As Arthur Blank sat in the tiny Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, he probably wondered how a team that calls an 8,700-seat stadium home could cause problems for his Atlanta United. The billionaire learned quickly that when it comes to the Concacaf Champions League knockout rounds, things are rarely easy for MLS teams.
It's a lesson that four of five MLS teams in CCL action this week were reminded of, with Sporting Kansas City being the only MLS team so win comfortably. Ironically, Sporting KC was the only one of the five to be facing a Mexican opponent, albeit a struggling one in Toluca.