In a game that saw rapidly changing events and emotions, ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC had a ball not bounce its way and spoiled a chance for a dramatic upset of Club America.
A headed clearance by City SC defender Josh Yaro bounced off the knee and caught the arm of teammate Tomas Totland in the penalty area, giving Club America a penalty kick which it converted in the 86th minute on its way to a 4-2 win over City SC in a Leagues Cup match at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
City SC took a 2-1 lead into the 79th minute, with a chance for the biggest win in the club’s history, but couldn’t withstand a furious attack by the top team in North America. Club America tied the game in the 79th minute and if the game finished that way, the match would go straight to penalty kicks to determine who advance. But Brian Rodriguez got his second goal of the night, converting the penalty kick for the go-ahead goal after Totland's handball. Club America got a fourth goal in the 98th minute when goalkeeper Roman Burki came up to try and score on a corner kick and Club America was able to score into an empty net at the other end.
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City SC scored twice in four minutes early in the second half, first on a goal by Indiana Vassilev who came on in the first half as an injury substitute for Cedric Teuchert, and then another on a penalty kick by Eduard Lowen, to take the lead. From there, it turned into a desperate struggle, with Club America throwing everything forward and City SC scrambling in front of its net. Club America finally broke through to tie the game in the 79th minute on a header by Diego Valdes.
It was a very different City SC club than the one that got clobbered 4-0 by Club America in the Leagues Cup last season. Only four players who were in the starting lineup for that game last season started on Tuesday: goalkeeper Roman Burki, defenders Kyle Hiebert and Yaro and midfielder Lowen.
It looked like Club America was going to have a chance to tie the game five minutes later when referee Marco Ortiz called a handball on Totland on the edge of the penalty area. Club America’s Henry Martin lined up to take the shot, but Ortiz was summoned to the video monitor, where he ruled that the ball had hit Totland on the shoulder, which is allowed, and the PK was waved off.
Teuchert came out of the game in the 35th minute, holding his left ankle or lower left as he sat on the field before getting up and leaving the field on his own power.
Club America went up 1-0 in the 15th minute on a goal by Rodriguez. He got the ball on the left side, guarded by Totland. He went at Totland and got past and ran into a sea of City SC players at the top of the box, passing to teammate Diego Valdes. Rodriguez continued his run and got a one-touch pass back from Valdes and was in alone on Burki and put it home.
Moments after Teuchert left the game, City SC had as good a chance as it will ever see. Pressure from Marcel Hartel led to a turnover in Club America’s own end, that Simon Becher got hold of and got the ball to Nokkvi Thorisson about 6 yards out and with a whole net to shoot at. With a Club America defender sliding in front of him, Thorisson shot high, falling to his knees in the penalty area holding his head in both disbelief and frustration.
That wouldn’t be City SC’s last chance in the first half though. A long run by Vassilev got the ball deep into Club America’s territory and he played the ball in the box, where it got to Chris Durkin, whose shot from close range was blocked by goalkeeper Luis Malagon with a quick reaction save.