Tune in next Tuesday night as I will be covering the second leg between these two from the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Until then, I am Matthew Evans saying good-night!
The VAVEL USA Man of the Match is Dilly Duka. He scored both Impact goals on the evening and found himself in good positions on numerous occasions.
That is not the result that Montreal would have wanted after leading 2-0 after 53 minutes. They do get two massive road goals that could factor into the second leg.
FULL TIME: Pachuca 2, Montreal Impact 2
90+4': There is the final whistle!
90+4': Lozaro fires a low drive that is just past the far post.
90+3': Hassoun Camara is down on the field right now. We didn't see what happened but there is a gathering of players around him. He is now up, oh wow, Lozano threw an elbow there. We are back to action.
90+2': Justin Mapp with a strong run forward, his cross is blocked and cleared by Pachuca.
90+2': Olvera's first attempt is off the wall, the ball bounces back to him where he fires again but it is just over the bar.
90': A soft foul called right at the top of the penalty box of Montreal. Four minutes of stoppage time coming here.
89': Ciman tries it from long range but the ball is wide again. It is nearly in the same spot as his other effort.
89': A big free kick coming for Montreal.
89': Yellow Card: Aquivaldo Mosquera
88': Pachuca Sub: Diego De Buen (Out), Rodrigo Salinas (In)
87': Pachuca is preparing their third and final sub, it will be Rodrigo Salinas.
87': Yellow Card: Ignacio Piatti
86': Mallace called for the foul despite Nahuelpan throwing elbows.
86': Camara is up for the clearance. The ball is played back in but right to Bush.
85': The game is starting to get chippy and spread out. Another corner for Pachuca.
84': Yellow Card: Rodrigo Lozano. He pulls down Justin Mapp from behind in a clear offense.
82': Montreal defends two more corners. Those are corners number 15 and 16 for Pachuca in this match.
81': Montreal Sub: Dominic Oduro (Out), Cameron Porter (In)
80': Pizarro tries a spectacular effort from long range but he misses and it sails over the bar.
80': Yellow Card: Hassoun Camara
79': Mallace and Mapp look to combine down the wing but the ball is played too far forward. A goal kick coming for Pachuca.
78': Pachuca with a free kick that is nearly on the end line. The ball is played in but cleared out by Ciman.
77': Pachuca Sub: Jurgen Damm (Out), Hector Mascorro (In)
76': Mapp tries to curl it into the near post but the ball is saved by Perez.
75': A free kick coming to the Impact at the corner of the 18 yard box.
74': Montreal is continuing to press high in the Pachuca zone. Duka steals the ball and runs to the corner. He looks for a cross but the ball is played out of bounds of the goalscorer.
73': Montreal Sub: Marco Donadel (Out), Calum Mallace (In)
71': SAVE! De Buen with a long range effort that is saved by Bush. The ball goes out for a corner which is played across but out for a goal kick.
70': Montreal Sub: Victor Cabrera (Out), Hassoun Camara (In)
68': Cabrera is caught out of position, Pachuca attacks the left wing with a low ball that Bush gets a palm on but it gets by him and Nahuelpan deflects the ball in.
68': GOAL!!! PACHUCA!!! ARIEL NAHUELPAN!!!!
67': A dangerous ball goes all the way through the box and out for a goal kick for Montreal.
66': Ciman steps up to take a free kick from distance. He looks for the top corner but misses by a mile. Pachuca is on possession now.
64': A soft foul called leads to another dangerous free kick for Pachuca. De Buen fires the ball that takes a deflection before Bush punches clear.
62': Oduro uses his speed to get behind the defense but his first touch fails him. Perez picks up the dribble and the attack is squashed.
62': SAVE! Evan Bush dives to his right and punches a low ball clear.
60': MISSED! Nahuelpan misses on a good look after the corner kick. A big miss there.
59': SAVE! Montreal with four players in the penalty box. Piatti finds the ball at his feet and he fires a low shot that is saved by Perez.
58': Heiberto Olvera was the goalscorer on that free kick. It appeared to be deflected but replays showing that it didn't. A great free kick.
57': The free kick is deflected off the wall and in.
57': GOAL!!! PACHUCA!!!
56': The sub will wait until after this free kick.
55': Pachuca Sub: Junior Sornoza (Out), Ariel Nahuelpan (In)
55': Ciman called for a foul in a dangerous position.
53': That goal was set up by Justin Mapp's great play. He puts himself into space and drives a low shot towards the far post. Perez gets a hand on it but the rebound falls to Duka who doesn't miss.
53': GOAL!!! MONTREAL IMPACT!!!!! DILLY DUKA x 2!!!!
51': BLOCKED! Montreal springs forward on an odd-man rush. Justin Mapp calls for the ball on the opposite side, the ball finally finds its way over to him and his shot is blocket out for a corner.
50': Piatti takes on three defenders and nearly breaks through but it is taken and cleared but the defense.
49': Two big defensive plays from Victor Cabrera to cut out an inside run and then a pass to the wing. Those won't show up in the highlights but they were very important.
47': It is a shame to see Evan Bush with lasers being pointed at him from the crowd before the free kick. The kick is cleared out by Ciman.
46': Pachuca gets us underway here in the second half. They are kicking from right-to-left on your keyboard.
What are your thoughts on the first half? Be sure to tweet me @tenorman85 with your opinions.
The outside backs Cabrera and Toia struggled to start but they have done well adjusting after the first ten-fifteen minutes.
A surprising result to this point but has been earned by the Impact. Can they keep up this play for another 45 minutes?
Halftime: CF Pachuca 0, Montreal Impact 1
45+2': There is the halftime whistle.
45+1': One minute of stoppage time
45': SAVE! Bush comes up big as Ciman allows his man to fire a tight angle shot to the near post. The corner kick is cleared once again by the Impact.
43': Pachuca earns another corner after a long buildup from the back. They looked to play Damm down the right side but Toia is equal to the attack.
41': Bush comes off his line to deny a ball in towards Damm. Great anticipation from the keeper.
40': SAVE!!! Dilly Duka fires a tight angle shot that is palmed away by Oscar Perez. A big rebound comes out but it is cleared before Oduro can reach it.
39': A handball from Pachuca gives Montreal a free kick from 35 yards out angle left.
37': Montreal springs a quick counter attack with Duka possessing the ball and Oduro ahead of him. Duka feeds the ball through but it is too close to the goalkeeper Perez. Oduro was flagged for offside.
35': The free kick takes a deflection but it is caught by Bush. Bush did not like the organization in his wall, he was yelling instructions at them almost up until the kick was taken.
33': Yellow Card: Justin Mapp. The veteran midfielder is called for a professional foul. A dangerous free kick upcoming for Pachuca.
32': Pachuca with a majority of the possession in the last five minutes. Montreal is play with ten men behind the ball only Oduro is between the ball and the Pachuca goal.
30': Cano misses on a turnaround shot but the ball apparently takes a deflection. Here comes another corner from Pachuca which is cleared.
29': MISS! Sornoza puts a wide open shot just outside of the post. The chance was set up by a poor clearance from Montreal which deflected off their own player and to an attacking Pachuca player in a dangerous position.
27': Another Pachuca corner comes to nothing as Justin Mapp clears the ball out. Montreal needs to keep their defensive shape but this away goal is huge.
25': Duka cuts the ball to the middle and instead of shooting to the far post, he cuts the ball towards the near post and catches the goalkeeper flat footed. Montreal 1, Pachuca 0
25': GOAL!!!! MONTREAL IMPACT!!!! DILLY DUKA!!!!
23': Montreal breaks out on a 2-v-2 counterattack. Piatti holds, looking for some shooting space but he is dispossessed as he enters the penalty box.
22': Evan Bush gives away a throw-in on a poor pass to the wing.
21': There is so much space in the middle of the field. It really feels like this game is in the 80th minute rather than the 21st.
20': A nice attacking run by Lozano but he loses control of possession going into the box.
18': Piatti is hauled down on the run down the wing. No card but a free kick for the Impact.
17': The corner is cleared easily by the Impact.
17': Yet another corner kick coming from Pachuca.
16': MISS! Piatti gets the ball to the top of the box. He finds space but gets under the ball and it sails over the bar. A good look from Piatti
15': Pachuca is having problems getting the ball out of their out half. Montreal is really stepping up the pressure.
13': Two more corners for Pachuca, that is five on the night if my counting is correct. Pachuca played the ball short but couldn't find a cross. Montreal now on the front foot.
12': Montreal is doing a very good job in closing down on balls played into the middle. They are being beaten badly on the wings though.
10': SAVE! Damm beats Toia down the right wing, he sends a low ball in towards Cano but Bush beats him to the punch. It is still 0-0.
9': Another corner for Pachuca as Ciman clears an attempted cross.
7': A nice combination play between Piatti and Oduro earns a corner kick. The corner was headed towards goal from Victor Cabrera but it is right at Perez the goalkeeper.
5': Evan Bush gets nailed by Miguel Herrera on a fifty-fifty ball off the corner. He has a shiner under his eye but there is no card from the official. A free kick coming from Bush.
4': De Buen finds a target in the box but the ball deflects out for another corner off of Soumare. The next corner attempt goes through the box.
3': An early corner for Montreal, Piatta plays the ball into the box but no one is home. Pachuca earns a corner on the other end.
2': Pachuca holding the early possession kicking around the back four. They play a ball down the wing to Rodrigo Lozano who crosses a ball towards the penalty spot but a big clearance from Laurent Ciman.
1': Pachuca is wearing a blue and white pinstriped kit with white shorts.
1': The Impact roll the ball back and we are underway!
The Montreal Impact are in all blue and they will be moving from right-to-left on your keyboard.
The teams are walking out onto the field.
We are just moments away from kickoff in Pachuca, Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal between Pachuca and Montreal Impact. Thank you for joining us here tonight, we are very excited to bring you this game as we kick off our MLS coverage for the 2015 season.
Final Whistle in Honduras: Olimpia 1, Herediano 1. What a game that was.
Woah! Herediano is down to ten men as a second-half substitute is sent off with a straight red card. They were entering the final minute of stoppage time, we'll see how much more time is added.
They have entered stoppage time in Olimpia vs Herediano. It is still tied at 1.
Wow! Two massive saves from the Herediano goalkeeper on shots from inside ten yards out. That keeps the match tied at 1.
The buzz around social media concerning the Impact's lineup tonight is the inclusion of Ignacio Piatti. Most folks seem to think that he could have a big year.
The lineup for Pachuca has been released. They are in a 4-3-3. Perez; Olvera, Mosquera, Herrera, Pizarro; Gutierrez, De Buen, Sornoza; Lozano, Cano, Damm
GOAL!!!! Herediano equalizes with a huge away goal! It is 1-1 in the 58th minute in that match.
The Pachuca lineup has not been made available to us yet. Hopefully we will be seeing that sheet shortly.
We are going to get our first look at the new center back pairing of Soumare and Ciman. Let's see where their chemistry levels are as they are thrown into an important match early.
Here is a look at the starting eleven for the Montreal Impact:
And welcome back to our coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Lineups from Pachuca should be posted soon. Meanwhile Olimpia leads Herediando 1-0
We will be back in just a moment with some more pre-game coverage
SO CLOSE! Olimpia hits the inside of the post in the 19th minute but cannot convert on the rebound. A beautiful left-footed shot from about 14 yards rings the inside of the post and it is still 0-0 in Honduras.
That match is currently level at 0-0 in the 16th minutes though Herediano just had a good look at goal, the runner just missed the shot.
Right now taking place at the Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino in Tegucigalpa, Honduras is the match between Olimpia and Herediano
And welcome in as we start our coverage tonight. The knockout rounds of the 2014-15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League are upon us. The four first legs all taking part over the next three days starting tonight.
Goals will be important tonight for the Impact no matter what the result. The away goals rule is used as the first tie-breaker if the aggregate score is level after normal time of the second leg. For example, if Montreal loses the first leg 2-1 on the road and wins the second leg 1-0 at home, Montreal would advance due to their away goal.
How do you see how match tonight finishing? Feel free to leave your comments on my Twitter page @tenorman85.
As we wait for our match tonight, we will get you posted on the CONCACAF Champions League match going on right now between Olimpia and Herediano.
Montreal Impact will open their regular season on March 7th with a 3:00 pm ET kickoff at RFK Stadium against DC United. That, of course, is if the league and the Player’s Union can agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.
It will be very interesting to see how Pachuca comes out to start in our match tonight. We should have that information about an hour before kickoff from the Estadio Hidalgo. Pachuca returns to Liga MX play on Friday when they travel to Tijuana from a match with Club Tijuana.
One of the things that is very interesting about this Pachuca team is their inconsistent formations. In those first seven Clausura matches, they have used four different formations including a 3-4-3 lineup in their last match. Only three players have started in all seven matches so far; goalkeeper Oscar Perez, midfielder Jorge Daniel Hernandez, and utility man Walter Ayovi.
Their opponent is a very interesting Pachuca team who is seven games into the 2015 Clausura Torneo. They are in 10th place with 10 points with three wins, three losses, and a draw. Pachuca is on a bit of a roll in the past three matches with seven points including wins over Atlas and Leon.
If Frank Klopas plays how we think he will, we project a 4-2-3-1 starting lineup that could look like this: Bush; Camara, Ciman, Soumare, Miller; Donadel, Reo-Coker; Romero, Piatti, Mapp; McInerney
Montreal has played three pre-season games so far including a pair of 1-0 results against Cruz Azul (a win and a loss) as well as a 6-0 win over Cuautla FC last week.
Klopas replaced these players with a very strong group that includes goalkeeper Eric Kronberg from Sporting Kansas City, defenders Donny Toia from Chivas USA, Bakary Soumare from the Chicago Fire, Belgian international Laurent Ciman from Standard Liege, Ambroise Oyongo from the New York Red Bulls, midfielders Marco Donadel from Napoli, Nigel Reo-Coker from Chivas USA, Eric Alexander from the New York Red Bulls, forwards Andres Romero from Tombense in Brazil and Dominic Oduro from Toronto FC.
Manager Frank Klopas almost completely overhauled the team with changes in every position group. The players that were on the team but now are gone include Marco Di Vaio, Matteo Ferrari, Futty Danso, James Bissue, Zakaria Messoudi, Gorka Larrea, Troy Perkins, Gege Soriola, Heath Pearce, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Felipe Martins, Karl Ouimette, and Krzysztof Krol. These players combined for 12 goals and 13 assists in 13,049 minutes played during the regular season.
The team made a number of changes in the off-season in preparation for this season as well as a potential run at the CONCACAF Champions League title and a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Montreal comes into tonight’s match still in their pre-season preparations for the 2015 Major League Soccer season. They are coming off a very poor season in 2014 finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points from their 34 matches. They also earned a minus-20 goal differential, beaten on by the now-defunct Chivas USA at minus-32.
The Montreal Impact finished on top of Group 3 with ten points. They beat out the New York Red Bulls and Club FAS of El Salvador.
Pachuca finished on top of Group 1 with nine points. They were paired with Municipal of Guatemala and Real Espana of Honduras.
Every club that is still participating in this year’s competition won their group from the Group Stages played last fall.
The return leg of this series takes place on Tuesday, March 3rd at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
This is the first of two matches this week that feature clubs from Major League Soccer in the CONCACAF Champions League. Top-seeded DC United travels to Alajuela, Costa Rica for a clash with L.D. Alajuelense. The winner of that series will face the winner of our series.
Good evening and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Our match tonight is the first leg of the Quarterfinal series between the fifth-seeded C.F. Pachuca of Mexico and the fourth-seeded Montreal Impact of Canada. The game is taking place from the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host tonight.