Sporting Kansas City concludes the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal round on Wednesday night with the second leg against Cruz Azul. The two teams met last Wednesday at Sporting Park in the opening leg with Sporting KC earning a 1-0 victory. Homegrown defender Kevin Ellis scored a 17th minute goal and Eric Kronberg earned his fourth shutout in the competition.
In the group stage, Cruz Azul was dominant at home with two 3-0 victories. Domestically, the Mexican side is coming off a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Tijuana which put them three points clear in Liga MX. Sporting KC are in the midst of five matches in 15 days and most recently earned a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas in MLS play. If the two teams are tied on the aggregate score at the end of 90 minutes on Wednesday night, the away goals rule will be used as a tiebreaker. If the two sides are tied on away goals, overtime (two 15 minute periods) will be played. Penalty kicks will be used if the two teams are still tied after overtime.
The team that advances will face the winner of the LA Galaxy vs Tijuana in early April.
Below is a closer look at the two teams in this match's By The Numbers preview.
A few notable stats
- Sporting KC is tied for the fewest conceded goals of any team in the quarterfinals with one (four shutouts in five matches)
- Cruz Azul is tied for the second best goal difference (+6) in home matches during the group stage
- Eric Kronberg's shutout in the first leg moved him into first place in club history with four shutouts in international competitive matches
- Cruz Azul's Marco Fabian scored two goals this past weekend in a 2-1 win at Tijuana, improving the club's record to 4-0-0 when he scores
CCL Team Leaders (2013-14)
<u>Sporting KC</u> |
<u>Stat</u> |
<u>Cruz Azul</u> |
Soony Saad 2 |
<strong>GOALS</strong> |
Achille Emana 4 |
Bieler/Feilhaber/Collin/Zusi 1 |
<strong>ASSISTS</strong> |
Mariano Pavone 3 |
Eric Kronberg 0.20 |
<strong>GAA</strong> |
Guillermo Allison 0.66 |
CCL Team Stats (2013-14)
<u>Sporting KC</u> |
<u>Cruz Azul</u> |
|
Goals Scored (Conceded) |
6 (1) |
10 (3) |
Shots |
49 |
67 |
Fouls Committed (Suffered) |
84 (77) |
74 (69) |
Corner Kicks |
31 |
30 |
Offsides |
12 |
22 |
Previous Appearances in CCL (including Champions Cup)
Sporting KC
- Appearances (3) - 2002, 2005, 2013-14
- Best Finish - Semifinals (2002)
- Overall Record - 6-3-4
Cruz Azul
- Appearances (10) - 1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14
- Best Finish - Champions (1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997)
- Overall Record - 39-12-9
