When Toronto FC travels to Mexico City for Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League Group C encounter against Pumas UNAM (live on GOL TV Canada at 8 p.m. ET), they will be facing a team that’s desperate to regain form.
The Mexicans lost 4-0 to Queretaro on Saturday, during which the teams played 10 v. 10 for 40 minutes with Pumas’ Fernando Espinoza Barrera and Jose Martinez Salas of Queretaro each given their marching orders early into the second half.
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<strong>VIDEO: Toronto's last visit to Mexico - September 21, 2010 v. Cruz Azul.</strong> |
Pumas dominated the opening stages of the match but conceded a hat-trick to Carlos Bueno on route to their humiliating demise away from home. Franco Niell headed in the other goal for Queretaro.
Pumas lost its first CCL Group C match to Dallas 1-0 at home, forever becoming the first Mexican side to drop three points at home to an MLS club. In its second group match, Pumas drew Tauro F.C. nil-nil in Panama despite the home team playing with 10 men for over an hour.
Toronto by contrast, earned a 2-1 victory over Tauro in Panama City in its first group outing before losing to Dallas 1-0 in a home replay played the morning after horrendous weather conditions.
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The Blue and Gold’s manager Guillermo Vazquez has maintained a youth policy for CCL rounds and it’s unclear at the time of writing if he will continue to pursue it on Wednesday. Vazquez will be aware that dropping more points at home to Toronto could make it very difficult for Pumas to reach the Champions League quarterfinals, which will require the 2011 Mexican Clausura winner to finish top two in Group C.
His counterpart, Toronto head coach Aron Winter, has indicated many times that reaching the quarterfinals is a goal for the Reds after being ousted in the group stage the previous season under the former regime.
Suddenly hemorrhaging points in the Mexican top flight (winless in five), Vazquez may be tempted to rest some of his best players and give the youngsters another chance, because Pumas must face Toluca at home next Sunday. The Red Devils moved past Pumas in the Mexican 2011-12 Apertura standings with a draw against lowly Tijuana this week. Teams must finish in the top eight to advance to the 2011 Torneo Apertura playoffs (“Liguilla”).
After Saturday’s loss, Pumas has already dropped down to the final playoff spot and the humiliation of missing out on Liguilla may weigh heavier on Vazquez' mind than Toronto’s midweek visit. That is unless the Mexican coach views the Canadian contest as an opportunity for his top stars to regain confidence.
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