MIAMI, Florida – Across the region there were some great performances in the first legs of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals. Here are the 11 players who stood out the most over the course of the last week.
GK Earl Edwards Jr., New England Revolution
Normally, 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Best Goalkeeper Award winner Matt Turner is the man in goal for New England, but an injury to Turner ushered Edwards Jr. into the No.1 shirt and he came through with a top performance in the 3-0 win versus Pumas, making three saves, including a crucial 71st minute stop on an Arturo Ortiz header that led to New England’s second goal.
DF Pablo Aguilar, Cruz Azul
Aguilar finished the week as the top-rated defender in the SCCL quarterfinal first legs with an excellent display in the 1-0 win over CF Montreal. Aguilar completed 97 percent of his passes, made three steals and ensured CF Montreal didn’t even register a single shot.
DF Andrew Farrell, New England Revolution
The veteran Farrell was a calm, composed presence on the Revolution’s back line in the win against Pumas, making several key clearances late in the second half to help secure the clean sheet. He finished with three steals and completed all 24 of his passes.
DF Manuel Gamboa, Comunicaciones
Gamboa was seemingly everywhere for Comunicaciones in their 3-1 defeat with New York City, scoring a critical away goal for the Guatemalan side on top of making three steals. The Panamanian defender ended the night with 13 of 18 passes completed.
MF Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders
After scoring a goal and picking up two assists in his last SCCL match, a 5-0 win over Motagua in the Round of 16 second leg, Roldan delivered a second straight star performance with a pair of assists and a penalty drawn in the 3-0 triumph over Club Leon. Roldan also had two steals and completed 83 percent of his passes.
MF Maxi Moralez, New York City FC
Moralez appeared at the most important moment for his team in the 3-1 victory with Comunicaciones. With the score tied 1-1 in the 65th minute and Comunicaciones having all the momentum, Moralez scored a timely volley to swing things back in NYCFC’s favor. The Argentine finished the night with a steal, while completing 47 of 52 passes.
MF Uriel Antuna, Cruz Azul
Antuna has many Concacaf goals to his name at the national team level and now has a SCCL score to place on his mantle after firing in the winning score for Cruz Azul in the 1-0 final against CF Montreal. Antuna earned the highest rating among all midfielders, with two shots and 89 percent of passes completed.
MF Carles Gil, New England Revolution
Any time that the Revolution needed to wrestle back control of the midfield against Pumas, Gil was there to restore order. The Spaniard had a steal and completed 52 of 55 passes and set the table for two goals, assisting on the first and third Revolution scores.
FW Valentin Castellanos, New York City FC
Castellanos enjoyed a strong performance in the Round of 16 and carried that fine form into Tuesday’s first leg against Comunicaciones. The indispensable Argentine opened the scoring with a powerful header and then played the role of playmaker on the next two goals by assisting on each.
FW Adam Buksa, New England Revolution
No had more shots this week than New England’s Polish forward, with eight. After failing to connect on his first several attempts, Buksa tallied twice in the second half, scoring two goals in the final 25 minutes to help nail down a 3-0 win for the Revolution. Buksa also contributed on the defensive end with three steals.
FW Fredy Montero, Seattle Sounders
Montero is the Seattle Sounders’ all-time top scorer in official club competitions and showed why with his two goals in the 3-0 victory versus Club Leon, which were the eighth and ninth career SCCL goals for the 34-year-old Colombian. Montero also completed 100 percent of his passes and had a steal.
