THE MATCHUP: Creatures from the Santos Laguna

"The seas were rough in Sanders' Lagoon"

TORONTO VS. SANTOS LAGUNA

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINAL - 1ST LEG
　
BMO FIELD - WEDNESDAY 8PM ET
　
THE KICKABOUT:
Many said we'd never make it out of The NutCan. They said the same thing about the CCL preliminary. The Group Stage was no hope with the likes of PUMAS and FC Dallas. Then, two legs against "American Super Club" LA Galaxy? Not a chance in Beckham's manties. But, here we are, with history already made as the most successful Canadian team in continental play, ready for the next "impossible" hurdle. Can the miracles continue? A very good Santos Laguna side stand in the way of the CCL Finals and will aim to do to TFC what they did to Seattle. Aron Winter will have to pull the tactical rabbit from the hat twice and while it will likely be TFC's toughest two-match series ever - ask Los Angeles about looking past The Reds.
　
MANUFACTURED DERBY NAME:
"The Biggest Match Ever III: Journey to Sanders' Lagoon"
　
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
TORONTO: Ryan Johnson, Danny Koevermans, Nick Soolsma
SANTOS LAGUNA: Herculez Gomez, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Oswaldo Sanchez
　
THE ODDS:
- North American media already planning Santos Laguna's parade route: 5-1
- Drunken Glasgow Rangers supporters confusing Santos with their hoop-wearing cousins Celtic - confusing Mexicans with sectarian chants: 10-1
- Media interviewing Bob de Klerk just to hear him say "Shantosh Lugoona" : 40-1
　
WHO ARE YA?
Mexican power club Santos Laguna were born of humble beginnings - inadvertently founded in 1977 by Hamish Sanders, a Glaswegian who was trying to open Torreon, Mexico's first Kentucky Fried Chicken store. Sanders (no relation to the Colonel) had just plugged in the deep fat fryer when his entire shop started sinking into a previously uncharted marsh land. His fast food dream was shattered but before he departed Mexico for good, he left local children a few old Celtic kits and a congealed ball of potato salad to kick around. The escaped chicken fat solidified the marsh over the years and the Hoops-wearing locals formed a club named after the area known as "Sanders' Lagoon" or "Santos Laguna" in the local dialect.
　
POST-MATCH HEADLINE: "REDS FEELING BLUE VS. LAGUNA"