Cade Cowell, Chivas hero in Concachampions opener

Despite freezing conditions and playing on an artificial surface in Hamilton (Ontario), Chivas managed to overcome the adversity at Tim Hortons Field to secure a solid first leg lead leaving Canadian side Forge FC with a mountain to climb in the first round of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

This was the Guadalajara side’s first appearance in CONCACAF’s premium club competition in six years with coach Fernando Gago opting to leave out decided the likes of Víctor Guzmán, Erick Gutiérrez, Roberto Alvarado and Jesús Gilberto Orozco Chiquete with the Argentine playing five at the back.

Cade Cowell was the hero of the night for Chivas bagging two goals to the delight of the small but vocal red and white clad Chivas fans braving the elements with Ricardo Marín bagging the other goal for the Mexican side on the strike of half-time.

Gago upbeat

After the matchm Chivas’ Argentine coach was in a positive frame of mind but cautious with the second leg still to be played: “No game in soccer is won after the first leg. We have a good lead but we must try to maintain it or increase it to qualify. I have been saying it since the first matches, we are still a team in construction and we are growing with every match. Today we had the possibility of playing a line of three, playing a line of four and the players understood the tactics well. In spite of the cold and the artificial turf, which is something beyond our control the team performed very well. In the last minutes we lacked a little of what I was hoping for but it is a logical situation with the result in our favor”, the Argentine concluded.

The second leg will be played next Tuesday at the Akron Stadium with a second round place against Club América or Nicaguarga’s Real Estelí on the line.