Soccer is not the only sport that I watch; like most Americans, I was raised on a steady diet of non-soccer sports as a child. While none of those sports can match soccer in terms of their overall play, we’re probably all familiar with some of the more famous events that’ve occurred in them; by osmosis, people often happen to pick up lingo and stories whether they want to or not. So let me make an awkward metaphor: last night, the Montreal Impact were the 1986 Cleveland Browns, Santos Laguna were the Denver Broncos, and Walter Jimenez was John Elway.
This was the kind of game where you would’ve been forgiven for going to bed and missing the best parts. Last week Montreal beat Santos Laguna 2-0 in Montreal; with the away goals rule implemented in the CONCACAF Champions League, that meant that they should’ve been able to walk into Cancun, score a couple goals, and start thinking about the afterparty. By the 38th minute, it was 2-1 Montreal; Santos Laguna would have to score three goals in one half of play just to bump the game into extra time.
Of course, since I gave it away in the intro, you know how this ends up. Santos Laguna came out on fire; they equalized in the 54′ and never looked back. Montreal’s defense was under constant pressure for the last 20 minutes of game time, and a combination of the altitude and preseason training eventually caused them to concede a third goal in the 74′; Santos Laguna kept the pressure up to manage two more goals (at 93′ and 94′) to advance beyond the quarterfinal round to face Atalanta. And while midfielder Walter Jimenez doesn’t appear on the score sheet, he was directly involved in creating four of Santos Laguna’s five goals. This was really an incredible end to a game that was really showing signs of being a one-sided affair early on, and if they replay it on FSC you should do yourself a favor and check this one out.
In other CONCACAF Champions League action, there will be a U.S.-affiliated club in the semifinals…but it won’t be the Dynamo, who were eliminated in a dismal 3-0 away loss to Mexican side Atlante. No, the MLS won’t be sending anyone to the next round; rather, our representation will be from the USL. The USL actually had two teams in the quarterfinals (the Impact were the other). On Tuesday, the Puerto Rico Islanders stamped their ticket for Atlante when they beat Marathon 1-0. I’ll leave it for you to decide what this says about the relative quality between the MLS and the USL.
I didn’t see this game live, I was too tired last night when it started (and these 10PM EST start times are another story), but when I saw that result this morning, I was stunned. Such a shame for the Impact and their fans, but nevertheless, a great run for them and definitely caused a scare in the quarterfinals of the biggest club tournament in this region. That’s a great accomplishment in any book.
To be 100% honesty, I watched the first half and last 20 minutes; I figured it was over, but my wife sleeps with the TV on so I did some stuff around the house, came back, and watched the end. The Santos Laguna offense was just brutal; all credit to the Impact’s keeper, because if this was 5-2 it easily could’ve been 10-2.
DS lurker who’s managed to find your site, good job boys.
Unlike everyone here, I’ve only recently picked up on soccer as a spectator sport – probably have only watched it with any vested interest since 2007. In that time, I’ve been lucky enough to view my fair share of high-tension matches: Fulham/Portsmouth in last season’s EPL finale to avoid relegation, Turkey making their improbable comeback against the Czech Republic in Euro 2008, etc.
That match though, of the few I’ve been lucky enough to witness as a fan of the beautiful game, took the cake in terms of sheer dramatic flair. I didn’t have truly have a dog in that fight, although I was cheering for Montreal as the underdog (as I’m sure most other people who found the game and were aware of the backstory were) – but dammit if Santos didn’t deliver in their own way, making their way to the semi-finals by a sheer force of will. Still gives me the chills thinking about the Estadio Corona shaking from the fans’ delirium, the Impact players sitting on the pitch in utter dejection after the final whistle – all of the things we watch sports for, this match had in full.
Minor quibble: I’m sure Atalanta would be over the moon if they were in the semis of the CONCACAF Champions League, but Santos will be playing Atlante next round. Yeah, I’m pedantic – someday I’ll get over that, I promise.