The 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League is back underway this week with the quarterfinals getting underway. This competition involves the top teams from North and Central America as well as the Caribbean. Three Mexican teams and three American teams made the quarterfinals and all are facing each other this week.
The first one to get underway is the San Jose Earthquakes against Toluca. Toluca was 4-0 in the group stage last fall out scoring their opponents 15-4 while San Jose went 2-2 with only four goals scored and two allowed. This is the first time the Earthquakes have made the Champions League, they played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup three times from 2002-2004 but never advanced past the semifinals. They have only played a Mexican team once, in 2002, when they won lost 3-0 away at Pachuca before winning 1-0 at home but losing on aggregate.
Toluca is a city just west of Mexico City, the club has been in the Champions League twice before, 2009-10 and 2010-11 advancing to the semifinals once and the quarterfinals the second time. They have only made one trip to the US before, drawing 2-2 at the Columbus Crew in 2010 before winning 3-2 back in Mexico.
Toluca finished fifth in Liga MX in the fall Apertura Season and reached the semifinals of the playoffs. They are second in the spring Clausura Season after 10 of 17 games. The San Jose Earthquakes are yet to open the 2014 MLS season but were 14-11-9 last year and finished sixth in the West missing out on the playoffs on goal differential.
This game will be on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) at 10 PM ET.
