CARSON, Calif. (Friday, March 15, 2013) – The LA Galaxy will open their 2012/13 CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal series against Monterrey at The Home Depot Center on Wednesday, April 3. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will pit the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy against the two-time defending Champions League winner, Monterrey. The second leg of the two leg, aggregate goal series will be played in Mexico at the Estadio Tecnologico at 7 p.m. (PT) a week later on Wednesday, April 10.
Highlights: LA 4, Herediano 1
The Galaxy reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in club history after defeating CS Herediano of Costa Rica 4-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Following a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Costa Rica on March 7, the Galaxy, who entered the quarterfinals as the No. 4 seed, won 4-1 in the second leg at home on Wednesday to move on. Playing in their third consecutive edition of the Champions League, the Galaxy won Group 5 with a 3-0-1 record for 10 points in order to reach the quarterfinals.
LA’s opponent in the Champions League semifinals will be Monterrey, who have now reached the semifinals in each of the past three years, winning the 2010/11 and 2011/12 versions of the competition. Los Rayados knocked off Xelaju of Guatemala 4-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals after going a perfect 4-0-0 for 12 points in the Group Stage to win Group 7 and earn the top seed heading into the quarterfinals.
The Galaxy and Monterrey, who are currently in 11th place in the Liga MX 2013 Clausura, have never met before in the Champions League or its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions Cup. All-time in the Champions League, the Galaxy are 1-1-0 against teams from Liga MX, defeating Morelia 2-1 at home in the group stage of the 2011/12 Champions League while losing by the same score to Morelia in Mexico in the same round of that competition.
