MIAMI, Florida – A wide open second leg awaits both the Philadelphia Union and Alianza of El Salvador in their 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 series on Tuesday night at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The two sides dueled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg last week in El Salvador, so a spot in the quarterfinals is there for the taking.
Alianza have a history of being a pesky opponent away from home in the Round of 16. In the 2019 SCCL Round of 16 they came within a whisker of scoring in their return leg at Monterrey, eventually losing 1-0 on aggregate.
A year later it was another close call as Tigres GK Nahuel Guzman scored in the final seconds to give Tigres a dramatic 5-4 aggregate victory.
On both occasions, Monterrey and Tigres would go on to win the SCCL that season after eliminating Alianza, and no doubt that Philadelphia would like to achieve that feat as well.
The Union will once again lean on star GK Andre Blake to keep the visitors at bay. Blake has 20 saves in seven career SCCL matches.
A pair of Philadelphia youngsters also impressed in the first leg in San Salvador, with Quinn Sullivan among the most active with three shots, while full-back Nathan Harriel had two shots, including one off the post.
The usual cast of characters for Alianza were at the forefront of the team’s effort in the first leg. Veteran FW Rodolfo Zelaya was a headache with two shots, while midfield wizard Marvin Monterroza completed 85 of Alianza’s 363 passes.
In the back, Camilo Mancilla was a key figure, making 10 of the team’s 26 clearances to go along with five ball recoveries.
Another 90 minutes with very fine margins should be on the docket with a spot in the final eight at stake.
