Major League Soccer's path to its first Concacaf Champions League title was always going to be a tough one, but that path has gone from tough to virtually unpassable after a set of results that have left the league humbled yet again in the tournament that has become the bane of its existence.
Wednesday's MLS losses — Atlanta United's 3-0 defeat to Monterrey and Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 setback against Panamanian side Independiente — leave the league's four remaining CCL participants winless in the quarterfinals and facing long odds heading into next week's second legs.
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That Atlanta United struggled in Monterrey was no real surprise given how well the Mexican club has been playing in 2019. The reigning MLS Cup champions were always facing the toughest opponent of the four MLS quarterfinalists, but there was still a belief before Wednesday that Frank De Boer's side might ride the momentum of its round of 16 comeback win against Costa Rican side Herediano into an admirable showing against a stacked Rayados team.
There was no such luck. Monterrey showed its class, pressuring and controlling Atlanta United in a comfortable first half and navigating a second-half surge from the MLS side before scoring a pair of late goals to leave Atlanta limping home, punished for not managing the end of the match more safely. Ironically, Atlanta's treatment of the first leg was reminiscent of the New York Red Bulls' Eastern Conference final first leg loss to Atlanta last season, which went from a manageable 1-0 to disastrous 3-0 in a blink and left the Red Bulls with too much to do, even at Red Bull Arena.
Atlanta United was on the bitter end of that formula on Wednesday, going from a team that had taken control of the match to one that was left stunned by Colombian striker Dorlan Pabon, who finished the night having drawn a penalty, scored a left-footed blast and delivered the long cross that found a wide-open Jesus Gallardo on the back-post for the killer third goal.
CCL has always been about players stepping up with signature performances, and Atlanta's stars failed to deliver any on Wednesday. Pity Martinez was hounded and harassed by Monterrey's midfielders, Josef Martinez was left starved for service, and the tandem of Ezequiel Barco and Darlington Nagbe failed to step into the void left by the absence of injured Julian Gressel, who could so often be counted on to help produce chances.
Some Atlanta United fans will take heart in the fact their team also faced a tough comeback against Herediano before rallying in a 4-0 second-leg romp. Monterrey is no Herediano. Rayados are in good form, boast a strong defense and have the kind of attacking players capable of grabbing a series-ending away goal.
Seeing Atlanta United capitulate was especially tough for MLS on the heels of the New York Red Bulls' 2-0 home loss to Santos Laguna. The Red Bulls weren't favored heading into that series, much like Atlanta United wasn't favored against Monterrey, but seeing the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup winners handed multi-goal losses one day apart was still painful and made the Houston Dynamo's unsurprising 2-0 home loss to Tigres almost an afterthought.
If Atlanta United's 3-0 loss was disheartening for MLS, then Sporting KC's 2-1 defeat to Independiente was truly troubling. The Panamanian side that embarrassed Toronto FC in the previous round figured to be a decent test, but Sporting KC was coming off a beatdown of Toluca and was supposed to have the kind of defensive discipline that TFC lacked.
Independiente didn't get that memo and used its lightning-fast counterattack to keep Sporting KC on its toes, scoring a pair of goals and coming close on a few others. Ilie Sanchez's penalty kick helped Peter Vermes' side secure a precious away goal, and Sporting KC will like its chances of returning to Children's Mercy Park and closing out the series, but all that hype that Sporting KC generated by trouncing Toluca evaporated in the Panamanian night. Wednesday's loss left you wondering whether Peter Vermes had made a mistake not resting more first-choice starters against Los Angeles FC last Sunday.
It's a safe bet Vermes will rest his key starters on Sunday against the Philadelphia Union to be ready for the second leg against Independiente on March 14. Sporting KC stands a very good chance of heading into that match as the lone surviving MLS team in the tournament – the others will have all played their second legs before then - fighting not only for its own survival, but to avoid having MLS shut out of the CCL semifinals just one year after having two teams in the semis and Toronto FC in the final.
After watching MLS teams go 0-4 in this week's CCL quarterfinal openers, outscored by a combined margin of 9-1, it's tough to muster much enthusiasm about the league's chances of snapping its CCL title drought this year. If anything, this week's disappointing performances have only served as a reminder of how good MLS had it a year ago, when the contingent of Mexican teams weren't nearly as strong as they are this year and the Red Bulls and TFC came so close to ending the MLS CCL curse.
