MIAMI, Florida – There were a number of standout moments and performances during the first legs of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Here were the top five moments of the tournament’s first week.

 

 

Bolanos turns back the clock

It was during the 2005 Concacaf Champions Cup when a young Christian Bolanos for Deportivo Saprissa was handed a start against opponents Pumas and made the most of it, scoring a goal and helping the Costa Rican club capture their third Concacaf crown. Almost 17 years have passed since then, but on Wednesday night Bolanos played like it was 2005, scoring a pair of goals against Pumas and nearly tallying a third in spectacular style with a scorpion-like back-heel that rang off the crossbar. It was a vintage performance from the 37-year-old against their Liga MX foes.

Castellanos twice as nice with brace

New York City FC won MLS Cup 2021 thanks in large part to the goal-scoring prowess of Valentin Castellanos, who won the 2021 MLS Golden Boot with 19 goals. In 2022, Castellanos has picked up where he left off, bagging a brace in NYCFC’s 2-0 win at Santos de Guapiles. With Castellanos, NYCFC have one of the best scoring threats in the region and will fancy their chances of a deep run if the Argentine attacker maintains his form.

Breza heroics keep Montreal in the hunt

CF Montreal fell 1-0 to Mexico’s Santos Laguna in Torreon in their first leg, but it could have been a much wider scoreline if not for Montreal GK Sebastian Breza. The 23-year-old shot-stopper made eight saves against the Liga MX side, including six in the first half and a highlight-reel back-to-back save against Eduardo Aguirre. If CF Montreal are able to rally for the win in the second leg, a lot of it will be because of Breza’s first leg performance.

Club Leon veterans connect in Guatemala

Club Leon midfielders Elias Hernandez and Luis Montes have a combined age of 68 (33 and 35, respectively) and just seem to get better over time. The two were instrumental in Club Leon’s 2-0 win at Guastatoya of Guatemala, running the show in the center of the field and hooking up for the second Club Leon goal. Montes was the one pulling the strings, as he floated in an inch-perfect pass for Hernandez, who timed his run to a tee, beating a pair of defenders before finishing with aplomb for the goal. This duo has the make-up to lead Club Leon deep into the tournament.

Espino golazo wins it for Comunicaciones

For all the world it looked like Comunicaciones and the Colorado Rapids would have to settle for a 0-0 draw in their first leg in Guatemala City, but Karel Espino had other ideas. With time and space, Espino ripped a shot from outside the area that took a slight deflection and fooled Colorado GK William Yarbrough to deliver a dramatic late win for the Cremas. It was a magical 2021 for Comunicaciones, who won the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League, and right now it looks like that has spilled into 2022.