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Haitian side Violette AC pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in CONCACAF history on Tuesday night, holding MLS side Austin FC in a 2-0 win in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16, which allowed the Caribbean side to advance to the quarter-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win. Here’s what you need to know:
- Violette AC were heavy underdogs for Austin FC going into; with the Haitian league suspended indefinitely due to ongoing violence in the country, Violette had not played a competitive game in 290 days before meeting Austin in the first game, which they won 3-0.
- Austin FC needed at least three goals to send the tie to penalty kicks, but could only score twice in 33 shots on Tuesday.
- Violette now advances to face the winner of Leon vs Tauro FC.
What is Violette’s story?
Violette AC called Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, home and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League by winning the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship, defeating Dominican side Cibao FC in the final. That win, in May 2022, was the last competitive match they played before facing Austin in the first leg of the round of 16, which they surprisingly won 3–0.
There were concerns about whether or not Violette could get enough visas for a full squad to travel to the United States for the return leg. As it turns out, they played in Austin with only three substitutes on the bench and no backup goalkeeper. – Abnos
How did Violeta do?
In short: Strong defense (if occasionally desperate), opportunistic finishing and plenty of fighting spirit. The Violette were hammered by a surprising 33-3 on Tuesday, and Austin FC completed nearly four times as many passes as their Haitian counterparts. They held Austin scoreless in the first half and gave up two in the second half from Austin’s star Sebastian Driussi (who had 12 shots himself), and there was a lengthy VAR check on a potential penalty kick that resulted in a no foul call by the referee.
After a tense 10 minutes of stoppage time and a last ditch chance from Driussi that was saved by Violette goalkeeper Paul Robert Decius, the final whistle blew and Violette had done the impossible. – Abnos
Is this the biggest concern in Champions League history?
It is arguably the biggest upset of a Major League Soccer team in the history of the tournament. There are several other contenders.
In 2008, Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago tore it apart The New England Revolution 6-1 over two legs. Two years later, the Puerto Rico Islanders stunned a very, very good Los Angeles Galaxy team over two games 4-1 to reach the round of 16. Most recently, TFC fell to Panamanian side Independiente.
In the history of the tournament as a whole, perhaps the only result to hold a candle to Violette’s performance tonight would be Arabe Unido’s performance against Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey in 2016, when the Panamanian side traveled to Monterrey and shocked the Mexican side. None of those results hold a candle to what we saw on Tuesday night. Violette had not played in the competition for several months, traveled with only three nines and did not have a backup goalkeeper. – Maurer
Required reading
(Photo: Scott Wachter/USA Today)
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