LA Galaxy will visit Toluca on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, a trip that puts a struggling MLS side into one of the toughest away settings in the competition. The match is set for 8 p.m. PT at the Estadio Nemesio Diez and will be shown on TUDN.
Greg Vanney did not hide the scale of the challenge. He called Toluca a very good team, especially at home, and said the Mexican club does not need to change much when things are working because it keeps its group together, grows together, gains experience and stays well coordinated. He also said Toluca will not sit back and will come to attack, leaving the Galaxy with little room for error.
That warning comes with recent form on both sides as the backdrop. The Galaxy are in 12th place in the MLS Western Conference and are coming off the worst season in club history, while Toluca advanced by beating San Diego FC 6-3 on aggregate in the round of 16 after dropping the first leg 3-2 and then routing San Diego 4-0 at home. Jesús Angulo scored twice in that second leg, with Paulinho and Jesús Gallardo adding the other goals.
The Galaxy reached the quarterfinals by knocking out Mount Pleasant 6-0 on aggregate without conceding a goal, but Vanney said this tie will look nothing like that one. He said the team must be very efficient and smart and cannot give Toluca anything, adding that the series should be treated as four halves over 180 minutes and managed carefully if the Galaxy want to bring a useful result back home.
Marco Reus gives Los Angeles a notable attacking option, but Toluca also brings game-breakers of its own, with Marcel Ruiz described as a key creator and Alexis Vega as someone who can change a match in one play. That contrast is part of what makes the first leg so important: Toluca are trying to use the altitude and atmosphere at the Nemesio Diez, known as the infierno, while the Galaxy need to steady a season that has already gone badly off course. The second leg will decide the tie, but Wednesday in Toluca may set the tone for the rest of it.
