Surprise, surprise… look who is sitting atop of group 5 in the CONCACAF Champions League?
CD Heredia that’s who!
The Guatemalan qualifier has six points from two games, including a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Estadio Cementos Progresso Wednesday night, the same stadium in which the Impact fell by an identical score two weeks ago, but who was forced to play the entire second half down a man.
The ‘Quakes, holding the majority of possession with 58%, were not able to score despite having their best forward and DP Chris Wondolowski in the starting XI. A 68th minute goal by Guatemala national team striker Enrique Miranda was the difference.
What that means is that the Impact sits in second place in the group after two games, thanks to a 1-0 win in its first game over San Jose, who has no points so far.
The top spot in the group is definitely in reach for the Impact as Heredia must play its remaining two games on the road, a difficult feat as seen by both losses for the MLS sides in Guatemala.
Even if both teams win their next games versus San Jose, the tiebreaker will be head-to-head results based on points and then who scored the most goals against one another.
With a good result in San Jose on September 17, the Impact will hold its destiny in its hands, hosting CD Heredia at the friendly confines of Stade Saputo in front of its raucous supporters on September 24, in what will be a matchup where the Impact must outscore its opponents who have a 1-0 lead so far.
However, if the Earthquakes manage to earn some points along the way, the race for top spot in group 5 of the CONCACAF Champions League will be wide open.
