CONCACAF Champions League TV schedule

1. Watching DC United vs Toronto FC on my laptop at 7:15
2. Making fun of TFC fans in their live chat
3. Watching Columbus vs Toluca on TV at 8:00
4. Getting yelled at by wife for watching two soccer games at once

Little of note happened until after the hour mark, when the match finally embraced its status as a crazy-ass CCL game. Comunicaciones center back Gallardo, seemingly angry with his own left back for not making a clearance, went flying in late on Rojas from Pachuca. The tackle, given the tone of the game, seemed to merit a yellow card and a very strong warning. Instead, the ref (Terry Vaughn!) went straight for the back pocket without consulting his better-positioned linesman, leaving Comunicaciones down to 10 men and still needing a goal.

The ensuing freekick turned into a corner, and during the pre-kick jostling Fredy Thompson (Comunicaciones) took an absurd dive after being gently pushed by the hip-swivel of Pachuca’s Munoz Mustafa. Munoz Mustafa was booked. Following the corner, a Comunicaciones player confronted Munoz Mustafa as he jogged back to his position, while Thompson followed behind saying nothing.

What followed was patently absurd: Thompson, perhaps stung by some harsh words by Munoz Mustafa following the dive, awkwardly put his studs into the ankle/foot of Munoz Mustafa, who fell as a result. This all took place no more than 2 yards from Vaughn, who justly sent Thompson off with a straight red (though he presented the card in a confusing enough fashion that, momentarily, it looked like he had sent the wrong Comunicaciones player off).

Aguilar then scored with a fine shot for Pachuca, and it appeared the game was dead and buried. Surely a 9 man Guatemalan team had no hope of pulling back even, right? Wrong. A long ball was headed down by their striker (the wonderfully named Transito Montepeque) to the Comunicaciones version of Jaime Moreno (Rolando Fonseca). Pachuca’s defenders pretty much just stood around as Fonseca ran onto the loose ball, pulled a fake to open shooting space, before firing from 12 yards out. The shot hit the hand of a Pachuca player (who was diving to block it with a slide tackle), bouncing down and then up off the bar before being grabbed by Calero. Vaughn called the penalty and rightly didn’t send the offender off (since it was unintentional). Fonseca scored from the spot, and suddenly the game was heading to extra time somehow.

However, substitute Luis Montes came in and scored the winner in the 88th minute on a glorious, first-time volley from outside the box after Comunicaciones had cleared a corner.

I love this tournament!