CONCACAF Champions League 2013 quarterfinals: LA Galaxy and Herediano finish scoreless

The match picked up some steam around the 30th minute when again the Galaxy got what looked like it would be a good chance to get a shot on goal. Instead Keane, who was all alone at the top of the penalty area, botched his shot badly and started blaming the turf for his misfortune.

Herediano countered immediately, getting their first good shot attempt of the match off. Unfortunately Elías Aguilar’s shot skied over the crossbar.

It was clear from the beginning that the Sounders went to Nuevo Leon just trying to limit the damage. They packed men behind the ball and were rarely adventurous in possession, instead choosing to play safe and make things difficult on the home side.

Even when Tigres did get through, it was only after Gspurning denied them on their first try. Lucas Lobos’ first try at goal was turned away by Gspurning, but Alan Pulido buried the rebound for what would prove to be the winning goal. The Sounders appealed for offside on the play, but the two Tigres men who were offside did not play the ball and the goal was rightly allowed.

Monterrey are two-time defending CONCACAF Champions League winners and their quest to make it three straight is well on track after a 3-1 win at Xelaju in Wednesday’s quarterfinal first leg. They will now return home for next week’s second leg with one foot in the semifinal and the possibility of a historic three-peat intact.

It took just nine minutes for Monterrey to go in front of Xelaju. Jose Maria Basanta’s header forced Fernando Patterson into a good save, but he left the rebound right in front of goal for Hiram Mier to knock home.

Neither team was especially capable of playing in their own half in the early going. They gave the ball away time and time again when trying to play out of the back and were atrocious tracking runs. Luckily for both teams, they were never punished because the finishing was absolutely horrendous. Each team had several chances to get on the board in the first half, but neither could find the net.

Davis started the match, but came off the bench at halftime. Unfortunately for the Dynamo, the veteran midfielder didn’t do much to help the struggling Houston midfield for most of the second half. His normally excellent dead balls were inaccurate and his passes struggled to find their targets, but he made up for it all in the 89th minute.