HexagonalBlog

Ticos represent in A-League Grand Final

If you're still awake or just waking up, the Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are playing in the Grand Final of Australia's A-League right now.  The match is on live on Fox Soccer Channel.  How nice of the A-League to finish up their activities before the Aussie Rules season starts next weekend.

There is some CONCACAF interest in the Grand Final, as Costa Rica's Carlos Hernández and Marvin Angulo have prominent roles for Melbourne Victory. Carlos Hernández was third in the league with 12 goals scored (tied with Barbados' Paul Ifill!).

UPDATE: It finished 1-1, and Sydney won on penalties.  Angulo missed his penalty during the shootout (Hernández did not participate). 

CONCACAFer making news in Asia

The group stage of the Asian Champions League concluded today, and a CONCACAF player figured in the biggest result of the day, and one of the biggest upsets of the group stage.  Indonesian side Sriwijaya FC came back from 0-2 down to defeat Chinese team Shandong Luneng 4-2, which earned them their first points in the group stage and eliminated Shandong in the process.  St. Kitts/Nevis' Keith Gumbs scored the opening goal that started the comeback in the second half. 

Gumbs has carved out quite a career for himself in the lower-profile Asian leagues.  He's scored close to 200 goals for his hometown club in St. Kitts and Nevis, and then moved around to Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia.