In the end, it wasn’t close. Sporting Kansas City, Major League Soccer’s last hope in the CONCACAF Champions League, travelled to face the mighty Monterrey on Thursday night in the first leg of their CCL semi-final. They returned with their tales between their legs.
A 5-0 thumping thanks to some sumptuous counter-attacking football from the Mexicans meant that Sporting KC now face the impossible task of needing to score five without conceding just to take the tie to extra time in the second leg. After just 90 minutes, this is already over.