CONCACAF Wrap: Club América silences Saprissa

Call it the clásico of U.S. national team nightmares.

The CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal draw threw together Costa Rica's Saprissa and Mexico's Club América, respective lords of the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa and the Estadio Azteca.

Since the first leg of that series was the only game on Wednesday, let me tell a story for a moment.

You probably know a fair amount about El Coloso de Santa Urusla already. Mexico City's crown jewel holds nearly 110,000 fans, has hosted two World Cup finals, sits over a mile high and is usually drenched in smog. The U.S. has played there 12 times in its history, with just one win (a friendly in 2012) and two draws (World Cup qualifiers in 1997 and 2013).

You might not know so much about Saprissa, which is the polar opposite of Azteca. It's a 23,000-seat bandbox in San José, with steep stands that go right up to a fence that separates fans from the field. Many American goalkeepers have told stories over the years of being pelted by hot dogs, beverages, and... well... other projectiles. The artificial surface used to rival Veterans Stadium's old concrete.

Combine all of those factors and you come to realize why the U.S. never won there in nine World Cup qualifiers. Its only non-loss was a scoreles draw in a 1992 friendly. In World Cup qualifiers at Saprissa, Costa Rica scored at least two goals in every matchup against the U.S. dating back to 1997.

The Washington Post's Steven Goff explained America's tortured history at Saprissa in greater detail ahead of the 2009 World Cup qualifier there, which ended up a 3-1 Ticos win.

In 2013, Costa Rica's federation was going to send the U.S. to Saprissa again, instead of the modern and much more comfortable national stadium across town. It was a revenge move for the "SnowClásico" controversy in Denver. (Not that it would have surprised anyone to see the U.S. play at Saprissa again regardless, but as you'd imagine, there's more money and prestige in the new stadium.)

The old war horse had gotten worn down over time, though, and FIFA would not certify the venue as being capable of hosting a World Cup qualifier. So the U.S. escaped - at least in theory. In practice, they were handed another 3-1 drubbing.

So, back to Saprissa, and Wednesday night's game. Club América entered the Purple Monster's Cave and smacked that demon right in the jaw. Las Aguilas kept the scoreboard blank through 79 minutes, then struck three times in the final 11 minutes.

Thank you, goodnight, and see you in Mexico City next Wednesday

Club América: Pablo Aguilar 79', Oribe Peralta 81', Oribe Peralta 85'