MIAMI, Florida – Things stand on a knife’s edge in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series between Liga MX side Pachuca and the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS) heading into Tuesday night’s second leg at the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico.
The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg last week in Philadelphia, leaving margins razor-thin going into this second leg.
After the 0️⃣-0️⃣ draw, @Tuzos and @PhilaUnion seek for these combinations
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 8, 2024
One ticket 🎫 for the Quarterfinals is at stake #Concachampions 🏆
Presented by @KavakMexico pic.twitter.com/zLkmG73UV9
Pachuca will be looking to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup for the first time since their title run in the 2016-17 edition when they won their fifth continental crown.
Their recent history shows that they have every reason to feel confident. Since 2008-09, the Tuzos are unbeaten in second leg matches in the knockout stage, with seven wins and two draws.
Pachuca will no doubt be on the hunt to make it eight wins in that span on Tuesday night and will look to players such as Pedro Pedraza and Erick Sanchez for support.
Pedraza completed 50 passes and had a ball recovery in the first leg, while Sanchez, a member of that 2016-17 Pachuca team, finished the night with five shots. GK Carlos Moreno was also a steady presence in net with three saves and one clearance.
In their only Champions Cup appearances to date (2021, 2023), the Union have always reached the semifinal round and they will be keen to try to continue that streak with either a win or a goal-scoring draw on Mexican soil.
An injury prevented star striker and 2024 Champions Cup top scorer (4 goals) Julian Carranza from playing in the first leg, so Philadelphia will be eager to recuperate his services.
Other players like Jack McGlynn and Jose Martinez will be important for the Union to manage a tough environment away from home. McGlynn led the team in passes last week (65) and had five ball recoveries, while Martinez led the team in ball recoveries with seven.
Match Officials CF Pachuca (MEX) vs Philadelphia Union (USA)
REF: BRYAN LOPEZ (Guatemala)
AR1: KEYTZEL CORRALES (Nicaragua)
AR2: WILLIAM CHOW (Costa Rica)
4TH: SELVIN BROWN (Honduras)
VAR: TATIANA GUZMAN (Nicaragua)
VAR1: BENJAMIN WHITTY (Cayman Islands)
