Santos, Tigres, Rayados, Sporting KC all advance to CCL semifinals

The search for North America’s representative in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup is nearing its end. The quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League came and went and we were left with four of the strongest teams that began the tournament back in late February.

The first semifinal will be Santos Laguna vs. Tigres UANL. The first leg will be played at the Estadio Universitario in Nuevo Leon and the second leg at the Estadio Corona in Coahuila.

• First Leg: Wednesday, April 3 @ 6:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. CT / 9:00 p.m. ET
• Second Leg: Wednesday, April 10 @ 4:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. ET

The other one will pit Monterrey against lone MLS side Sporting Kansas City. The first leg will be played at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Nuevo Leon and the second leg at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas.

• First Leg: Thursday, April 4 @ 6:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. CT / 9:00 p.m. ET
• Second Leg: Thursday, April 11 @ 5:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. CT / 8:00 p.m. ET

The headlines:

• Santos Laguna was startled by the New York Red Bulls after going 2-0 down at home in the second leg, but found the back of the net four times in the final 45 minutes to advance.
• Tigres didn’t need much to put away Houston Dynamo, scoring just one goal via Carlos Salcedo in the second leg to come away with a 3-0 aggregate victory.
• Monterrey suffered a loss for the very first time this season in all competitions at the hands of Atlanta United, but that wasn’t enough for the Americans, who lost 3-1 on aggregate.
• Finally, after a 0-0 deadlock for 74 minutes, Sporting Kansas City finally took the lid off and scored three straight to defeat cinderella team CA Independiente 4-2 on aggregate.
• The Liga MX superiority continues as three Mexican sides advanced to the semifinals, meaning there is a guarantee that at least one team battling for the trophy in the final will be from Liga MX. Historically, there has been at least one Liga MX team in the CCL final every year since 2005, with a Liga MX team winning the whole thing every year since 2006.
• Looking at the bracket above, there is a very good chance for a Clásico Regiomontano (Tigres & Monterrey) rematch in none other than the CCL Final, which would be insane for a number of reasons.
• Not the least of which would be the fanbases of both teams. The Clásico Regio has been regarded as the most passionate Mexican derby of the past decade, and it’s easy to see why. Not only are both teams constatly at the top of the league, both sides’ fanbases made waves on social media this week by leaving opposing fans in awe of their undeniable passion.

• We also couldn’t end this without showing you what could possible be one of the best goals, not just of the tournament, OF THE YEAR....IN THE WORLD. Courtesy of Santos Laguna’s Uruguayan winger Brian Lozano in the second leg against the Red Bulls.

Who’s going to the final? Who’s winning the damn thing? Let us know in the comments below!

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