position as Louima sized Lima up, Tarek lost track of Chéry, and he followed the arc of the ball rather than finding his mark until it was too late. Chéry was denied a hat trick by what was frankly an astounding save from Stuver, who despite going full-speed to his left managed to shoot his right arm out in time to somehow prevent a goal.

Spare a thought for how Stuver must have felt, flat on his back and trying to regain his feet, when Tarek adjusted to the rebound. The center back panicked, and needlessly: Chéry’s attempt to get to the ball saw him slip and fall. He never would have gotten there, Tarek could have turned upfield and walked out of the danger.

Instead, a catastrophe. Tarek shaped to blast the ball into the stands, but instead unleashed a cracking volley that flew right over the prone Stuver, making it 3-0 in Violette’s favor and leaving Austin with a mountain to climb in the second leg.

After the match, Wolff said one of the only things you can say as a coach after such a shambolic defeat. “Really disappointed with the result, with the performance to a lot of degrees, but I’m gonna take responsibility. I did not get these guys wound up enough to compete and understand what this was going to be about.”

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Dog graces Philadelphia Union vs. Alianza CCL match with its presence

Don’t worry about the score, we have a dog to talk about here

The CONCACAF Champions League match between the Philadelphia Union and Alianza FC had one highlight, and one highlight only.

Let’s just get it out of the way: a dog ran out onto the field in the 69th minute, very briefly pausing the game because look, there’s a dog on the field.

At Pro Soccer Wire we’re committed to covering the important issues with clarity and depth, and there are few other topics that merit the kind of close attention that a dog having some fun amid a professional soccer game does.

The dog gave fans a glimpse of what was to come moments before making its grand intervention, briefly appearing along some advertising boards in the corner.

Credit: Fox Soccer

Moments later, with Alianza taking an attacking throw-in, the nameless — but most assuredly good — dog took center stage. It came bounding out from the far side of Estadio Cuscatlán, and once the ball was thrown in, made a beeline for it.

Credit: Fox Soccer

Referee César Ramos had an immediate response, halting the game even before the dog barreled into the ball. As José Martínez and Rodolfo Zelaya stood by, the dog grabbed the ball and actually slid briefly before joyously trying to gnaw on it in a classic example of a dog doing dog stuff.

Credit to Estadio Cuscatlán’s staff, who seemed very prepared. A worker emerged almost immediately, and with no fuss picked up the dog — who seemed about as happy as can be about the whole situation — and walked him off, allowing play to resume.

The final score of the game was 0-0.

Watch this excellent dog halt the CCL

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El Salvador vs. USA CONCACAF Nations League odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s El Salvador vs. USA odds and lines, with CONCACAF Nations League picks and predictions.

El Salvador welcomes USA to Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador Wednesday. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the El Salvador vs. USA odds and lines, and make our best USMNT bets, picks and predictions.

The United States Men’s National Team, after playing several friendlies and beating Grenada 5-0 Friday, will take on El Salvador in its second CONCACAF Nations League match.

The USA is in a 3-country group. The USMNT drew Uruguay 0-0 last Sunday and beat Morocco 3-0 June 1. It crushed Grenada behind 4 goals from F Jesus Ferreira.

El Salvador has already played 2 Nations League matches, drawing Grenada 2-2 at home and winning at Grenada 3-1.

While it appears El Salvador may have a capable attack, they had just 9 shots on goal, netting 5 of them. Those same opportunities most likely won’t be available against the USMNT.

Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.

El Salvador vs. USA odds, lines, picks and predictions

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday 12:41 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: El Salvador +670 (bet $100 to win $670) | USA -270 (bet $270 to win $100) | Draw +330
  • Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -107 | U: -135)

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Prediction

USA 3, El Salvador 1

Money line (ML)

PASS.

The USA absolutely dominated Grenada. They had 68% of the possession and didn’t allow a single shot on target, holding Grenada, who did draw El Salvador, to just 3 shots.

While it is notable that the USMNT’s record is significantly worse on the road than in domestic play, where they crushed Grenada, I still see little way that El Salvador competes.

They’re more in the realm of Grenada and less like a top-15 FIFA team like USA. El Salvador ranks 74th in the world. While at home, El Salvador still shouldn’t get much traction.

At -270, I’m not banking on the USMNT putting their best product on the field and easily winning this battle either.

Over/Under (O/U)

BET OVER 2.5 (-107).

All 3 of the Nations League games that these teams have played have gone over this total. USA beat Grenada 5-0 while El Salvador beat them 3-1 and tied 2-2.

El Salvador has several MLS players on its roster and 31-year-old F Nelson Bonilla who netted 2 against Grenada in the 3-1 victory. While I expect the USA to come out on top, they haven’t allowed a goal in over 270 minutes.

Given the tired legs of D Walker Zimmerman, I expect to see at least 1 goal for the home side.

With the dominant attackers USA has, netting 5 on Grenada and 3 on top-25 Morocco, they should be able to score at will. USA had 25 shots on Grenada, 10 on target.

I expect a similar result as 2 of the USA’s 3 recent performances have gone over this against far more difficult opponents. Combine it all, and I expect the Over 2.5 (-107) to hit.

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Colorado vs. Comunicaciones odds, expert picks and prediction

Analyzing Wednesday’s Colorado vs. Comunicaciones odds and lines, with Champions League picks and predictions.

The Colorado Rapids (0 wins, 1 loss, 0 ties) will welcome Comunicaciones FC (1-0-0) to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Wednesday for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Colordao vs. Comunicaciones odds and lines, and make our best Champions League bets, picks and predictions.

The Rapids, who begin their MLS season Saturday against LAFC, will need a jolt as they enter this battle down 1-0, losing the first leg Thursday despite out-possessing Comunicaciones.

Colorado failed to get a single shot on target. Both the Rapids’ top goal scorers from a year ago in MLS, F Jonathan Lewis and F Michael Barrios, are both expected to be active.

Midfielder Karel Espino scored Comunicaciones’ lone goal off the bench in the 89th minute. Comunicaciones has been far more active of late, playing two games in the last five days and a total of six so far in February.

Colorado vs. Comunicaciones: Odds, picks and predictions

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: Colorado -280 (bet $280 to win $100) | Comunicaciones +700 (bet $100 to win $700) | Draw +380
  • Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -117 | U: -113)

Get some action on this match at Tipico Sportsbook, a trusted, global sports-betting leader and Sportsbook Wire’s official betting partner.

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Prediction

Colorado 2, Comunicaciones 1 (Comunicaciones advances on away goals)

Money line (ML)

PASS.

Colorado (-280) is too expensive, especially considering it lost in the first leg. I do like BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE? YES (+145) though.

Comunicaciones has scored in four of its last five games and has scored multiple goals in three of them. The Guatemalan club fired off 14 shots in the first leg with just 2 actually on frame.

Colorado has many of the same attacking pieces from a year ago when it totaled 51 goals in 34 MLS matches, giving up 35.

The Rapids were able to break down Comunicaciones on occasion in the first leg but didn’t manage a single shot on target. They ended with 9 shots. They should be able to get on the board at home given their success in the first leg.

Over/Under (O/U)

“LEAN” on the OVER 2.5 (-117).

While I like both to score as my best bet, Comunicaciones has topped 2.5 goals in three of their six matches in February.

Colorado’s legs should be able to help produce some results as it comes in rested and just getting into the new season. The Rapids scored 1.5 goals per game last season.

While the first leg was almost scoreless, I expect a desperate Rapids side to open this game up, especially if it’s knotted late in the second half.

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Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

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