With the final match of the 2018 Concacaf Champions League on tap on Wednesday (9:30 pm ET; TSN in Canada | UniMás, UDN, go90.com in US), both teams in the final lost their league games at the weekend.
Toronto FC's reserve-heavy side lost 5-1 to the Houston Dynamo in Texas on Saturday, while Chivas de Guadalajara lost to Atlas 1-0 on Friday.
The game against Atlas, the Clasico Tapatio between Guadalajara's two biggest teams, featured a reserve-heavy side by Chivas boss Matias Almeyda as well. Edyairth Ortega scored the game's lone goal in the first minute, and that's all it took for Atlas to win.
In addition to CCL considerations, the game was also overshadowed by being the final appearance at home of Atlas legend and former New York Red BullsDesignated Player Rafa Marquez, who will be departing the club and quite likely retiring from club soccer following the season.
In other Chivas news, first-team players took public their complaints with the club's directors over the weekend, posting protests on social media.
ESPN reported that 21 players took a group photo and released the statements, complete with the hashtag #DirectorsDoYourPart in Spanish, after meeting with Chivas brass on Saturday and being unsatisfied by the club's response.
According to the report, Chivas players "were unhappy with the lack of bonus payments, communication with the directors, travel logistics and even nutrition."
The Chivas players said they were going for the CCL title for themselves and the fans. Chivas lead the two-legged final 2-1 over Toronto, with the final leg coming Wednesday at Estadio Akron.
