GUADALAJARA, Mexico – A night that promised much for Tigres UANL and US international Jose Torres turned sour, with the midfielder hauled off after just 30 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to crosstown archrivals Monterrey in the first leg of their Liga MX playoffs quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
Torres was responsible for giving the ball away early in the build-up to Monterrey’s goal in the 19th minute and faced the wrath of the famously expressive coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti, who was visibly livid on the sideline.
The Texan made the same mistake shortly after in the Estadio Tecnólogico and looked disappointment as he made way for right back Israel Jiménez.
READ: Dempsey, Spurs still in Champions League hunt with Chelsea draw
First-place finishers Tigres were generally poor in the first half against los Rayados, but improved after halftime and could’ve tied the game if not for two excellent saves from Monterrey ’keeper Jonathan Orozco.
For the three-time CONCACAF champions, young forward Alonso Hernandez was left on the bench and will be hoping to feature in the return leg on Saturday in the Estadio Universitario.
In Brazil, Freddy Adu didn’t see any playing time for Bahia as his team fell 2-0 at Serie C outfit Luverdense in the second round of the Copa do Brasil.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. Contact him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
