Monterrey advances to CONCACAF Champions League final

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Rogelio Funes Morito scored two goals and Monterrey advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League final, beating Sporting Kansas City 5-2 on Thursday night for a 10-2 aggregate victory.

The Rayados advanced to their fourth final, helped by captain Dorlan Pabon scoring two goals in a 5-0 opening-leg victory last week. Monterrey will face Tigres, who topped Santos Laguna 5-3 in aggregate, in a home-and-home final for the right to play in the Club World Cup.

Gerso opened the scoring for Sporting KC in the sixth minute by redirecting home Johnny Russell’s cross. But Funes Mori got a key away goal on a breakaway in the 20th, requiring Sporting KC to score at least seven goals in the game to advance. Funes Mori capped the scoring in second-half stoppage time.

Gerso scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 29th minute by knocking home a rebound for a 2-1 lead. Rodolfo Pizarro tied it 10 minutes later and Monterrey goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero denied Ilie Sánchez’s penalty-kick attempt in first-half stoppage time.

Kansas City started to pull its starters early in the second half and Miguel Layún gave Monterrey a 3-2 lead on a free kick from just outside the box in the 61st. Avilés Hurtado added another goal in the 82nd.

Monterrey had conceded just one goal in the 2019 SCCL, a 1-0 loss at Atlanta United in the second leg of the quarterfinals.

Sporting KC was trying to become the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF title since the L.A. Galaxy did it in 2000. Sporting returns to Major League Soccer action on Sunday against the New York Red Bulls.