LA GALAXY at MONTERREY
Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico
April 10 (CONCACAF Champions League semifinals)
Leg 2 - Monterrey lead 2-1 on aggregate
10 pm ET/7 pm PT (Fox Soccer, LIVE chat on MLSsoccer.com)
The LA Galaxy enter their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal second leg with Monterrey on Wednesday night with a 2-1 deficit, presenting them a tricky task in their quest to book a date with Santos Laguna in the tournament final. Making matters harder for the Galaxy is the fact that Los Rayados are the two-time defending champions in the competition and boast a wide array of talent, most notably the deadly strike pairing of Aldo de Nigris and Humberto Suazo.
How they got here
The Galaxy very nearly had a first leg win in the bag when A.J. DeLaGarza's first-half goal put them 1-0 up over Monterrey at the Home Depot Center, but two late defensive breakdowns allowed Suazo and de Nigris to find the net, giving the Mexican side two vital away goals.
Because of the away-goals rule, which states that in the event of a draw in the aggregate score of the two legs the team which has scored the most goals away from home will advance, the Galaxy know they must score at least two goals to advance. A 1-0 LA win would not be sufficient, and a 2-1 LA win would send the match to extra time, and if necessary penalty kicks. An LA win by two or more would see them through to the final, while a Monterrey win or draw would put them into a third straight final.
For more information on Wednesday's game, be sure to check out all the related content on MLSsoccer.com…
- MLSsoccer.com editor Nicholas Rosano and LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano appear on the March to the Match podcast to discuss the Galaxy's chances and some key matchups for Wednesday night's game. Listen here.
- LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez is happy to be back back to play professionally in a city that is dear to his heart. Read more...
- Which MLS team was interested in bringing Monterrey star Humberto Suazo in over the past offseason and just how close did they get? Read more.
- Landon Donovan's status for Wednesday's game is just one of the many CCL tidbits discussed in Wednesday morning's Kick Off column. Read more...
- Donovan sat down with the media in Monterrey to discuss his team's prospects in the upcoming match. Read more.
- Galaxy midfielder Juninho should be ready to play, and one other LA Galaxy star may be in line for an unexpected start. Read more...
- Which Monterrey midfielder says that he "would love" to play in MLS and could do so as soon as this summer? Read more.
- MLSsoccer.com editor Nicholas Rosano wonders if there's still hope for the Galaxy heading into Wednesday match. Read more...
