Tauro FC 1, FC Dallas 0 | CCL Round of 16 Recap

FC Dallas squandered a slew of chances late in the first half, which proved costly in a 1-0 defeat to Tauro FC In the opening leg of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 at Estadio Rommel Fernandez Wednesday night.

Edwin Aguilar latched onto a Jesus Gonzalez corner kick and headed in off Jesse Gonzalez to give Tauro, which scores more than 70 percent of its domestic goals in the second half, a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute. 

Santiago Mosquera came close to scoring on his FC Dallas debut, but the 23-year-old Colombian’s chip in the 42nd minute was pushed over the bar by Tauro goalkeeper Oscar McFarlane in the best chance of a first half that saw the visitors dominate possession and scoring chances, but come away empty. 

Goals

• 57' - TAU - Edwin Aguilar 

Three Things 

The Big Picture: A win would have been big, not just for advancing in the CCL, but also cosmetically for an FC Dallas side that wants to put a forgettable 2017 behind them. In the second half, Oscar Pareja's squad looked every bit the team that just wrapped up preseason.

Moment of the Match: FC Dallas had Tauro FC on the ropes with wave after wave of scoring chances, especially late in the first half. If any of the three critical chances in the final 11 minutes finds the back of the net, it's a different result for the visitors. 

Man of the Match
: The ageless Oscar McFarlane came up with a massive save to deny Santiago Mosquera with a one-handed parry over the crossbar three minutes from halftime. 

Next Up

• Leg 2: FC Dallas vs. Tauro FC, Toyota Stadium, Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 10 pm ET (www.go90.com, www.univisiondeportes.com)