CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals: Toluca, Cruz Azul headed to the semis

Arabe Unido went from underdogs to favorites in a matter of 90 minutes in Costa Rica, earning an away draw to move within one home win of a place in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, but it wasn’t to be. Alajuelense showed why they were heavy favorites to advance before the first leg in a 2-0 win at Arabe Unido to win the tie.

With the win, Alajuelense booked a spot in the next round, where they will play Toluca. It marks the first time a Costa Rican team has made the semifinals since Saprissa did it in 2011.

The deck was always a bit stacked against the San Jose Earthquakes as soon as their lineup was announced. But despite missing as many as seven potential starters, the Quakes managed to take an early lead and took Toluca all the way to the sixth round of a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, the Goonies’ CONCACAF Champions League dreams finally died.

Toluca prevailed in the Wednesday’s shootout, winning 1 (5)-1 (4) when Wilson Tiago’s penalty caromed in off the crossbar and Shea Salinas’ rung off it. Jon Busch, who had saved Raul Nava’s penalty attempt in the first round, got a piece of Tiago’s but could not keep it out.

Club Tijuana hit the LA Galaxy early, and by the time the Galaxy came to, they were 3-0 down. Not even the Galaxy’s late rally could save them, as they had been outplayed by a better team away, which is almost always the case when MLS teams go to Mexico. Xolos found themselves with a 4-2 win (4-3 on aggregate) that has them bound for the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals.

It didn’t.

Every year, it seems, we have this conversation. We talk about how MLS teams are closing the gap on their Mexican counterparts and how it’s just a matter of time before the Americans start beating the bullies from south of the border with some level of regularity. At some point, though, it needs to actually happen.

Three MLS teams have golden opportunities to do just that this week.

By the end of this week, the CONCACAF Champions League will have its four semifinalists, but who those teams are is still a complete tossup. There were two draws and two wins in the first legs of the quarterfinals, with both wins coming by 1-0 score lines at home, leaving plenty of drama for the final 90 (or maybe 120?) minutes in every tie.

Estadio Caliente; Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET