Joe Public vs New England: Revisiting a CCL Classic

Throughout the history of the Concacaf Champions League there has been no shortage of crazy matches, and at least once per year we see a scoreline that really grabs your attention. Arabe Unido taking out favorites Monterrey not once but twice in the group stage a few years ago, Independiente slaughtering Toronto last year, and the minor league Puerto Rico Islanders taking Cruz Azul to penalties in the semifinals are a few that come to mind.

But there is one series that defies all logic. It is, in a good way, the most Concacafy of all CCL ties. To find it, we must go back to August of 2008, to the very first round in CCL history. Today we revisit what is for my money the most astounding, jaw dropping scoreline we have ever seen and ever will see: New England Revolution 0, Joe Public FC 4.

The 2-1 home victory for Joe Public in the first leg maybe wasn’t the biggest shock in the world, but it was still a surprise to say the least. Later on in the tournament Joe Public would lose all three of their home group matches, including a 4-1 defeat to the then USL based Montreal Impact. Teams from Trinidad and Tobago were not supposed to be beating MLS sides, and in fact in Joe Public’s previous CONCACAF outings they had lost 8-0 to DC United, 2-0 to the Chicago Fire, and a respectable 1-0 to Pachuca, all in the first round. The home leg against New England was Joe Public’s first ever win in CONCACAF’s top competition, period.

But it is the second leg of this series that really deserves attention. What a great game for CONCACAF lore. It was the first round of the Champions League era. Mark Geiger was the 4th official. Gillette Stadium, an NFL venue, was packed with roughly 3,000 fans and 60,000 empty seats. And Joe Public FC, who at the time sat in 6th place in the TT Pro League, demolished the New England Revolution 4-0. It was ugly.

The hero of the day was Guyanese striker Gregory Richardson, who notched a hat trick and added the assist on the other goal to launch himself into the history books. Richardson’s legendary performance in this match eventually earned him a contract with the Colorado Rapids a year later. He would play just 11 minutes in his MLS career, quickly moving to the US lower divisions and then back home to his native Guyana in 2013. Richardson still plays in the Guyanese League at the age of 37, and even got onto the national team roster in 2019 for the Nations League, though he hasn't seen the field for them in a few years.

Now your first thought upon reading all this might be: “Okay, it was 2008, New England probably didn’t care about this competition and played a bunch of 19 year olds.” But if you take a look at the starting XI that day, that simply wasn’t the case. Yes, New England were without their starting forwards including Taylor Twellman, but fill-in Khano Smith started 26 games for the Revs a year prior, and had 18 starts in 2008. He was by no means a reserve player.

Regardless of the situation up top, the back line for the Revs that day, the one responsible for giving up four goals at home, was loaded with talent. Jay Heaps and Christian Tierney played 240 games each for the Revolution and were perennial starters for a decade. Jeff Larentowicz played 111 games with New England and is still a productive MLS player over twelve years later. Gabriel Badilla (Rest in Peace) earned 25 caps for Costa Rica.

Furthermore goalkeeper Matt Reis was the Revs starter for 10 years, and defensive midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who captained New England that day, played over 260 games for the Revolution and was named to the MLS Best XI four times, including during 2008. Along with Twellman, he’s debatably the best player in the club’s history.

There is really not much of a case to be made that Joe Public defeated a phony lineup in Foxborough. A similar squad defeated Atlante in the Superliga just a month prior to the Joe Public series. Atlante, of course, would go on to win the first CONCACAF Champions League while the Revolution were embarrassed.

This upset is so absurd that it doesn't even give me hope for more in the future. It was such a rare occurrence that I cannot fathom ever happening again. There is just one Caribbean team in the 2020 CCL, Jamaica's Portmore United. Most people would be surprised if they keep it within four goals against Cruz Azul; winning by four goals on the road is not even a possibility.  This game is special to look back on because I truly don't think it will EVER happen again.

What Will it Take for Saprissa to Win the CCL?

Every year when the Concacaf Champions Leauge rolls around, the discussion is the same. Liga MX teams are the favorites, but can an MLS side break through and raise the trophy? It's a valid discussion, but also one you can find elsewhere on the internet, so instead I ask a different question. What will it take for a Central American team to win it all?

It may not be as impossible as it sounds. In fact, two Costa Rican teams have won the regional crown more recently than an MLS team, but of course that was all before the tournament was rebranded and reformatted as the Champions League. But even still, a lot of sides from outside the continent's "Big Two" leagues remain dangerous and relevant. In 2015 both Herediano and Alajuelense reached the semis, and for a brief moment it looked as though we were headed for an all-Costa Rican final.

It has become a bit of a Concacaf cliche to dub Saprissa as the best team in Central America before the CCL starts up; though they’re always near the top of the heap, we’ve seen the last few years they haven’t quite been the beast so many of us have made them out to be. In 2020 however, I think El Monstruo will live up to the hype. They come into the tournament with a talented squad including evergreen Concacaf boss Marvin Angulo and proven veteran goalscorer Johan Venegas. They've also got a growing star in Manfred Ugalde, and a favorable draw means they won't have to play a Liga MX team until the semifinals at minimum.

Saprissa just won the 2019 Concacaf League, playing through five grueling rounds of away trips that provide invaluable experience for a CCL run. The Champions League is all about the intangibles, and I cannot stress enough how useful the Concacaf League was for developing this team. Moments like the epic comeback against Olimpia and even having a bit of trouble against the Belmopan Bandits mentally prepare the team for the difficult matches to come and instill the confidence and mentality that they can climb out of those dire situations. And as I’ve said a million times at this point, on the logistical side, the club having just had a dress rehearsal where they booked flights, accommodations, etc. five times will help prevent any off the field nonsense from hurting their chances.

Earlier in the week I noted one of Tigres’ biggest advantages this year is a draw that sees them isolated from the rest of the Liga MX sides; Saprissa (and Honduran side Olimpia, who have the 2nd best odds from Central America this year) have that same benefit.

Saprissa have the Montreal Impact in the first round in a series where they are just straight up the favorites. The Impact have a CCL pedigree, having made the final back in 2015 and gotten awfully close to winning it, but they also were the 18th best team in MLS a year ago and are now without Ignacio Piatti. Saprissa will be in form and are a better team right now. Montreal is by no means a walk-over and the Canadians will also be looking at the bracket and licking their lips at a very makeable passage to the final, but I like Saprissa’s chances.

Now of course, to win the whole tournament you need more than an easy first round draw. Saprissa can’t expect to not have to upset a few teams along the way, but let’s look at the bigger picture here. Saprissa’s home record is outrageous. In fact, all Costa Rican clubs have an outrageous home record in the CCL (the last five MLS teams to travel to Costa Rica have all lost by at least 2 goals), but Saprissa even moreso.

El Monstruo Morado was a perfect 5 wins in 5 home matches in the Concacaf League title run. They even defeated Tigres 1-0 at home last year, though they came out flat in the second leg and went down without much of a fight. Even if they are the underdogs against Seattle, Tigres, or whoever comes after that, they’re almost always going to get a good result at home, reducing the 2nd leg to a very manageable game.

Let’s play the hypothetical game for a moment to visualize the odds: Montreal they should beat, then they have roughly a 25% chance of getting Olimpia (who they should also beat), or more likely an encounter with Seattle where I’d have them as underdogs by the slimmest of margins. Perfectly doable so far. Independiente a year ago had a very similar road and nearly qualified to the semifinals.

The final four is where it gets tricky. Most likely you’re getting Tigres, who did manhandle Saprissa a year ago at El Volcan. But as I said they did win the home leg a year ago, and their Liga FPD rivals Herediano gave Tigres a tough time three years in a row before that. If they get all the way to the final they’d again have another difficult series with most likely a Liga MX team, but at that point the momentum would be through the roof and I think you’d see a very inspired Saprissa side in that series.

Maybe you read that and said, “you know, that is reasonable.” Or maybe you read it and said “that’s exactly why they’ll never win.” And I think it’s fine to believe either way; it’s all a matter of perspective. If you firmly believe this is a Liga MX tournament, I’m not going to argue with you and neither are the results. But if you think this is a tournament that MLS teams can conceivably win (as I do), then I think you need to recognize Saprissa’s chances as well.

The hypothetical odds game sounds like a convoluted mess (and it is), but I can assure you that every MLS team’s hypothetical is equally convoluted. All LAFC has to do is beat 4 Liga MX teams in a row. NYCFC cannot play their matches at Yankee Stadium and has to deal with Tigres. Atlanta is getting thrown against the best team on the continent in the second round. These teams winning is *also* unlikely, and I think it’s important to shake off any biases you may have against the smaller leagues of the region and recognize that the best Central American teams, Saprissa this year, Independiente a year ago, Herediano and Alajuelense in 2015, have as good a chance as anyone outside Liga MX.

CCL 2020: Tigres' Last Chance?

It is almost time again for the most wonderful and blessed of all tournaments, the Concacaf Champions League. The 2020 edition kicks off later this month and should bring all of the magic and drama that we've come to expect over the years.

As a fan of the sport, the CCL is my favorite club competition in the world, hands down. But as a fan of Tigres, it has proved itself a point of frustration for many years. Tigres have entered the tournament as one of the favorites every year for half a decade now, and have exactly zero titles to show for it.

With 2020 being the last Club World Cup in the current format, and with the end of Los Felinos' dominant stretch looming on the horizon, the 2020 Champions League is of the utmost importance. Tigres did not reach the final of the Apertura. At the time of writing this, they certainly don't look likely to make the final of the Clausura.

It is more likely than not that they won't be in the 2021 CCL, and as the veteran core that has led the team to 4 Liga MX titles in the Gignac era continues to age, who knows when they will be back again. And for legendary manager Tuca Ferretti, a lack of continental success has proved to be the solitary blemish on his otherwise outstanding resume.

All of this means that 2020 is the year for Tigres to finally get the job done. The talent level is still very high. They've still got Gignac (Though they don't have Leo Fernandez for...some reason). And perhaps most importantly this time around, they have a good draw. After so many years of squaring off with the toughest Costa Rican competition around in the opening stage, Tigres have a relative breather against Alianza this year. No such thing as an easy win of course, and Alianza did give Rayados quite a scare just last year, but it's certainly a better draw than Saprissa.

Even better than that, though, is the fact that Tigres are the only Mexican club on their half of the bracket, meaning they will not see another Liga MX opponent until the final, if at all. This is an unbelievable advantage and one they cannot afford to squander. A second round matchup with San Carlos or the temporarily homeless NYCFC is again, about as good as you could hope for.

I don't want to say in years past Tuca has not cared about the Champions League. I think that would be a bit disingenuous, but I do think it's fair to say he has prioritized Liga MX throughout his tenure. The cycle has been reasonably consistent for the past four years; Tigres are lights out in the Apertura, then struggle in January/February prompting Tuca to save the best players for the playoff push rather than use them in the Champions League. They are struggling out the gate once again, but I have a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Tuca will change his philosophy this time around.

I don't think Tigres are going to fall off a cliff next year. Maybe they won't be the best team in the league every season, but I think the club's status has been permanently elevated to always expecting to at least be in the mix. But the CCL is not an easy tournament to qualify for, and it's even harder to win, as Tigres fans have learned all too well. With the way the cards are dealt right now, I think it's fair to say this is the best chance Tigres will EVER get at winning it, and they need to take advantage of it.

La Liga Mayor Final: Alianza vs CD FAS

The final of the Liga Mayor in El Salvador is set to kick off in just a few days, at 4:00 Eastern on Sunday night. The title game is a fantastic closing event to the year in Central American soccer, with most of the other leagues having finished their seasons already. It's a great showcase of how bigtime the game can get even in a tiny country like El Salvador; the final regularly fills up the 53,000 capacity Estadio Cuscatlán.

In this winter's contest you've got two of the giants of Salvadoran football: Alianza, the defending runner-ups, are competing in their seventh consecutive final. A tremendous run, but thus far they've got only 2 titles to show for it. Alianza made a deep run in the Concacaf League this season as well, knocking off San Francisco, Tauro, and San Carlos en route to the semifinals.

FAS on the other hand have not had the same recent successes as their opponents; this will be their first final since the 2015 Apertura, and the club have not raised the trophy since the 2009 Apertura. That's an incredibly long drought for the winningest team in the country (17 titles) and debatably the most popular.

For the neutrals, this is the match everyone wanted. Alianza had a fantastic season, earning the #1 seed with an impressive 48 points. FAS were a distant second with 37. Both received byes to the semifinals, where FAS advanced only on away goals while Alianza earned a comfortable 4-1 series win. Alianza may be a clear favorite, but the beauty of a one-off final like this is you can't count out anyone, let alone the 2nd best team in the country.

Alianza, the juggernauts of the season, produced the league's top offense (38 goals) and stingiest defense (18 against), led up front by Raul Peñaranda with 13 goals. The Colombian also had 4 goals in the Concacaf League. FAS have a Colombian forward of their own though; Brayan Gil Hurtado finished the season with 15 goals to his name. FAS as a team actually equaled Alianza's mark of 38 goals, but they conceded 7 more than their rivals.

This game has all the makings of a classic. The atmosphere is always electric. You've got #1 vs #2. Both teams and fanbases are hungry to perform in a final after so many recent failures. As always you may need to find a stream through...unconventional means, or go find a local restaurant that's showing the game, but isn't that sort of part of the fun?

Enjoy the game, and happy holidays to you all! Hopefully some cool stuff coming in 2020.

The Club World Cup is Good

The Club World Cup is a special tournament. Though often forgotten about in the mainstream of the sport, it’s still the World Championship. The Europeans may value the Champions League more, but they do not take the Club World Cup lightly and they send their A squad every year.


Football organization has always been about climbing up. From the tiniest club to the largest in the country, there is always the dream of ascending to the next level. You’ve got to earn your way into the top division. Then you’ve got to become national champions. Further still you must conquer your continent. And finally, at the end of the road, the highest you can ever climb is the Club World Cup.


And make no mistake about it, though the UEFA champion may value their own competition more (understandably so), to everyone else these are the biggest games of their lives. Ask the CONMEBOL teams that have won what it means to them. Ask the Mazembe fans of 2010 what it meant to get a chance to play for the title of World Champions against Inter Milan.


That chance to take a swing at Real Madrid or Liverpool is what every fan outside the top few leagues wants more than anything; and is the subject of endless discussion at pubs, cafes and restaurants around the globe. If Tigres ever got a crack at Real Madrid, oooooh just thinking about it is exciting.


I say all of this because like many people, I love the Club World Cup. Enough to wake up at 4:30 AM to watch the games when possible. But this year you don’t have to love it as much as me to enjoy; kickoff times are 9:30 and 12:30 Eastern.


It’s also one of the last chances you’ll get to enjoy it, in the current format at least. In 2021 when the tournament switches to a 24 team field ran once every four years there’s no doubt the feel will be different and something will be lost. This is a tournament for the reigning champions of each continent, not for the runners up of the Champions League three years ago. The group stage format also doesn’t have the same drama as the current knockout one, and surely you’ll never see an Oceanian team make it to extra time of a semifinal, as Auckland City did a few years back, under the new format.


But the point of this piece isn’t to mourn the death of the Club World Cup as we know it; it’s to get you excited for the 2019 edition. There are a lot of intriguing teams this year. Hienghene Sport from New Caledonia are the rare Oceanian representative not from New Zealand. They will look for a legendary upset in the opener against hosts Al-Sadd, who are certainly no slouches, having made the semifinals of the Asian Champions League last year.


Esperance de Tunis are one of the strongest African challengers we've ever seen, and their first round opponents Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia are holding down first place in their home league and are fresh off a dominant run in the Asian Champions League.


Monterrey are headed back to the Liga MX final later this month, Liverpool are running away with the Premier League, and Flamengo won the Brazil Serie A title by 16 points in addition to their recent Libertadores crown. This might be the best group of teams ever assembled at this tournament.


So to recap for you, the Club World Cup: Dope every year, even better than usual, and on at a reasonable time (for anyone in the Americas at least). Please watch if you like fun.

December 2019 Concacaf Power Rankings

Differing slightly from my usual format of #ConcacafRank, this time around I'm just doing my own power rankings on what I've seen. And I have seen a lot of Concacaf football the past few months. I watched every single match of Nations League C, the majority of League A, and select League B matches. Add on top of that an entire Gold Cup over the summer.

It's a rare opportunity; we've had a lot of Concacaf on Concacaf crime in a small time frame and it finally gives us a good chance to evaluate the confederation as a whole. As a general rule I'm counting the Nations League and Gold Cup as the most important games; Nations League qualifiers (cause they were a while ago) and friendlies are valued a little less in my mind.

#1 Mexico

Gold Cup Champions, Nations League 1 seed, really no argument or debating here.

#2 Costa Rica

I barely edge them over the US on the basis of a great performance against Mexico at the Gold Cup and a big road win at Curaçao.

#3 USA

Their talent keeps them in the top 3 but coaching and complete inability to get results on the road leaves them vulnerable to dropping several spots in the near future.

#4 Jamaica

 Jamaica's Nations League results were dominant, and they had a great Gold Cup. The friendly win over the US is not forgotten, either.

#5 Honduras

Honduras are really bouncing back lately, and are almost untouchable at home right now. Gonna be a serious pain for everyone else in the Hex.

#6 Curaçao

Had a stellar Gold Cup where they outplayed the US for 80 minutes (I was there!) and their Nations League results were impressive as well. They also beat a very good Vietnam team on penalties in June in the King's Cup.

#7 Haiti

Haiti have lost a step since their fantastic Gold Cup campaign, but you can't ignore that just a few months ago they beat Costa Rica and Canada back to back before taking Mexico to the edge and losing on a questionable penalty.

#8 Panama

Panama haven't been the same since their old guard departed after the World Cup. They barely stayed afloat in Nations League A and didn't impress at the Gold Cup.

#9 Canada

The team on the rise in the region; their momentum was stopped by Haiti over the summer but the big win over the US showed they're for real. In the mix for a Hex place, but do they want it? I think they might be better off playing through the tournament.

#10 El Salvador

Choked away a Gold Cup knockout spot but were good enough to get there, and then had a fine Nations League campaign including two wins over arch-nemesis Montserrat.

#11 Martinique

Martinique's ceiling is so high; you saw them go toe to toe with Mexico over the summer. A disappointing League A performance but they did enough to stay afloat.

#12 Bermuda

Bermuda showed promise at the Gold Cup, and really took off in their Nations League group, winning at Panama and nearly stealing a historic point in Mexico that would've kept them above relegation.

#13 Guatemala

Down in League C after their suspension, it's hard to judge them against the competition they've faced but 25 goals in four matches along with zero against is pretty good, no?

#14 Trinidad and Tobago

A program in complete shambles right now. They haven't won any official games since September of 2018.

#15 Suriname

Gleofilo Vlitjer. A god among men.

#16 Guadeloupe

Like Guatemala, they didn't face the steepest competition in League C, but they brought an absurd amount of talent over from France and look ready to return to their 2007/2009 heights.

#17 Grenada

Jamal Charles carried Grenada straight into the Gold Cup after a nearly flawless League B run; a really fun team to watch.

#18 Cuba

The unfortunate wave of defections means Cuba is not the same team they once were, but the talent that's still there is League B level.

#19 Guyana

Guyana score a lot of goals and have a very good home record; after a not so great 2019 Gold Cup they're in the playoffs for 2021 hoping to get another chance.

#20 Montserrat

We all want them to succeed, and they're now two series wins away from the Gold Cup. Can they do it? Maybe, but they need a friendly draw to help them out.

#21 French Guiana

Looked good to qualify for the Gold Cup at first glance, before running into the freight train that was Grenada. They'll be a threat in the playoffs.

#22 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Choked away a Gold Cup berth in their final Nations League game. A good side on their best day, but too inconsistent for my tastes.

#23 Dominican Republic

Haiti are the new darlings of the region, and the DR are the new Haiti. If you love grinding out 1-1 draws these are your guys, but they're damn good at it.

#24 Antigua and Barbuda

Another team with a ridiculous ceiling but is too inconsistent. Beat Guyana and even Curaçao, but struggled with a weak Aruba both times and got smoked by Jamaica twice. 

#25 Belize

Deon McCaulay the perennial Belize goalscorer is still active and still scoring, but the rest of his team his regressed.

#26 Nicaragua 

Same story with Nicaragua. Haven't done anything lately besides scrape out wins over Dominica, and they aren't trending upwards either.


#27 Barbados

Looked really good for the most part in League C, and have legitimately one of the best home records in the entire region. They've punched WAY above their weight at home lately, rarely ever conceding and even drawing Bermuda last March.

#28 St. Kitts and Nevis

A disappointing Nations League for the Sugar Boyz, who once looked destined to make the Gold Cup. They'll start the rebuild in League C next cycle.

#29 The Bahamas

The Bahamas had very little trouble in their group, even against a decent Bonaire side, and new coach Nesley Jean seems to have them playing at their peak.

#30 Saint Lucia

Relegation from a deep League B group was sort of expected, and they stayed alive til the final matchday. I think they'll bounce right back up next cycle.

#31 Cayman Islands

The best League C runner-ups by far. They nearly earned promotion over heavy favorites Barbados and showed out, particularly at home.

#32 Dominica

A dull campaign, but not a surprising one. And they did get to spoil Saint Vincent on the final day.

#33 Aruba

Aruba looked lost out there and lost all six Nations League games. Four or so years ago they looked to be on the up; now they'll need to start all over again in League C.

#34 Saint Martin

The most improved from the qualifiers to the real thing, for sure. Saint Martin picked up 3 wins including over Barbados and the Cayman Islands just one year after going 0-0-4 in qualifying with a horrendous goal differential.

#35 Bonaire

Bonaire had a tough time getting their actual full strength lineup out on the field, and if they could do that next cycle promotion may be on the cards.

#36 Puerto Rico

Had a long winless streak which they finally broke against Anguilla (twice), and the results against Guatemala were littered with penalties that maybe shouldn't have been. Still a long way to go, but things are improving.

#37 Turks and Caicos Islands

When Billy Forbes plays, they're pretty dangerous going forward but have a swiss cheese defense. When Billy Forbes doesn't play? Bad things happen.

#38 US Virgin Islands 

The USVI went 1-5 in their six group matches but almost all of them were competitive and the team really just needed one person to step up and score goals.


#39 Sint Maarten

Gerwin Lake is ridiculous. Like he is so far ahead of the typical League C player its comical. But one man isn't enough to save Sint Maarten completely.


#40 Anguilla 

After the great showing against Puerto Rico at home (3-2 defeat) and an away draw to The Bahamas in CNLQ, Anguilla have earned their way out of the cellar.


#41 British Virgin Islands 

A ridiculously young team, but also one that dropped all four League C games despite holding the lead in two of them. The defense needs work and endurance was a problem throughout the group stage, but this team is by no means a lost cause. 

Motagua vs Saprissa: 2019 Concacaf League Finals Preview

The 2019 Concacaf League final is set, and Motagua (Honduras) and Saprissa (Costa Rica) will meet over two legs to determine the champion of Concacaf's second tier continental tournament. Both clubs have already qualified to the 2020 Champions League, but the series still has plenty of juice; it is a final after all.

Motagua come in as the higher seed and will travel to San José for the first leg on November 7th, then return home for the second match on the 26th. This is the third edition of the Concacaf League, and the third straight final to feature a Honduran team vs a Costa Rican team. Olimpia (HON) defeated Santos de Guapiles (CRC) in the inaugural tournament, while Herediano (CRC) beat Motagua last year for the crown.

Road to the Finals

MOTAGUA entered during the Round of 16 and have remained unbeaten throughout:

2-1 W at Managua
1-1 D vs Managua

2-0 W at Waterhouse
0-0 D vs Waterhouse

1-1 D at Alianza
3-0 W vs Alianza

As you can see, three huge road results have carried Las Aguilas thus far, and they've mostly treaded water at home. Worth noting however, their previous two home matches were played out of town behind closed doors due to the violence at a domestic match two months ago, but the final will be at home in front of a full crowd.

SAPRISSA have had a more conventional run. They had to enter in the preliminary round and played one extra series as a result:

3-1 W at Belmopan Bandits
3-1 W vs Belmopan Bandits

2-0 W vs Aguilá
1-0 L at Aguilá

3-2 W vs CAI
1-0 W at CAI

2-0 L at Olimpia
4-1 W vs Olimpia

Four big wins at home, as you would expect from a team that plays in one of the most feared fortresses in the Americas. They also beat Mexican champion Tigres in the Monster's Cave back in February during the CCL.

Key Players

Saprissa possess the two top scorers in the competition; Johan Venegas with 6 and the youngster Manfred Ugalde with 4. Very different players, but both are a joy to watch. Ugalde is just 17 years old and has a very long future ahead of him for La Sele, while Venegas has matured into a clinical goalscorer that Saprissa can rely on after his stint in MLS.

Midfielder Marvin Angulo has been putting in work in Concacaf play for some time now, and it showed once again when the veteran had two massive goals (and good ones, at that) in the epic comeback against Olimpia in the semifinal.

Motagua have spread the wealth much more in this tournament; defender Juan Montes leads the team with 2. Six other players have contributed once, and they scored once via an own goal.  Even in their domestic league, it's true that they lack a player who scores at the rate of Venegas, but Roberto Moreira is still a capable striker to say the least.

In the midfield Erick Andino is not all that different from Angulo. He's been bossing the midfield for a long time, scores a decent amount of goals, and brings a veteran presence that pays dividends in big games.

History

As two giants of Central America, this isn't the first time these two have met in a competitive series. The most notable clash was the 2007 UNCAF Interclub Cup final, where Motagua emerged victorious 2-1 on aggregate after Jocimar Nascimento's dramatic home winner.

But aside from the famous defeat, El Monstruo Morado has had the upper hand. Saprissa defeated Las Aguilas 2-1 in the group stage of the 2001 edition of the same tournament, and 2-0 in the 1999 group stage. The two sides also drew in the 1997 and 1998 group stages.

In Concacaf play, the two sides haven't met since 1995, when Saprissa won a two legged series 4-0 in the first round of the Concacaf Champions' Cup. Saprissa also won 5-0 on aggregate way back in the first round of the 1971 Champion's Cup, and 5-1 in 1969.

Concacaf League Week 8 Wrap-Up

Wow, what a way to end the semifinals. It'll be Saprissa vs Motagua in the final, but we'll save that discussion for another time. These highlights are serious business.

Motagua 3-0 Alianza (4-1 aggregate)

Alianza knew they were in dire straits after a poor home showing, and Motagua was able to handle business here. A great tournament from the Salvadorans though, who now can focus on the domestic league where they're holding down first place and have a long playoff campaign ahead of them.

Saprissa 4-1 Olimpia (4-3 aggregate)

This was the best game in Concacaf League history. Saprissa needing to turn around a 2-0 deficit at home against the 2017 Champions, and when Olimpia stole an away goal in the 61st minute it felt like the series was over right there. But Marvin Angulo led a dramatic charge, scoring two of El Monstruo's three goals over the final 20 minutes + stoppage time to steal a famous win on Halloween night. David Ramirez's final goal is simply heart-stopping.

Concacaf League Week 7 Wrap Up

Down to the semifinals now, which means my job here is much easier. Only two games were played this week, with Olimpia hosting Saprissa and Alianza hosting Motagua. Honduran clubs had a day to celebrate, and it looks like we may be headed for an all-Honduras final. Here's the highlights from the two matches:

Olimpia 2-0 Saprissa

Jorge Benguche's brace meant a great result for Olimpia despite still playing in an empty stadium. Saprissa have the capabilities to turn it around at home, but it won't be easy without an away goal here.

Alianza 1-1 Motagua

Alianza have been relying upon their fantastic home performances to get this far, and now a stumble at Estadio Cuscatlán against their toughest competition yet looks like it will be their undoing. Certainly a lot still to play for next week, but advantage Motagua.

No, the Concacaf Nations League isn't useless, even for the US

As is seemingly always the case, USMNT discourse is exhausting. Today’s topic is the Concacaf Nations League, which the fanbase has overwhelmingly declared a useless competition because they defeated a weakened Cuba side 7-0 at home (There were some Mexico voices saying similar things about Bermuda, but for the most part they were more respectful).

Where to even begin with this. First of all, there are 41 teams in Concacaf, so saying the competition is worthless is just... baffling. If you’re reading this you know my stance on the Nations League for the smaller countries. I’m not going to get into it and will simply say that it is very good. This rant is exclusively talking about the US.

Now what these fans presumably intend to say is that the competition is useless FOR THE US, but those are two entirely different things. The Nations League is of great benefit to literally everyone outside of Mexico, who are *maybe* capable of getting high enough quality friendlies where I could say they’re more valuable than the upcoming competitive games against Panama (and even Bermuda, who are actually a solid team!).

But for the US, forget it. The team that just finished fifth in the Hex and last cycle lost to Trinidad and Guatemala on the road in World Cup qualifying is not in any way “above” the Nations League. I’d love to know how playing at Canada in a decisive game is not better than playing Paraguay’s B team in Charlotte before a crowd of 6,000 people.

But hey let’s even assume friendlies are better. Cool! This tournament doesn’t replace friendlies, it replaces the first group stage of the World Cup qualifiers, which no longer exists. In that stage last cycle the US played St. Vincent and the Grenadines twice, Guatemala twice, and Trinidad twice. In this Nations League they’ll play Cuba twice, Canada twice, and then likely Honduras and Mexico in the knockout round. How is that not a better schedule for the US?

Considering the team’s greatest pitfall has been they can’t win away from home against almost anyone in the region, surely playing competitive games away from home against teams in the region would be the best way to practice that skill?

I don’t even understand what the fanbase wants instead. Do people believe we can just schedule top teams whenever we want? UEFA has their own Nations League now and play less friendlies than ever before. CONMEBOL teams are available sometimes, but the US typically plays those teams at home, which doesn’t really help solve their problems at all.

So like, what is the problem here? Yes this particular Cuba side at home is not a super-useful experience, but the Cuba game only happened the way it did due to extraordinary circumstances. Prior to the recent waves of defections, first at the Gold Cup and then again in Canada last month, the team was playing well in qualifying, finishing ahead of Jamaica and El Salvador who are both currently in League B. But even so, Canada is not worth our time now?

For the record, I am not entirely of the opinion that the US is not good. Much moreso I am of the opinion that lots of Concacaf teams are good. Curaçao took the US to the brink in the Gold Cup because they’re just a good team. Same for Haiti with Mexico.

The idea that the US should be beating every island nation 6-0 just shows a complete lack of knowledge about any of their local opposition. “Games vs Trinidad don’t count” is such a hilarious mindset considering that... nevermind. Just throwing it out there that if the Gold Cup had a rotating host, a LOT of different countries would have won it by now and the perception that the US and Mexico are an untouchable duopoly wouldn't exist.

Please think about the fact that the US regularly loses to almost every team in League A and that if they want to get back to the World Cup they need to stop regularly losing to League A level teams before the next Hex starts up. Perhaps some practice matches against those teams is a good idea?

Concacaf League Week Six Wrap-Up

We're getting down to the nitty gritty now; after this week's fixtures only four teams are left standing in the fight for continental glory. The end of the week six also signaled the end of the Champions League qualifying period, and the following sides have progressed to the region's biggest stage in 2020: Alianza (SLV), Saprissa (CRC), Motagua (HON), Olimpia, (HON), San Carlos (CRC), and Comunicaciones (GUA).

The semifinals will be in late October. Here are the highlights from the quarterfinal second legs:

Motagua 0-0 Waterhouse (2-0 aggregate)

A scoreless draw was enough for Motagua to advance to the next round, but Waterhouse have to be pleased with their run this year. Knocked off the mighty Herediano and nearly made it to the Champions League.

Independiente 0-1 Saprissa (2-4 aggregate)

Independiente couldn't make anything of their two away goals from the first leg while Johan Venegas snagged his sixth tally of the competition. A disappointing tournament for CAI after the great CCL run, while Saprissa continue to do what Saprissa do.

San Carlos 1-0 Alianza (1-2 aggregate)

Great defending from Alianza saw them hold on late to defeat the Costa Rican champions and qualify to the Concacaf Champions League yet again. They've now got three straight series wins to go along with their stellar domestic campaign.

Comunicaciones 0-0 Olimpia (0-2 aggregate)

Comunicaciones fall to a really strong Olimpia side without scoring a goal, but they did enough to qualify for the CCL, not bad considering they started in the preliminary round.