CONCACAF Champions League Edition: Houston Dynamo Host Tigres in Leg 1 of the Quarterfinals

The Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League have been set and the Houston Dynamo are set to take on Tigres UANL. The Houston team will host the first of the home and away series.

The Dynamo advanced after beating Guastatoya 3-1 on aggregate over their series. The first game between the two saw Houston win 1-0 in Guatemala. A late goal from DaMarcus Beasley broke the deadlock and gave the Dynamo a crucial away goal. They played host the following week in Houston after a long delay due to lightening in the area. After a quiet first half Guastatoya got on the board in the 72nd minute when Aaron Navarro put away a through ball from Acuna. Five minutes later Houston’s Mauro Manotas tapped the ball into the net to tie the game up 1-1 and give Houston back the advantage in the series. In the 84th minute Manotas scored again this time off a free kick that deflected in to give Houston a 2-1 victory in the game.

In the Round of 16, Tigres lost their first game on the road against Deportivo Saprissa, 1-0. They followed it up with a huge 5-1 win at home to advance to the Quarterfinals. Their first goal in the second game came courtesy of Deportivo’s Aubrey David who scored an own goal in the 15th minute of the game. They doubled their lead when Enner Valencia scored on a penalty kick later in the first half. The striker followed it up by scoring again just two minutes later to extend their lead to 3-0. Ten minutes later their lead was again extended when Eduardo Vargas found the back of the net. Deportivo managed to get in a goal of their own just before the half time whistle to make it 4-1 at the half. In the second half Valencia netted his third goal of the game to complete Tigres’ 5-1 victory to advance to the next round.

Tigres will be a tough test for Houston. The Liga MX side currently leads the Clausura with 22 points after nine games. Houston just had their first MLS game of the season which ended in a 1-1 draw against fellow Western Conference team, Real Salt Lake. Their lone goal in that game was scored by none other than Mauro Manotas. Guastatoya found success by lining up five men at the back making it tough for the breakdown the defense and get a chance in front of the net. If Tigres follow a similar game plan the Dynamo could struggle again. They will need to do all they can to rack up the goals in the first game before they go on the road to Mexico to Tigres’ home field.

The game kicks off Tuesday at 9 pm CT at BBVA Compass Stadium.