Leagues Cup Quarterfinals Were a Big Fat Letdown | OneFootball

There’s no way to sugarcoat a turd. It won’t taste better. And last night was a heaping smørgasbord of sugared crap in the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals.

I’m not hating just because the MLS won all four matches, though the prospect of four more MLS vs. MLS matches excites me as much as a colonoscopy. It was the humdrum mediocrity of the fixtures that disappointed.

Inter Miami CF 2 – 1 Tigres UANL

Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL

This was the only match that was actually any good. Miami needed two calls from the referee to win this one. I won’t argue that Luis Suárez’s cross struck Javier Aquino’s arm, but I’m not entirely sold that said arm was in an unnatural position, or that the resulting cross would not have struck Aquino’s head if the arm wasn’t there. In any event, that debate is moot. Suárez drilled the resulting PK.

Miami suffered two additional setbacks in the first half. Jordi Alba collided with teammate Telasco Segovia, and had to be replaced after trying to play through the knock. Coach Javier Mascherano was shown a straight red for arguing over the amount of stoppage time. Not only did he have to coach via phone with his assistant Leandro Stillitano for the second half, he’ll be banned from the semi-final match.

Prediction: How’d I Do?

In my preview, I predicted a Messi goal and an Ángel Correa goal. The latter choice was spot-on. In the 67th minute he danced through two Miami defenders and just snuck his shot under Oscar Ustari.  If Leo had bothered to suit up, I’m convinced my prediction would have been 100%. By the way, Messi’s sidelining indicates just how NOT seriously Miami is taking this competition. He wasn’t even on the roster. The team claims it’s due to an ongoing muscle injury, but he played fine for 45 minutes on Saturday, even scoring a goal.

Tigres were sharp in the second half. Diego Lainez had a shot carrom off the post in the 58th minute. Correa had another shot saved in the 75th. There was a physics defying double doink off BOTH posts in the 91st minute.

It was in the 84th minute that the game once again hinged on Javier Aquino’s arm and the referee’s whistle. This time, VAR had to get involved, but ultimately the PK was given, Suárez fired it home, and the tournament organizers got what they wanted: Inter Miami through to the next round.

Toluca 0 – 0 Orlando City SC

Orlando City won the shootout 6 – 5 Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA

Orlando City scored twice in the first twenty minutes, but both goals were called back due to offsides. The rest of the game can be summarized with a few key statistics. Toluca took fifteen shots, but only one was on frame. They had twice as many corners as Orlando (10 to 5), and nothing came from them. Orlando took four shots the entire game. The official highlights found nothing of interest in the second half, they went straight to the penalty shootout.

It was all square after five rounds in that, each side perfect. Then goalkeeper Pedro Gallese took it upon himself to make a statement. He saved the next two shots, and capped that achievement by converting the seventh penalty to win the match for Orlando City.

Ultimate takeaway: crappy game with a dramatic turnout from man-of-the-match Pedro Gallese.

Seattle Sounders 0 – 0 Puebla

Seattle won the shootout 4 – 3 Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

Puebla played the most cynical, boring game of soccer you can imagine. They sat in the low block the entire game, barely interested in mounting a counter-attack. As a strategy, it nearly paid off, even if it made the match as boring as watching paint dry.

It was apparent that Puebla’s strategum got into Seattle’s head. In addition to committing sixteen fouls, Puebla players flopped to the pitch at every minor scuff or graze of the arm. Daniel Musovski, guilty of striking a player with a flailing left arm, reacted to the subsequent yellow card by bouncing off the ground and charging at the referee like a mad bull in the corredo. His card was immediately upgraded to red, and Seattle had to play the remaining 25 minutes shorthanded.

To be fair to the hosts, they did not lack effort. With nearly 80% possession, they were able to control and move the ball effectively. They just could not strike on frame to save their life (only 1 out of 11 was on target).

I believed their inability to put the game away in regulation would cost them in the shootout. But Andy Thomas stepped up big to put any doubts to bed. He saved the first shot from Ricardo Marin, and the final kick from Nicolás Diaz to advance Seattle.

LA Galaxy 2 – 1 Pachuca

Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Galaxy took the early lead with a bit of training ground creativity. Marco Reus slipped into space on the near post and took a short corner, whipping the pass towards the top of the box. Pachuca defender Daniel Aceves got caught flat-footed and parried the ball into his own net. The German was once again on point ten minutes later when a deflected ball fell to his feet at the top of the box. He calmly slotted it home to give the home side a two-goal advantage.

I’m not saying the MLS-edition Galaxy showed up in this match, as they did win. But they sure tried to bollocks it up. They mustered only five shots on goal; two on frame. Pachuca took eighteen, and forced Novac Micović into four saves until Alemão put one away in the 6th minute of stoppage time. It was too little, too late for a Pachuca side that clearly outplayed LA, but lacked the finishing.