Champions League Resumes Tonight - Crew Host Toluca
by Dave Clark on Mar 9, 2010 9:50 AM PST
in CONCACAF Champions League
25 comments
The Champions League for our region (CONCACAF) resumes this evening and the impossible may be as possible as ever. Mexican Primera side Toluca travels to Columbus in a quarterfinal two-leg aggregate knockout round. Major League Soccer sides tend to hold their own against non-Mexican competition, but against our southerly neighbors it hasn't been a contest.
Columbus only has one significant loss. They can no longer count on Alejandro Moreno to draw free kicks and penalties for GBS. When you watch this game you will see a team more experienced than Seattle, but running a similar style. GBS roams behind the striker and flirts with being both a CAM and Withdrawn Forward at the same time.
Toluca is not a historically strong club and only has a few titles in the past half decade. They are currently struggling in League play more than half way through the Mexican Spring season. Eleventh with 11 pts in an 18 team league they do have a +3 Goal Differential. But they are traveling to cold Columbus, a stadium where Mexico players perform poorly.
They say that "Impossible is Nothing" but in this game, and at this stage of MLS, the impossible is a necessity for an MLS side to advance in the knockout rounds of the CCL. Tonight, on FSC, at 5PM Pacific you have the best opportunity for an MLS club to set up the impossible.
For those of you that want a stronger MLS, with more revenue, you need to watch matches that don't involve your own side. That's why TV ratings are strong for MLB, NFL, NBA, EPL, etc. Higher ratings for all matches involving MLS sides means more revenue, more revenue means more salary cap monies, which means better overall talent.
And let's be honest, this is one of those times that you have a clear rooting interest in an MLS side and their best chance to pick up goals against a club from Mexico. Oh, and it gives you a preview of the Crew's strength in this upcoming season.
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Nice
Very hard to follow this anywhere. I appreciate a good read like this.
When you look at Toluca’s standings it looks like they have trouble scoring goals. 10 goals in 9 games in a league where a lot of goals are scored. Too bad Chad Marshall isn’t playing, a chance to blank Toluca at home might give Columbus only a need for two ties to move on.
The Crew are going to have a tough time with the players they have missing, no Marshall, no GBS, no Hejduk. Toluca are in the middle of their season and certainly a lot further along fitness wise too. The good new like you said they aren’t that good of a team thus far and will most likely be resting some players.
I really can’t wait to get home and watch this match tonight. The Crew are easily my 2nd favorite MLS team so it would be great to see them get a result tonight.
Tough Game
Yea it’s going to be a pretty tough game for many different reasons. 4-5 of their normal starters are out for this game. It’s preseason for the MLS so they aren’t full fit.
I’m also really excited to watch this game. Although I don’t really have a particular interest in The Crew themselves. Them being the last MLS club representing the US in the tournament I’ve just got to cheer for them and hope they do well.
It’s really too bad how the MLS Season works with this competition. The teams qualify for the CCL the year before. Don’t start playing until over half a year later. Which is after our offseason where a bunch of changes generally happen. Then after that they play the group stage… and after that the competition starts up right before our season starts… so the team has made even more changes and are not in form necessarily. All that alone, I think makes it difficult for MLS teams in this competition. Hopefully The Crew don’t get killed tonight…
Don't for the Club World Cup
and if you win the thing, you would compete in the Club World Cup in December, after another full season. So if the Sounders won the next CCL, we would be in the 2011 Cloud World Cup. After our third full season, all for winning the Open Cup in our first.
I haven’t seen Toluca this season, but I saw plenty of them last year (especially the 2 games against DC). Their players are very fit (living and playing at 8000 or so feet helps), and they love to use a pass-and-move style that takes advantage of that fitness and their collective technical ability. I particularly remember their visit to RFK, because there were times where it seemed like they had 12 or even 13 players on the field. Their midfielders and forwards buzz around everywhere. To me, it was the single most impressive performance by an opponent at RFK in a very long time.
Columbus has just one advantage in this game, and that’s physical size. Toluca’s players are pretty small, and even their taller players are kind of thin. If Columbus is smart enough to negate the quick movement of Toluca, they can turn the game into more of a battle. If we see the game go that way, the Crew has a chance to get a couple goals on set pieces. However, if the game is played on Toluca’s terms, Hesmer is going to have to stand on his head to even keep this one close.
I know it's hard for Carlos,
and the rest of us, too. But I agree, Dave. I try to watch the MLS games on ESPN, when I can. For one, I like to watch, but Carlos is right; some of those games are brutal to sit through. Long balls back and forth, with players banging into each other in between. However, if we don’t watch, MLS TV contracts won’t improve, which will limit revenue, which will limit the ability to pursue players, which will stunt the improvement of the play on the field. It’s a nasty, vicious thing.
To support the team, you have to support the league. (But that doesn’t mean you have to like it, Carlos.)
Go Crew. Hopefully that will be us next year.
Man, I hate Columbus
Do I really have to root for them over Toluca? I’ll have the game on the telly to support MLS, but, um, I may be in the kitchen fixing dinner during that time.
by The King of Norway on Mar 9, 2010 2:05 PM PST reply actions
I laughed
when I read above that they’ll have to work harder because they can’t count on Moreno drawing free kicks/fouls/whatever for them. I guess his reputation for diving was worse than I thought.
by chrisperry1983 on Mar 9, 2010 2:44 PM PST up reply actions
Just about that time
I guess I’ll roll into the TV room and click on FSC.
Not bad from the Crew all things considered. If GBS brings his A-game to Mexico they could, maybe pull it out. It feels weird to root for the Crew, but I’ll do it until the season starts.
I totally agree it’s weird rooting for the Crew. But since they are the only MLS team left I’m ok with it. I’ll only be cheering for them for this CCL. It was pretty cool that they were able to draw the game in the last 20 minutes or so… but i think they got a little lucky.
On another note… that game was depressing… not the players or the game so much… but how few people were in the stands. What were there? like 300 people? Almost seemed like there were as many Toluca fans as there were Crew fans…
A draw kind of sucks
Because as ChestRockwell says, Toluca plays at altitude.
The two away goals for Toluca hurts bad though. It means that the Crew have to score 2 and give up 1 or less to win outright. They can’t play for extra time on the road in Mexico. 30 more minutes will be painful for those players.
March 17th will be closer to First Kick, so the Crew should be a bit stronger.
As for those that don’t like the fact that MLS sides in the knockout rounds aren’t at full fitness, the Mexican sides aren’t during the Group Stage and they still beat MLS sides.
THEY ARE JUST A STRONGER LEAGUE THAN WE ARE.
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
The only need to score 1
The Crew only need to score 1 more than Toluca to move on… the away goals only come into play if the aggregate is tied. So if the Crew win 1-0 away the aggregate would be 3-2 for the Crew. So they can’t tie 1-1. 2-2 would force extra time and anything above that they would win.
I agree with Perrinbar that I’d take the 2-2 from that game.
For some reason I don't see this Crew team winning
As NO MLS side has beaten a Mexican side in Mexico
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Yea I definitely can’t see them pulling it off. 2+ goals in Mexico or stopping Toluca from scoring… not likely to happen. So I don’t think that they will win. Hopefully they at least keep it close.
They could win 2-1, also
They just have to win, or tie 3-3 or higher.
Neither are even close to likely.
Anyone else taken aback
by how few people were at this match? I can’t find an attendance online yet, and while it’s hard to tell from TV, it looked to me only around 5000 people were there. Temperature was in the mid-50s so weather wasn’t a factor. Then again, Columbus has been mid-to-bottom of the league in average attendance lately, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I wonder
if the SSFC FO sees these CCL crowds and worries, so they plan to have CCL at Starfire. Don’t they know we’re different? We’ll be there!
Though I admit, it will be hard to get down there when we have a game in early March next year. But I’ll get there just the same. If it’s at Qwest. I can’t get to Starfire ona weeknight.
by Cornchops on Mar 9, 2010 9:38 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If we're drawing 15k for a friendly
You gotta imagine the decision-makers see that and realize that looking at what other teams draw is a pointless endeavor. Thursday should be interesting.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Mar 9, 2010 11:39 PM PST up reply actions
Dear Sounders
We all watched the game last night.
It was exciting, just with this group, we can fill 1/2 of Starfire.
Please hold the CCL game at QWest or explain why not.
Columbus is 5 or 6 wins away from being the top club in the world….the Sounders don’t need to get that close, trust me we will attend.
We have the greatest soccer stadium in the WORLD….please use it.
by Charles J on Mar 10, 2010 10:00 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
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