ZiZu Calls It Quits

This happened just days after Los Blancos won their third straight European club title.

MLS: Philly, RSL, Hoops Gain Wednesday Wins; Late PK Lifts Revs To Home Draw With Five Stripes

Four games were on the Major League Soccer agenda for Wednesday.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Teal Bunbury's penalty kick in the 88th minute lifted the New England Revolution to a 1-1 home draw with Atlanta United.

Josef Martinez scored in the 23rd minute for the Five Stripes.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Ilsinho (44'), Corey Burke (51'), and Borek Dockal (PK-87') each scored once as the Philadelphia Union defeated the visiting Chicago Fire 3-1.

At Sandy, Utah:

Kyle Beckerman scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute as Real Salt Lake defeated the visiting Houston Dynamo 2-1.

At Carson, California:

Carlos Gruezo scored the winning goal in the 66th minute as FC Dallas raced out to a 3-0 lead, then held on for a 3-2 road win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 13; GD: +10; PTS: 26)
2.   Columbus (GP: 14; GD: +8; PTS: 25)
3.   New York City FC (GP: 13; GD: +7; PTS: 24)
4.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 11; GD: +14; PTS: 22)
5.   Orlando City SC (GP: 12; GD: +2; PTS: 19)
6.   New England (GP: 13; GD: +3; PTS: 19)
7.   Philadelphia (GP: 13; GD: -1; PTS: 18)
8.   Chicago (GP: 13; GD: -6; PTS: 14)
9.   Toronto FC (GP: 11; GD: -6; PTS: 10)
10. Montreal (GP: 13; GD: -15; PTS: 9)
11. DC United (GP: 10; GD: -4; PTS: 9)

NOTES:  With Orlando City and New England level on points with 19, the Lions have won more games than the Revolution (6-5); with Montreal and DC United level on points with 9, the Impact have won more games than DC (3-2).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Kansas City (GP: 13; GD: +11; PTS: 25)
2.   FC Dallas (GP: 12; GD: +7; PTS: 23)
3.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 12; GD: +5; PTS: 21)
4.   Portland (GP: 11; GD: +2; PTS: 20)
5.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 13; GD: -9; PTS: 19)
6.   Houston (GP: 12; GD: +7; PTS: 18)
7.   Vancouver (GP: 17; GD: -8; PTS: 17)
8.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 13; GD: -4; PTS: 16)
9.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 13; GD: -6; PTS: 16)
10. San Jose (GP: 12; GD: -5; PTS: 9)
11. Seattle (GP: 10; GD: -5; PTS: 8)
12. Colorado (GP: 11; GD: -7; PTS: 8)

NOTES:  With the Los Angeles Galaxy and Minnesota United level on points (16) and wins (5), the Galaxy have the superior goal differential (-4, compared to the Loons' -6); with Seattle and Colorado level on points (8) and wins (2), the Sounders have the superior goal differential (-5, compared to the Rapids' -7).

It's Official

Major League Soccer's new expansion club in Cincinnati will start play next season.

It's that city's first-ever top-flight outdoor soccer franchise.

MLS: Goose Eggs For SKC, Ten-Man Crew

At Kansas City, Kansas:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Sporting Kansas City and the visiting (ten-man) Columbus Crew battled to a 0-0 stalemate.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 12; GD: +10; PTS: 25)
2.   Columbus (GP: 14; GD: +8; PTS: 25)
3.   New York City FC (GP: 13; GD: +7; PTS: 24)
4.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 11; GD: +14; PTS: 22)
5.   Orlando City SC (GP: 12; GD: +2; PTS: 19)
6.   New England (GP: 12; GD: +3; PTS: 18)
7.   Philadelphia (GP: 12; GD: -3; PTS: 15)
8.   Chicago (GP: 12; GD: -4; PTS: 14)
9.   Toronto FC (GP: 11; GD: -6; PTS: 10)
10. Montreal (GP: 13; GD: -15; PTS: 9)
11. DC United (GP: 10; GD: -4; PTS: 9)

NOTES:  With Atlanta United and Columbus level on poinst with 25, the Five Stripes have won more games than the Crew (8-7); with Montreal and DC United level on points with 9, the Impact have won more games than DC (3-2).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:


1.   Kansas City (GP: 13; GD: +11; PTS: 25)
2.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 12; GD: +5; PTS: 21)
3.   Portland (GP: 11; GD: +2; PTS: 20)
4.   FC Dallas (GP: 11; GD: +6; PTS: 20)
5.   Houston (GP: 11; GD: +8; PTS: 18)
6.   Vancouver (GP: 14; GD: -8; PTS: 17)
7.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 12; GD: -3; PTS: 16)
8.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 13; GD: -6; PTS: 16)
9.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 12; GD: -10; PTS: 16)
10. San Jose (GP: 12; GD: -5; PTS: 9)
11. Seattle (GP: 10; GD: -5; PTS: 8)
12. Colorado (GP: 11; GD: -7; PTS: 8)

NOTES:  With Portland and FC Dallas level on points with 20, the Timbers have won more games than the Hoops (6-5); with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Minnesota United, and Real Salt Lake all level on points (16) and wins (5), the Galaxy have the best goal differential amongst the three clubs (-3, compared to the Loons' -6 and RSL's -10); with Seattle and Colorado level on points (8) and wins (2), the Sounders have the superior goal differential (-5, compared to the Rapids' -7).

SUPPORTERS' SHIELD RACE: With Atlanta United, Columbus, and Sporting Kansas City all level on points with 25, the Five Stripes have the most wins of the three clubs (8, compared to seven each for the Crew and SKC).

GARETH BALE SCORES TWICE AS REAL MADRID WIN THIRD STRAIGHT EUROPEAN CLUB TITLE

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Gareth Bale scored twice (64', 83') at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium on Saturday as Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 to win their third consecutive UEFA Champions League title, becoming the first club to win the European club title three years in a row since Bayern Munich (1974-76).

Karim Benzema scored for Los Blancos in the 51st minute and is seen here celebrating after scoring.

Sadio Mane scored the Reds only goal in the 55th minute.

With the victory, Real Madrid will take on local rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, to be contested at Tallinn, Estonia on August 15.

Los Blancos will play in the semifinal round of the FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates this coming December.

EPA-EFE photo by Armando Babani

Cottagers Defeat Villans, Join Wolves And Cardiff In Gaining Promotion To Premier League

At London:

Tom Cairney scored the only goal of the match in the 23rd minute on Saturday as Fulham defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the English Football League Championship promotion final contested at Wembley Stadium and joined Wolverhampton and Cardiff City in gaining promotion to the English Premier League for next season.

MLS: RSL, Fire, Loons, Timbers Garner Saturday Wins

Seven games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Seattle:

Sebastian Saucedo scored the only goal of the match in the 61st minute as Real Salt Lake knocked off the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on the road.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Cristian Techara's second-half hat trick (49', 51', 74') enabled the Vancouver Whitecaps to salvage a 3-3 home deadlock with the New England Revolution.

The Revs' tallies came courtesy of Aly Ghazal (OG-26'), Cristian Penilla (48'), and Teal Bunbury (59').

At Harrison, New Jersey:

The New York Red Bulls and visiting Philadelphia Union battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Orlando, Florida:

Alan Gordon scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute as the Chicago Fire upended Orlando City 2-1 on the road.

At Minneapolis:

"Superman" and "Batman," Christian Ramirez (52') and Miguel Ibarra (58'), respectively, came through for Minnesota United as the Loons blanked the visiting Montreal Impact 2-0.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Samuel Armenteros scored twice (29', 37') and Diego Valeri once (56') as the Portland Timbers stretched the longest winning streak of their MLS existence to six games by holding off the Colorado Rapids 3-2 on the road.

At Los Angeles:

Darren Mattocks' equalizer in the 84th minute lifted DC United to a 1-1 road draw with the Los Angeles Football Club.

Diego Rossi scored at 39 minutes for the hosts.

MLS: Friday Wins For Hoops, Dynamo, Galaxy

Three games were contested in Major League Soccer on Friday.

At Toronto:

Maximiliano Urruti scored the only goal of the match in the 11th minute while goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez (who celebrated his 23rd birthday) made nine saves to preserve the shutout and victory as FC Dallas knocked off Toronto FC 1-0 on the road.

At Houston:

Alejandro Fuenmayor (21'), Tomas Martinez (69'), and Alberth Elis (80') each scored once as the Houston Dynamo defeated visiting New York City 3-1.

At Carson, California:

Romain Alessandrini scored the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in the latest edition of the California Classico.

Copa Libertadores

Copa Libertadores group-stage play concluded on Thursday with six games.

GROUP B:

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Juanmi Callejon scored twice (12', 47') as Club Bolivar defeated visiting Delfin 2-1.  The win wasn't enough for the hosts to reach the Copa Libertadores' Round of 16, but the Ecuadorian club stayed alive in South American competition by qualifying for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

At Medellin, Colombia:

Colo-Colo held hosts Atletico Nacional to a 0-0 stalemate as both clubs each clinched a berth in the Copa Libertadores knockout stage.

Final Group B Standings:

1. Atletico Nacional (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. Colo-Colo (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
3. Club Bolivar (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 8)
4. Delfin (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 7)

Atletico Nacional and Colo-Colo advanced to the Copa Libertadores' knockout stage; Club Bolivar qualified for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.



GROUP F:

At Santos, Brazil:

Santos locked up top spot in Group F after their 0-0 stalemate with visiting Real Garcilaso.

At La Plata, Argentina:

Juan Ferney Otero scored twice on penalty kicks (61', 89') as Estudiantes defeated visiting Club Nacional 3-1 to lay claim to a Copa Libertdores knockout-stage berth; the Uruguayan club will be playing in the Copa Sudamericana's second stage.

Final Group F Standings:

1. Santos (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
2. Estudiantes (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3. Club Nacional (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 8)
4. Real Garcilaso (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 6)

Santos and Estudiantes advanced to the Copa Libertadores' knockout stage; Club Nacional qualified for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.



GROUP G:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Cesar Carrillo scored the only goal of the match in the 72nd minute as Millonarios knocked off Corinthians 1-0 on the road to land themselves in the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

At Avellaneda, Argentina:

Daniel Carrillo (OG-37') and Emmanuel Gigliotti (80') scored a goal apiece as Independiente laid claim to a knockout stage berth in the Copa Libertadores following their 2-0 home blanking of Deportivo Lara.

Final Group G Standings:

1. Corinthians (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. Club Atletico Independiente (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
3. Millonarios (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
4. Deportivo Lara (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 6)

Corinthians and Club Atletico Independiente advanced to the Copa Libertadores' knockout stage; Millonarios qualified for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

Copa Libertadores

Four games were contested in the Copa Libertadores' group stage on Wednesday.

GROUP A:

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:

Luan scored the only goal of the match in the 66th minute as Gremio defeated visiting Defensor Sporting 1-0.  The Uruguayan club did qualify for the Copa Sudamericana's second stage.

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Nelson Valdez scored twice (PK-48', 90'+2) as Cerro Porteno defeated visiting Monagas 3-2.

Final Group A Standings:

1. Gremio (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 14)
2. Cerro Porteno (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 13)
3. Defensor Sporting (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. Monagas (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 3)

Gremio and Cerro Porteno advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout stage; Defensor Sporting qualified for the Copa Sudamericana's second stage.



GROUP D:

At Buenos Aires:

River Plate took top spot in Group D after their 0-0 home stalemate with Flamengo, who finished second.

At Guayaquil, Ecuador:

William Tesillo (39'), Wilson Morelo (51'), and John Pajoy (53') delivered the goals as Independiente Santa Fe dominated Club Sport Emelec 3-0 on the road to lock up a berth in the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

Final Group D Standings:

1. River Plate (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2. Flamengo (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
3. Independiente Santa Fe (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
4. Club Sport Emelec (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

River Plate and Flamengo advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout stage; Independiente Santa Fe qualified for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

US Open Cup

The third round of the US Open Cup tournament concluded on Wednesday with eleven games.

At Pittsburgh:

In an all-USL matchup, FC Cincinnati defeated the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-1 on the road.  Lance Laing scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute.

At Richmond, Virginia:

In another all-USL matchup, the Richmond Kickers defeated visiting Penn FC 3-2.  Luis Fernando scored twice (13', 22') and Heviel Cordoves scored the game winner in the 83rd minute for the hosts.

At Charleston, South Carolina:

Gordon Wild's goal in the 83rd minute provided all the scoring as the USL's Charleston Battery defeated the NPSL's visiting Elm City Express 1-0 at home.

At Louisville, Kentucky:

In still another clash of USL clubs, Louisville City FC, thanks to Sean Totsch's goal in the 68th minute,  defeated visiting Saint Louis FC 1-0.

At Jacksonville, Florida:

In an all-NPSL battle, Miami United FC, with goals courtesy of Tomas Granitto (21') and Nicolas Gorobsov (26'),  blanked the Jacksonville Armada 2-0 on the road.

At Dallas:

With Tito Salas scoring the game-winning goal in the 86th minute, the NTX Rayados, a local qualifier, knocked off visiting FC Wichita (NPSL) 3-2. 

At Nashville, Tennessee:

Nashville SC (USL), with London Woodberry scoring the game winner in the 30th minute,  defeated visiting Mississippi Brilla (PDL) 3-1.

At San Antonio, Texas:

After a 1-1 deadlock through 120 minutes, San Antonio FC, with Jose Escalante, Darnell King, Maxi Rodriguez, Mike Seth, and Mikey Lopez all converting their spot kicks,  won the penalty-kick shootout, 5-3 over the visiting Colorado Springs Switchbacks in still another all-USL affair.

At Mesa, Arizona:

Renato Bustamante scored the game-winning overtime goal in the 99th minute as Fresno FC (USL) defeated local qualifiers Sporting Arizona 2-1 on the road.

At Downey, California:

Allisson Faramilio scored twice (75', PK-90') as FC Golden State Force (PDL) knocked off the visiting Las Vegas Lights (USL) 2-1.

At Reno, Nevada:

In still another all-USL match, Kevin Aleman-Bustus scored the game's lone goal in the 69th minute as the Sacramento Republic defeated Reno 1868 FC 1-0 on the road.

US Open Cup: North Carolina FC Too Much For Nor'easters In Third-Round Opener

At Cary, North Carolina:

In the lone Tuesday contest in the third round of the US Open Cup tournament, Marios Lomis (8'), Austin da Luz (26'), Andre Fortune II (66'), and Donovan Ewolo (83') each scored once as North Carolina FC from the USL dominated the visiting Ocean City Nor'easters from the PDL 4-1.

CAF Champions League

At Conakry, Guinea:

In this week's lone CAF Champions League group-stage contest, Ocansey Mandela (51') and Aboubacar Gal Camara (83') each scored once as Horoya salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Mamelodi Sundowns in a Tuesday Group C match.

Khama Billiat (69') and Leandro Sirino (PK-79') each scored once for the South African club.

Group C Standings:

1. Wydad Casablanca (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
2. Horoya (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Mamelodi Sundowns (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
4. AS Togo-Port (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Copa Libertadores

The final week of Copa Libertadores group-stage play opened on Tuesday with two games, both in Group E.

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

Lucas Silva scored the winning goal in the 10th minute as Cruzeiro held off visiting Racing Club 2-1 to win Group E and a berth in the knockout stage beside their Argentinian guests.

At Santiago, Chile:

Bruno Silva (14') and Yago Pikachu (81') each scored once as Vasco da Gama blanked Universidad de Chile 2-0 on the road and gained a berth in the Copa Sudamericana 's second stage.

Final Group E Standings:

1. Cruzeiro (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 11)
2. Racing Club de Avellaneda (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
3. Vasco da Gama (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 5)
4. Universidad de Chile (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 5)

Cruziero and Racing Club de Avellaneda advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout stage; Vasco da Gama qualified for the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

MLS: Ten-Man Galaxy, Sans Ejected Zlatan, Top Impact In Montreal

At Montreal:

In the lone Monday Major League Soccer contest, Ola Kamara's goal in the 75th minute carried the Los Angeles Galaxy, reduced to ten men after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's red-card ejection for violent behavior in the 41st minute, defeated the Montreal Impact 1-0 on the road.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 12; GD: +10; PTS: 25)
2.   New York City FC (GP: 12; GD: +9; PTS: 24)
3.   Columbus (GP: 13; GD: +8; PTS: 24)
4.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 10; GD: +14; PTS: 21)
5.   Orlando City SC (GP: 11; GD: +3; PTS: 19)
6.   New England (GP: 11; GD: +3; PTS: 17)
7.   Philadelphia (GP: 11; GD: -3; PTS: 14)
8.   Chicago (GP: 11; GD: -5; PTS: 11)
9.   Toronto FC (GP: 10; GD: -5; PTS: 10)
10. Montreal (GP: 12; GD: -13; PTS: 9)
11. DC United (GP: 9; GD: -4; PTS: 8)

NOTE: With New York City FC and Columbus level on points (24) and wins (7), the Citizens have the superior goal differential (+9, compared to the Crew's +8)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Kansas City (GP: 12; GD: +11; PTS: 24)
2.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 11; GD: +5; PTS: 20)
3.   Portland (GP: 10; GD: +1; PTS: 17)
4.   FC Dallas (GP: 10; GD: +5; PTS: 17)
5.   Vancouver (GP: 13; GD: -8; PTS: 16)
6.   Houston (GP: 10; GD: +6; PTS: 15)
7.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 11; GD: -4; PTS: 13)
8.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 12; GD: -8; PTS: 13)
9.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 11; GD: -11; PTS: 13)
10. San Jose (GP: 11; GD: -4; PTS: 9)
11. Seattle (GP: 9; GD: -4; PTS: 8)
12. Colorado (GP: 10; GD: -6; PTS: 8)

NOTES:  With Portland and FC Dallas level on points with 17, the Timbers have won more games than the Hoops (5-4); with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Minnesota United, and Real Salt Lake all level on points (13) and wins (4), the Galaxy have the best goal differential amongst the three clubs (-4, compared to the Loons' -8 and RSL's -11); with Seattle and Colorado level on points (8) and wins (2), the Sounders have the superior goal differential (-4, compared to the Rapids' -6).

MLS: Dynamo, Red Bulls Gather Sunday Wins; Loons and SKC Draw In Minneapolis

Three games were contested on Sunday in Major League Soccer.

At Minneapolis:

Darwin Quintero's equalizer in the 20th minute lifted Minnesota United to a 1-1 home draw with Sporting Kansas City.

Khiry Shelton scored for the hosts in the eighth minute.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Alberth Elis scored twice (PK-56', 74') as the Houston Dynamo came from behind to upend the Chicago Fire 3-2 on the road.

At Atlanta:

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice in the second half (51', 55') as the New York Red Bulls knocked off Atlanta United 3-1 on the road.

TEAM WELLINGTON LOCK UP FIRST OCEANIC CLUB TITLE AND FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP BERTH

At Lautoka, Fiji:

Dave Radrigai (OG-10'), Mario Ilich (32'), Ross Allen (61'), and Angus Kilkolly (88') each scored once on Sunday as Team Wellington took the second game as the OFC Champions League Final against Lautoka FC 4-3 on the road and won their first Oceanic club championship 10-3 on aggregate.

Team Wellington will play the opening match of this year's FIFA Club World Cup on December 12 in the United Arab Emirates against the host nation's domestic top-flight champions, Al-Ain.

MLS: Saturday Wins For Citizens, Timbers, Crew, Philly, DC United; Hoops And Caps Battle To Draw In Texas

Six games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At New York:

David Villa scored twice (22', 74') as New York City demolished the visiting Colorado Rapids 4-0.

At Portland, Oregon:

Cristhian Paredes (52') and Samuel Armenteros (81') each scored his first career MLS goal in the second half as the Portland Timbers notched their fifth straight win, 2-1 at home over the Los Angeles Football Club.

At Frisco, Texas:

Maynor Figueroa (OG-82') and Kei Kamara (PK-90'+10) each scored once as the Vancouver Whitecaps erased a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw with FC Dallas.

Reggie Cannon (40') and Maximiliano Urruti (78') provided the scoring for the Hoops.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Lalas Abubakar scored the only goal of the match in the 85th minute as the Columbus Crew defeated the New England Revolution 1-0 on the road.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Borek Dockal scored what proved to be the game winner at 34 minutes as the Philadelphia Union dominated visiting Real Salt Lake 4-1.

At San Jose, California:

Darren Mattocks scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 20th minute as DC United downed the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on the road.

MLS: Reds Knock Off Visiting Lions

At Toronto:

In the lone Friday Major League Soccer contest, Jay Chapman (63') and Ryan Telfer (73') each scored once as Toronto FC defeated visiting Orlando City 2-1.

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage play in the Copa Libertadores is set to continue on Thursday with four games; all kick-off times are Pacific.

GROUP C:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Cristian Palacios (19') and Cristian Rodriguez (PK-37') each scored once as Penarol defeated The Strongest 2-0 on the road.  The victory was not enough for the hosts to advance to the Copa Libertadores. Still, Penarol will play in the second stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Atletico Tucuman locked up a berth in the tournament's knockout stage by gaining a 0-0 road draw with Club Libertad.

Final Group C Standings:

1. Club Libertad (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 13)
2. Atletico Tucuman (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. Penarol (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
4. The Stronges (GP: 6; GD: -10; PTS: 3)

Club Libertad and Atletico Tucuman advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout stage while Penarol qualified for the Copa Sudamericana's second stage.



GROUP G:

At Cabudane, Venezuela:

Jadson Rodrigues da Silva produced a hat trick (10', PK-31', 51') while Junior Dutra added a second-half stoppage-time double (90'+9, 90'+11) as Corinthians locked up a berth in the knockout stage after their 7-2 road demolition of Deportivo Lara.

At Bogota, Colombia:

Emmanuel Gigliotti's equalizer in the 74th minute lifted Club Atletico Independiente to a 1-1 road draw with Millonarios.

Andres Cadavid scored for the hosts in the 58th minute with a successfully-converted penalty kick.

Group G Standings:

1. x-Corinthians (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 10)
2.    Club Atletico Independiente (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3.    Deportivo Lara (GP: 5; GD: -9; PTS: 6)
4.    Millonarios (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 5)

x-Clinched berth in Copa Libertadores knockout stage

MLS: Quakes And Caps Battle To 2-2 Draw In BC

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

In the lone Wednesday Major League Soccer contest, Cristian Techera (19') and Yordy Reyna (64') each scored once as the Vancouver Whitecaps salvaged a 2-2 home draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Danny Hoesen (45'+1) and Nick Lima (53') delivered the goals for the visiting Quakes.

Copa Libertadores

Copa Libertadores group-stage action is set to continued on Wednesday with three games.

GROUP D:

At Rio de Janeiro:

Everton Ribeiro scored twice (47', 90'+1) as Flamengo blanked visiting Club Sport Emelec 2-0 to lock up a berth in the knockout stage.

Group D Standings:

1. x-River Plate (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS; 11)
2. x-Flamengo (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
3. z-Independiente Santa Fe (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. z-Club Sport Emelec (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in Copa Libertadores knockout stage

z-Eliminated from Copa Libertadores but still alive for Copa Sudamericana second-stage berth



GROUP H:

At Buenos Aires:

Ramon Abila scored twice (34', 41') as Boca Juniors demolished visiting Alianza Lima 5-0 to snag a berth in the knockout stage.

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Miguel Borja produced a second-half hat trick as Palmeiras (combined with the Boca Juniors victory) knocked Atletico Junior out of the Copa Libertadores and into the Copa Sudamericana with their 3-1 home victory.

Final Group H Standings:

1. Palmeiras (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 16)
2. Boca Juniors (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
3. Atletico Junior (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
4. Alianza Lima (GP: 6; GD: -12; PTS: 1)

Palmeiras and Boca Juniors advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout stage while Atletico Junior qualified for the Copa Sudamericana's second stage.

US Open Cup: Big Wednesday For Amateur Clubs

The second round of the US Open Cup tournament was contested on Wednesday with 24 games.

US-based clubs from the second-division United Soccer League (except those owned by their Major League Soccer parent clubs, who are not eligible) made their first appearance here.

At Cary, North Carolina:

Connor Tobin (2'), Marios Lomis (44'), and Bernhard Luxbacher (47') each scored once as North Carolina FC (USL) dominated visiting Lansdowne Bhoys FC (Local Qualifiers) 3-0.

At Erie, Pennsylvania:

Kevin Kerr's successful penalty kick in the 30th minute produced the game-winning goal for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds as the USL club defeated the home-standing Erie Commodores (NPSL) 2-1.

At Reading, Pennsylvania:

After a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes, Yudai Imura, Raul Gonzalez, Heviel Cordoves, and Neil Hlavaty all converted their spot kicks as the Richmond Kickers (USL) won the penalty-kick shootout, 4-3 on the road against Reading United AC (PDL).

At Louisville, Kentucky:

Five different goal scorers, starting with Kyle Smith in the 25th minute, each tallied once as Louisville City FC (USL) destroyed the visiting Long Island Rough Riders (PDL) 5-0.

At Madison, New Jersey:

Prince Baffoe scored the game winner in the 80th minute as Penn FC (USL) defeated FC Motown (NPSL) 3-1.

At Charleston, South Carolina:

Patrick Okonkwo scored the game's only goal in the 21st minute as the Charleston Battery (USL) defeated visiting South Georgia Tormenta FC in a match that saw both squads reduced to ten men.

At Jacksonville, Florida:

J.C. Banks scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute as the Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) knocked off the visiting Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL) 1-0.

At Miami:

In a battle of Miami-based NPSL clubs, Miami United FC with David Ochoa scoring twice (49', 52'), defeated Miami FC 2 by a 3-1 count on the road.

At Matthews, North Carolina:

Kyle Gurrieri scored twice (4', 7') as the Ocean City Nor'easters (PDL) knocked off the Charlotte Independence (USL) 3-1 on the road.

At Amesbury, Massachusetts:

The NPSL's Elm City Express blanked the PDL's Seacoast United Phantoms 2-0 on the road.  Shaquille Saunchez scored both goals in the waning minutes (80', 88')

At Cincinnati, Ohio:

It took overtime, but FC Cincinnati (USL), thanks to Emery Welshman's hat trick (35', 99', 110'), defeated visiting Detroit City FC (NPSL) 4-1.

At Clinton, Mississippi:

Mississippi Brilla (PDL), with Koray Easterling scoring the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute, knocked off the visiting Indy Eleven (USL) 1-0.

At Tulsa, Oklahoma:

In a wild affair, Wichita FC (NPSL), thanks to Franck Tayou's double (47', 90'+1),  upended the USL's Tulsa Roughnecks 4-3 on the road.

At Duluth, Minnesota:

Saint Louis FC (USL), with goals from Kadeem Dacres (25') and Corey Hertzog (35'),  blanked Duluth FC of the NPSL 2-0 on the road.

At Sacramento, California:

The Sacramento Republic (USL), with Villyan Bijev scoring the winning goal in the 61st minute,  defeated visiting San Francisco City FC (PDL) 3-1.

At Nashville, Tennessee:

In a Music City battle, Tucker Hume scored both goals (19', 89') as Nashville SC (USL) blanked visiting Inter Nashville (NPSL) 2-0.

At Dallas:

NTX Rayados (LQ) scored three times in overtime to upset the visiting Oklahoma City Energy (USL) 5-2.

At Midland, Texas:

San Antonio FC (USL), with goals courtesy of Darnell King (33'), Mikey Lopez (87'), Maxi Rodriguez (90'), and Owayne Gordon (90'),  demolished the Midland-Odessa Sockers (NPSL) 4-0 on the road.

At Colorado Springs, Colorado:

The Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL) held off visiting FC Denver (LQ) 3-2.

At Chandler, Arizona:

After a 1-1 regulation draw, which was followed by 30 scoreless overtime minutes, Ryan Flood, Noah Vulovich, Paul LaMarca, Jonathan Guse, and Eijin Kishimoto all converted their spot kicks as Sporting Arizona FC (LQ) won the penalty-kick shootout 5-4 over visiting Phoenix Rising FC (USL).
At Fresno, California:

Fresno FC blanked visiting Orange County FC (NPSL) 2-0.

At Irvine, California:

The PDL's FC Golden State Force knocked off the USL's Orange County SC 4-2 on the road.

At Reno, Nevada:

Reno 1868 FC (USL) ran roughshod over the Portland Timbers' Under-23 squad (PDL) 7-3.

At Las Vegas, Nevada:

The Las Vegas Lights FC doubled up visiting FC Tucson (PDL), 4-2.