After winning their respective groups with unbeaten records, Sporting KC and Cruz Azul will collide in the quarterfinals of the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League on March 12 and March 19. Ahead of the home-and-away match-up, SportingKC.com will provide regular updates on La Máquina as part of the site's CCL Crash Course series. Want to know more about the tournament? Check out our 2013-14 CCL Guide.
Cruz Azul's storybook start to the Liga MX season continued on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Clausura contenders Toluca at Estadio Azul in Mexico City. Second-half substitute Christian Giménez (pictured above) scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute to give the home side their eighth straight victory and a six-point lead atop the standings.
The marquee match-up featured the top two teams in Mexico and the top two seeds in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals as Cruz Azul (8-0-1, 25 pts) and Toluca (6-2-1, 19 pts) faced off for the first time since meeting in the Apertura playoffs. Cruz Azul avenged their quarterfinal elimination (4-1 on aggregate) and in doing so, assured that Luis Fernando Tena's squad will be Mexico's league leaders when they travel to Sporting Park to kick off the CCL series on March 12.
A crowd of 27,758 attended Estadio Azul in Mexico City on Saturday
Now past the halfway point of their Clausura campaign, Cruz Azul have dropped just two out of a possible 27 points and boast both the best offense (18 goals scored) and best defense (three goals allowed) in Liga MX. Jesús Corona secured his sixth shutout of the season with three saves on Saturday and now joins the Mexico Men's National Team for Wednesday's international friendly against Nigeria.
| Chaco's Club Career in Mexico | ||||
| Tournament | GP | GS | MINS | G |
| National | 343 | 295 | 26,535 | 98 |
| International | 54 | 41 | 3,954 | 20 |
| TOTAL | 397 | 336 | 30,489 | 118 |
But it was Giménez who stole the show, coming off the bench in the 68th minute after being beckoned by the crowd with chants of his nickname Chaco. The 33-year-old striker, who made four appearances for Mexico in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, delivered within a dozen minutes as he headed home a free kick from Rogelio Chávez.
The goal -- the 118th of his club career in Mexico dating back to 2004 -- is Cruz Azul's eighth headed goal in 2014, indicative of a team that leads all Liga MX teams with 133 crosses and 67 corner kicks.
Toluca were left to bemoan the bounce of the ball after very nearly flipping the script earlier in the second half. The visitors had already had a goal disallowed and were in prime position to take the lead in the 53rd minute when Pablo Velázquez unleashed a shot from 12 yards out that beat Corona, but struck the right post to deny the Paraguayan a league-leading sixth goal of the season.
Cruz Azul's final hurdle before resuming CONCACAF Champions League play comes on the road next Saturday at Tigres UANL (1-3-5, 8 pts), who sit second to last but are unbeaten in eight including a scoreless draw at CD Guadalajara earlier today and an 8-0 embarrassment of Puebla mid-week in Copa MX competition. A road victory would put La Máquina on the cusp of matching their own league record for most consecutive first division wins, set at 10 during the 1971-72 season.
