Haitian side Violette AC delivered the biggest upset in CONCACAF history on Tuesday night, beating MLS side Austin FC 2-0 to win the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 as the Caribbean side advanced to the quarter-finals. made it possible to advance to Won 3-2 on aggregate. Here’s what you should know:
- Violette AC was Austin FC’s big underdog. With the Haitian league suspended indefinitely due to ongoing violence in the country, Violette had not played a competitive match for 290 days before meeting Austin in the first leg.
- Austin FC needed at least three goals to equalize, but they were able to score just two on 33 shots on Tuesday.
- Violet advances to face the winner of Leon vs. Tauro FC.
What about Violet?
Violette AC, calling home Port-au-Prince in Haiti, won the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship, defeating Dominican Cibao FC in the final to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. That win in May 2022 was the last game they played before facing Austin in the first leg of the round of 16, which he surprisingly won 3-0.
Violette had concerns about whether the entire team would be able to obtain enough visas to travel to the United States for their return home. I played without a backup goalkeeper. — Abnos
How did Violette pull it off?
In short, a solid (if sometimes desperate) defense, an opportunistic finish, and plenty of fighting spirit. Violette swept his astounding 33-3 on Tuesday, with Austin FC completing almost four times as many passes as their Haitian opponents. They held Austin scoreless in the first half and gave up two in the second half from Austin’s star player Sebastian Driussi (who had 12 shots himself). Foul call from referee.
After 10 tense minutes of injury time, Violette made the impossible possible when the final whistle blew after Doriusi’s last chance saved by Violette’s goalkeeper Paul Robert Decius. — Abnos
Is this the biggest upset in CONCACAF Champions League history?
Arguably, this is the biggest upset in the history of major league soccer teams in tournament history. I have a few other suggestions.
In 2008, Trinidad and Tobago’s Joe Public FC defeated the New England Revolution 6-1 in two legs. Two years later, the Puerto Rican Islanders defeated a very good Los Angeles Galaxy team in the second leg, where he advanced to the Round of 16 by a score of 4–1. Most recently, TFC lost to Panama’s Independiente.
In the history of the entire tournament, the only result to put a candle to Violette’s performance tonight was Arabe Unido’s performance against Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey in 2016, when the Panama side moved to Monterrey and shocked the Mexican side. I guess. None of these results compare to what we saw Tuesday night: Violette hasn’t played in a game in months, and only three of his subwomen have played, backing up. There was also no goalkeeper. — Maurer
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(Photo: Scott Wachter/USA Today)
