America, from Mexico, on tap
Road to tourney final goes through Azteca for MLS champion TFC
Toronto FC knocked off the reigning Liga MX champions in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals this week, but the path to tournament glory doesn’t get much easier in round three. The Reds will face another Mexican side, Club America, in a two-leg semifinal that begins in the first week of April. Toronto will host the opener at BMO Field before travelling to the famed Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for the return leg. Here’s what you need to know about the team that stands between TFC and its first trip to the Champions League final:
THE HISTORY: While this marks only the second time Toronto FC has advanced as far as the semifinals in this tournament — they lost to another Mexican side, Santos Laguna, by an aggregate score of 7-3 in March 2012 — Club America is no stranger to reaching the final stages. It is the tournament’s reigning champion, taking back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 before the timing of the tournament changed. The side’s most recent win set a record for continental titles for any team in the region: seven, between the Champions League and its predecessor the Champions Cup. This will be the first meeting between these sides in this tournament. Club America hasn’t lost a Champions League match in 17 games.
THE TRAJECTORY: Club America, which qualified as runnerup in Mexico’s Apertura tournament in 2016, has had an easier run in this tournament so far than the Reds, who disposed of arguably the best team in the tournament, Tigres UANL, after meeting the Colorado Rapids in the round of16. First, Club America beat Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa by an aggregate score of 6-2 in the round of 16, before improving on that attacking prowess with a 7-1 win on aggregate over Tauro FC out of Panama. Club America has scored nine goals on the road and conceded just one.
THE VENUE: Azteca Stadium, which is also home to the Mexican national team, is the larg- est stadium in the country with an official capacity of 87,000. As members of the United States national team, Reds Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore with be familiar with the intimidating environment. In preparation for this tournament, the Reds spent part of the pre-season training in the capital of Mexico, in part to get used to the altitude. The city sits more than 7,300 feet above sea level. THE STARS: Mexican forward Henry Martin and Paraguayan attacking partner Cecilio Dominguez have three goals apiece, but Club America’s attack is more than its strikers. Eight different players have scored for Club America in four games in this tournament. THE SCOUTING REPORT: There hasn’t been much recent evidence to compare Tigres and Club America in league play of late. Their last meeting took place on Club America’s home turf on Feb. 10, ending 1-1. The gap was wider last year in the semifinal of the Apertura tournament. In that two-leg series, Tigres came out on top by an aggregate score of 4-0. Tigres went on to win the tournament, while Club America finished the year in third place.