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 remains perfect at home in 2014 with a 5-0-0 record after a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Tijuana on Saturday at Estadio Azul. The victory came three days before Sporting Kansas City arrives in Mexico City for Wednesday's decisive second leg in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals and keeps Cruz Azul (9-1-1) atop the Clausura standings with a three-point lead over Toluca.
Head coach Luis Fernando Tena elected not to rotate his roster on Saturday, using all 11 players that started at Sporting Park in last week's opening leg. Nine of the 11 were once again in the starting lineup on Saturday, while Christian Giménez came on at halftime and Gerardo Flores entered in the 75th minute.
The decision was contrasted by the tactical approach of Tijuana, who rested many of their starters with an eye on their CONCACAF Champions League rematch with the LA Galaxy on Tuesday. Those left out of the squad included Americans Greg Garza and Joe Corona, however five U.S. natives would feature for Xolos including starters Paul Arriola, Edgar Castillo, Alejandro Guido and Herculez Gomez. Seventeen-year-old Fernando Arce Jr. entered in the 81st minute for his Liga MX debut.
Nevertheless, it was Tijuana who took the surprising 1-0 lead in the 45th minute on a left-footed shot from Richard Ruiz for the 200th goal of the Clausura campaign. Arriola provided the pass from the left side of the penalty area and Ruiz buried his attempt from eight yards out on the brink of halftime.
The goal was just the second home goal allowed by Cruz Azul in 2014, yet continued the imbalance in first half goals conceded by Jesús Corona. Of the team's seven goals allowed in the Clausura, six have come in the opening 45 minutes of play.
| Fabian's Club Career in Mexico | ||||
| Tournament | GP | GS | MINS | G |
| National | 200 | 138 | 12,815 | 50 |
| International | 27 | 15 | 1,456 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 227 | 153 | 14,271 | 54 |
Cruz Azul's rally in the second half would start early as Marco Fabián struck in the 47th minute for the first of his two goals. The 24-year-old midfielder, on loan from CD Guadalajara, powered a shot from 30 yards out past Tijuana goalkeeper Cirilo Saucedo and inside the far post.
His second of the night would also come from outside the box in the 70th minute, again on an assist from Giménez. The brace -- his second of the season -- gives Fabián six goals on the year, tied for third most among Liga MX players, and sees Cruz Azul remain the top scoring team in Mexico with 20 goals scored to date in the Clausura.
Playing in the 200th game of his club career in domestic competition, Fabián netted his 49th and 50th goals since debuting in 2007. He's also added four goals in international competitions (two each in Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana) on his club résumé.
Saturday's victory extends La Máquina's home unbeaten run to 10 games (8-0-2), dating back to their last home loss more than six months ago, while Tijuana’s league road winless streak now stands at 20 games. Both teams currently trail 1-0 on aggregate in their respective CCL quarterfinal series, but could meet again in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals should they overturn the deficits at home and advance to the tournament's final four.
