Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Houston welcome Atlante

Houston and Atlante will renew hostilities tonight as the two teams will play in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. The first leg is in Houston and the next leg is scheduled for March 3 in Cancun.

The series will feature a different tiebreaker than the CONCACAF Champions Cup we became accustomed to. This time, away goals will serve as a tiebreaker. With the onus on the road team to score and the hosts to try and maintain a zero, these knockout games might have a bit more intensity.

It also means that Atlante could put a damper on Houston's spirits with one goal, even if the MLS side wins. Houston tied Pumas in Mexico City a year ago, but no MLS team has ever beaten a Mexican team on Mexican soil during a CONCACAF match. Of course, should Houston win tonight and draw next week, that would be enough to see them through no matter now many goals Atlante scores.

Atlante will bring a squad that has played more poorly than not in league this season. With a 1-4-2 record, Atlante are among the bottom of the pack and need to improve quickly to have a chance at the playoffs. Still, Luis Gabriel Rey is a formidable player. Atlante doesn't have the most anemic attack in Mexico but they've scored just eight goals in seven games.

Here are some stories on the game:

Houston Chronicle previews the game

A breakdown by Goal.com

USA Today looks at the tournament

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well it looks like Atlante pulled an away gol. Looks very tough for Houston in the next game. I didn't watch this game, so did it end in a fight like it did when they played the NE?