Concacaf Champions Cup: Union held by Pachuca at home, Orlando-Tigres likewise ends scoreless

The company end of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup kicked off Tuesday with 3 round of 16 initially leg videogames, 2 of them scoreless however still extremely amusing ties inbetween MLS and Liga MX groups.

Here are 3 fast ideas on Tuesday’s matches.

Orlando City can’t discover the winner versus Tigres 

Looking just at the box rating, it’s simple to surmise that Tuesday’s nightcap inbetween the Lions and 2023 Clausura champions in Central Florida was a snoozer. Nobody who viewed the match would concur. Despite ending 0-0, the veryfirst leg of this overall objectives home-and home series was a physical, fiercely objectedto affair from start to end.

Orlando’s Luis Muriel had possibly the finest possibility of the night for either side, however Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzmán tipped Muriel’s shot around the post simply previously halftime:

The stalemate sets up a scrumptious rematch inbetween these groups next Tuesday at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey.

Philadelphia Union trips its luck versus Pachuca

It was a close to a headache situation for Jim Curtin and his group. After a cagey, wonderfully played veryfirst 45 minutes versus their Mexican visitors, Salvadoran referee Ismael Cornejo granted a charge kick to Pachuca on the stroke of halftime. There was little dispute. Union protector Nathan Harriel had plainly, if unintentionally, obstructed a goal-bound shot with his arm.

But Philly got a reprieve courtesy of the video assistant, who found a Pachuca handball minutes earlier. Cornejo went to the screen and reversed his choice, letting Curtin’s group off the hook. It wasn’t the just time the hosts got fortunate on Tuesday.

The reality is the Union are lucky to still be in this series. While the home side had a minor belongings benefit — not precisely their strong fit anyhow — the visitors controlled the eye test. Sure sufficient, the stat sheet shows that wasted chances were the distinction in this one: Pachuca sentout a tremendous 18 shots towards Andre Blake’s net, however put just 3 of them on target.

Dániel Gazdag almost made them pay for it, just to loft his own effort over the crossbar with less than 15 minutes to go:

Everything to play for next week

Herediano made fast work of splendidly called Surinamese side Robinhood in Tuesday’s opener; even on opponent area, it would take a significant collapse for the Costa Rican power to blow its two-goal aggregate benefit next week.

The other 2 series are large open after Tuesday’s results, although Tigres and Pachuca have the clear benefit. In 32 Concacaf matches in Mexico because 2016, MLS groups have handled simply 3 wins and 6 ties. The other 23 were losses. 

That doesn’t bode well for the Lions or the Union. One silver lining: both MLS sides avoided a feared away objective on Tuesday. Unlike the UEFA Champions League, which got rid of the questionable tiebreaker 2 years ago, the away objectives guideline is alive and well in Concacaf. That implies that neither MLS group has to win south of the border next week – supplied they can rating and escape with another draw. 

Sounds basic adequate, however it’s mucheasier stated than done.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before signingupwith FOX Sports in 2021, he was a personnel author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he hasactually covered United States guys’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at several FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.