The lone remaining Major League Soccer team in the CONCACAF Champions League would need a major comeback to reach the finals.

Monterrey routed Sporting Kansas City 5-0 on Thursday in Guadalupe, Mexico, in the first leg of a total-goals semifinal series. The return leg will be played April 11 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Dorlan Pabon and Aviles Hurtado scored in the seventh and 14th minutes, respectively, to give Monterrey a fast start. The game was secured when Jesus Gallardo scored in the 55th minute, Nicolas Sanchez converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute, and Pabon found the net again in the 76th minute.

The result ties the biggest margin for victory in a match in the CCL era along with Santos' 6-1 win against the Seattle Sounders in 2012 and a 2009 Cruz Azul 5-0 win over the Columbus Crew

In the first semifinal matchup Wednesday, host Tigres routed Santos Laguna 3-0 in an all-Liga MX matchup at San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico. The second leg of that series will be played next Wednesday at Torreon, Mexico.

The two-legged final will be held in late April and early May.

No MLS team has won the competition since the LA Galaxy were champions in 2000. Mexican clubs have won every title since 2006.

Danny Rose has said racism will continue to be a problem in football as long as offending countries are fined what he would spend on a night out -- and he can't wait to see the back of the game.

The Tottenham left-back was among the England players targeted with chants by a section of home fans during the 5-1 Euro 2020 qualifying victory in Podgorica on March 25, and UEFA have since charged Montenegro with racist behaviour.

- Ogden: No beer, no problem as Spurs open new home with win

"I'd sort of prepared myself anyway for what happened," Rose said. "Had we not been winning, the yellow card I got at the end might have been a red one, but I'm fine.

"I played in Serbia about eight years ago and it happened there so I sort of thought there was a possibility it may happen again, and it did.

"It didn't affect my game. I'm a big boy now. I know three points isn't the most important thing when you're going through things like that, but I just wanted the team to get three points, to move on and get out of Montenegro as quickly as possible.

"Obviously it's sad [to have to prepare yourself for that] but when countries only get fined what I probably spend on a night out in London then what do you expect?

"You see my manager [Mauricio Pochettino] get banned for two games for just being confrontational against Mike Dean at Burnley. Yet a country can only get fined a little bit of money for being racist. It's just a bit of a farce at the minute.

"That's where we're at now in football and until there's a harsh punishment there's not much else we can expect I don't think.

"I have had enough. At the minute, how I've programmed myself now, I just think that I've got five or six more years left in football and I just can't wait to see the back of it, seeing how things are done in the game at the minute. There's so many politics and whatever in football."

Rose decided not to speak to the media immediately after the match in Podgorica but said: "I have to say it was a very small minority out of the fans that were doing the chants so I didn't want the postmatch to be about me.

"I wasn't upset. I just wanted everybody to focus on the good week that we had with England. We scored 10 goals and it was a great performance over two games.

"I spoke to Gareth [Southgate] after the game. I didn't mention it at half-time so he wasn't aware of what was happening until he heard it right at the end.

"The manager was a bit upset to be fair. He said it's the first time he's been involved in something like that, and he said he didn't know what the right course of action was.

"He said he was fully behind me if we wanted to walk off. I appreciate that but I just wanted to get the three points and get out of there as quickly as possible."

While Rose has become increasingly disillusioned with life as a professional footballer, he said he enjoyed being involved in the first senior match at Tottenham's new stadium on Wednesday, as Spurs beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at the 62,062-seater arena to reclaim third place from Arsenal.

"It was special," he said. "It was a bit surreal at the beginning when we were doing the warm-up and there was a moment when the crowd was singing Dele [Alli]'s name. We were just saying after the game how loud it was.

"It was an amazing night. We've waited a little bit for this night and we're thankful it's here and we're back to winning. It was a good night all-round.

"It was a bit flat towards the end, playing at Wembley, and you can't hold anything against the fans for that. They've been great and [last night] they made it really feel like home.

"We can't wait to play here next week [against Manchester City]."

City manager Pep Guardiola has urged Rose not to turn his back on football and fight back against racist abuse.

"Danny Rose has not to do that," he said about the Tottenham man's comments. "Next Tuesday I will tell him if I see him: the best way to fight is to come back from this terrible situation is fighting, being there every day and because he's an extraordinary football player."

Romelu Lukaku's agent has said the Manchester United forward will analyse his future at the end of the season, and would be keen to play in Italy.

The 25-year-old joined United from Everton for £75 million in 2017 and has scored 42 goals in 90 appearances across all competitions.

And Lukaku's agent Federico Pastorello said the Belgium international is keen to sample other leagues.

"At the moment, he's focused on finishing the season," Pastorello told Sky Sports. "The competition for third and fourth place in England is very tight so let's see what will happen in the future at the end the season.

"It's his second season here and he will still have three years on his contract until the end. Let's see. He's someone who loves to know a different culture, a different football.

"He sees a way to have a career playing in different countries because he would like to win some trophies and prove himself and say to his children: 'I won there and I won there and I won there,' and: 'I was a very good player in all the top championships' so let's see.

"The future is really very open but, at the moment, we don't discuss about that because really the season is in a big moment."

Sources have told ESPN FC that up to five players could leave United this summer, with Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian the prime candidates to depart.

Lukaku was former boss Jose Mourinho's first-choice centre forward, but has shared the responsibility with Marcus Rashford since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the former Chelsea manager in December. However, Pastorello said Lukaku's relationship with the Norwegian is positive.

"In this period what he appreciates a lot about the manager is he was keeping him involved with a lot of attention," Pastorello added. "That is normal with the level of the player but sometimes managers are not so used to doing it anyway.

"Once he had the opportunity he scored goals so he was important when not starting and when he got the opportunity to start, he scored [three games in a row.] He was amazing in the victory against Paris Saint-Germain so now we think he's back on his place."

And Pastorello said Lukaku could be keen to try his luck in Serie A.

"He likes Italy," Pastorello said. "When he was a child he followed a lot the Italian league.

"Everybody agrees today the Premier League is the best but years ago Italy was the best and they were the dreams for the younger footballer players.

"Teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona of course attract any champion so he sees also in La Liga one day. Bundesliga for sure is a very good championship."

Sporting Kansas City will look to rebound from their CONCACAF Champions League humiliation, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic's LA Galaxy take aim at Vancouver on Friday, before impressive debutant Alejandro Pozuelo and Toronto FC face Chicago on Saturday.

SKC feeling the highs and lows

For a few days this week Sporting Kansas City took on the nickname "Scoring Kansas City." Only Los Angeles FC have scored more goals than Sporting KC this season in MLS, 14 to 11, with LAFC having played a game more.

Peter Vermes' team was flying high after a 7-1 win over the Montreal Impact and actually had MLS fans optimistic they could get a result in Monterrey in their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal first leg.

But the 5-0 bludgeoning they took from the Rayados on Thursday night will leave many wondering how SKC's mental state will be heading to FC Cincinnati on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN). As good as they were against Montreal, they were equally bad against the Liga MX side, who dragged SKC around the field for 90 minutes in what was the latest chapter in MLS' embarrassing CCL history.

As for Cincinnati, all things considered, the new kids on the block have enjoyed a very good start, and since Vermes fielded his starters in Monterrey, Cincy is likely to face the reserves on Sunday.

But news of Fanendo Adi's suspension is an unwelcome distraction and Sporting KC would like nothing more than to take out their frustrations on the MLS newbies.

TGI ... Z?

The MLS weekend begins with a rare Friday night appearance for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy, effectively transforming all of those annoying "TGIF!" greetings you'll hear in the office into "TGIZ" -- Thank God It's Zlatan.

In his first game back from injury last week, the Swedish striker scored twice against the Portland Timbers, both via the penalty spot with the second in "Panenka" style. While it was not the hat trick that members of the Ibrahimovic family were hoping for, it was a firm reminder that no one can change a game in MLS like the former Manchester United striker.

Next up is a trip across the border to face the Vancouver Whitecaps (10 p.m. ET, ESPN +) at BC Place, where Ibrahimovic is expected to play, despite it being a turf field. The Canadian outfit feel like they have the solution to neutralise the 37-year-old, with Caps defender Doneil Henry saying: "If we defend as a unit, we won't be penetrated."

It's an interesting take, considering Henry was on the field last September when Ibrahimovic banged in two goals, including this screamer, when the Vancouver defense red-carpeted a path to goal. But that was last season's dysfunctional Whitecaps side; the defense is slightly better (seven goals conceded in four games), so maybe Henry is onto something.

Or maybe not. Issuing a challenge to Ibrahimovic, even if Henry probably didn't mean to make it sound like a challenge, is just the fuel the big guy needs to bag another brace.

Seba who?

Outside of THAT performance from Ibrahimovic last spring against LAFC, you would be hard-pressed to find a better MLS debut in the past year than the one served up Toronto FC's Alejandro Pozuelo on Friday in the 4-0 win against New York City FC.

The Spanish midfielder was exceptional, setting up Jozy Altidore with an impeccable pass for TFC's opener before scoring a "Panenka" penalty of his own, followed by a Messi-esque chip for his second of the night.

It took some doing to pry Pozuelo away from Belgian side Genk, but now that he is in the fold and already connecting with Altidore, the wailing and gnashing of teeth over Sebastian Giovinco's winter departure has faded from memory. Pozuelo looks like the real deal and his next chance to impress comes on Saturday at home against the Chicago Fire (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

Chicago had its own debutant last week in the form of Nico Gaitan, although it was a much more understated second-half substitute appearance. Nevertheless, you don't play for Boca Juniors, Benfica and Atletico Madrid if you don't have quality, and assuming Fire boss Veljko Paunovic plays to Gaitan's strengths and puts him at No. 10, Chicago has the right playmaker to counter TFC's newfound attack.

WATERBURY, Vt. – One of the rising stars of Northeast late model racing is joining the American-Canadian Tour full-time this season.

Massachusetts native Ryan Kuhn has filed a full-season ACT Late Model Tour entry will run the full 10-race schedule throughout New England and Canada.

Kuhn was last year’s Seekonk Speedway late model champion, earning the title at age 17. He also made ACT starts at three different tracks and finished in the top-12 in all of them.

Most recently, Kuhn took 10th place in the Commonwealth Classic 65 at Virginia’s Richmond Raceway to open the season.

Now 18, Kuhn is making the jump to the ACT Late Model Tour in his No. 72MA Everett’s Auto Parts Chevrolet.

He’ll be going up against some stout competition in his first full year, including multi-time champions Scott Payea and Wayne Helliwell Jr., established frontrunners Jimmy Hebert and Rich Dubeau, and fellow upstarts like sophomores Dylan Payea and Christopher Pelkey.

According to Kuhn, this competition is what excites him most about joining ACT.

“The American-Canadian Tour is really the best of the best drivers,” Kuhn said. “I think it’s the best competition in Late Model racing on the East Coast, to be honest with you. We wanted to get away from local short track stuff and get into touring series racing, and I’m happy to be running in a full-time touring series in 2019.

“I think it’s a big stepping stone to my dream goal.”

Like the rest of the ACT Late Model Tour, Kuhn will open his point-counting campaign on Sunday, April 14 at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. The track is one of the handful on the schedule where he has prior experience.

Kuhn is optimistic that this experience will help him get off to a strong start in his rookie ACT season.

“I’m excited to get back to Oxford Plains,” he said. “We missed the setup last year, and I think we’re going to change a whole lot in the car for the next show. I’m also looking forward to Thompson. We were stout there last year and honestly had a car to win. Hopefully we can go back to that same equipment and have a shot to win.”

Kuhn will also be visiting multiple ACT tracks for the first time, including Autodrome Chaudiere and Star Speedway.

Despite his success in weekly late model racing and limited Tour racing, he is trying to keep his goals realistic for 2019, while also hoping to exceed them.

“Our main goal is to get rookie of the year,” Kuhn said. “A lot of people out there have the goal to win the championship, and that’s ultimately my goal too, but we’re just out there to do the best we can.

“A top-five in points would be a win for us. If we could do that, it would be awesome.”

Regardless, Kuhn is looking forward to getting behind the wheel with ACT.

He said in a press conference at Richmond Raceway that the ACT late model is his favorite type of car to race, and he doubled down on that sentiment this week.

“They’re just fun to drive,” he remarked. “They’re fun to drive and hard to drive. It really comes down to setup and driver. These style Late Models bring a lot of driver into play, and it’s so much fun just hanging it out there sideways, especially at Richmond.

“Richmond is probably one of the slickest tracks other than Oxford to race on, and it was a lot of fun racing there.”

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Loss of balance is a side effect of ageing – even among athletes. A major new study is being launched to find the best way to preserve it and you can take part

Years of training will have many pay-offs for your long-term wellbeing, including cardiovascular health, muscle strength, bone mineral density and metabolic health that is far superior to that of the general population.

However, even the fittest and fastest masters athletes are apparently not immune to one side-effect of ageing that can negatively impact performance and lifestyle: a loss of balance.

In studies funded by the European Union and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), a team of researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) found that supreme levels of fitness and physical function were displayed in members of the British Masters Athletics Federation whose ages ranged from 35 to 90.

In some cases, their health parameters were similar to someone 30 years younger. However, Jamie McPhee, professor of musculoskeletal physiology and one of the researchers, says that when it came to tests of balance – which include the ability to stand on one leg, eyes closed – the older athletes achieved no higher score than sedentary people of the same age.

Balance matters not just for performance, but for longevity. According to NHS statistics, falls are among the major causes of debilitating injury as we age with one third of people over the age of 60 and around half of those in their 80s and over falling at least once a year. In their  20s and 30s, most adults can easily stand on one leg, eyes closed, for 30 seconds or longer whereas the average 70-year-old manages only 4-5 seconds.

You might expect the muscle strength and spatial awareness of the masters athletes to offset this sort of decline, but McPhee and his colleagues showed that even highly-trained older athletes could balance for only for around seven seconds, a time that is not significantly better than for the average population.

It confirms that factors other than fitness and strength are involved in our ability to balance and a major new study by the MMU team is set to find out how athletes can maintain and improve their balance powers into later life.

In collaboration with AW, the MMU researchers are looking to recruit a panel of 10 masters athletes to participate in a trial that will help to assess balance status and stem its decline.

It is a unique opportunity that will hopefully provide ground-breaking results that will help you, and others, to develop strategies for balance improvement.

To apply to take part in this important research, please email [email protected]

Get involved

People of all ages can also help with this research by answering these three simple questions. The results from this poll will be shared with Manchester Metropolitan University.

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With top British stars Dina Asher-Smith and Laura Muir already confirmed, as well as other big names, book your Müller Anniversary Games seats now

Tickets to the British Athletics 2019 outdoor event series are now ON SALE.

With another huge year of world-class athletics now in full swing on the back of a memorable indoor season which saw sold out venues and the best-ever medal haul by a Great Britain & Northern Ireland team at the European Indoor Championships, you can secure your seat to see the best athletes in the world right here in the UK – including the best in Britain – this summer.

The first of British Athletics’ outdoor showpiece events will be the Müller Anniversary Games, which takes place over the weekend of July 20-21 at the London Stadium.

Founded in 2013 as a legacy to the unforgettable 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is a world-leading meeting which continues to attract the biggest and best track and field stars, with the likes of Usain Bolt, Sir Mo Farah, Laura Muir and Dina Asher-Smith all regularly competing at the event over the years.

The 2019 edition promises to light up the summer once more and showcase the world’s best athletes in the world’s best athletics stadium.

Having enjoyed incredibly successful years respectively in 2018, both Muir and Asher-Smith have confirmed they will be present this summer.

Fresh from winning double European indoor gold in Glasgow to be the first athlete in history to do the ‘double-double’ over 1500m and 3000m at the championships, Muir will head into the outdoor season in buoyant mood and confident of more success on the back of the last two years.

An event which holds a great deal of significance to the Scot following her memorable British record run over 1500m back in 2016, Muir will return to the London Stadium once again this summer to take on the world’s best middle-distance athletes.

It’s a meeting which has a habit of producing record-breaking performances, with American Keni Harrison memorably running 12.20 to set new world standards in the 100m hurdles three years ago. Last year, world records were also set at the London Stadium by Kare Adenegan in the women’s T34 100m (16.80) and Sophie Hahn (25.93) in the T37/38 200m respectively.

Meanwhile, for Asher-Smith the meeting will serve as a key event of her summer as the 23-year-old bids to make a name for herself once again at this October’s IAAF World Championships in Doha.

A triple European champion last summer in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, the eyes of the world will be on Dina in her home city come the 2019 edition of the Müller Anniversary Games, with her event due to be confirmed in due course.

It will be a showpiece occasion well worth watching and ticket prices are set to encourage families. With the brilliant performances and a live band supporting athlete introductions, everything looks set for yet another thrilling occasion which showcases the world’s best and inspires the next generation.

Tickets for British Athletics’ 2019 outdoor season are now on general sale via theticketfactory.com/british-athletics

English National under-20 cross country champion now targets his dad’s track times

Athletics is a family affair for Rory Leonard and after racing for Great Britain at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, the English National under-20 champion now hopes to follow in his father’s fast footsteps over the summer.

The 18-year-old has made great strides under the guidance of his coach and dad Tony, himself a former British international, while he also benefits from the support and advice of his mum Sharon, who won English Schools and National cross-country medals as an under-20.

Both parents honed their running at the University of Arkansas, which is where Leonard junior will also be heading in August once he completes his A-Level studies in business and sociology.

“I’m drawing off a wealth of knowledge,” Rory says of his parents’ influence. “There’s so much experience between the both of them.

“It was pretty meteoric the way that I went from nowhere to running at a good standard. I credit my dad 100% for that.”

Tony’s top times include 13:35 for 5km and 28:08 for 10km on the roads and Rory reveals how a written record of his father’s achievements has provided some specific aims for the summer season.

“My big targets this year are to run the times that my dad ran at my age,” says the Morpeth athlete, who currently has PBs of 3:50.14 for 1500m and 8:18.80 for 3000m.

“His times are in a book from one of the old coaches at Arkansas – he tries to keep that reasonably secret as he doesn’t want me to chase him down too early! But I know his times and I’m going to get those knocked off hopefully as quickly as possible, so I can get the bragging rights!”

He adds: “The times are 3:45 for 1500m, 8:08 for 3km and about 14:04/5 for 5km. He also ran some ridiculous mile time. There’s going to be a Leeds BMC invitational race where they will be holding a sub-4 attempt and my dad ran 4:02 for the mile – I think it’s a bit of a long shot but you know what, if he ran it, I’m going to give it a go!”

Rory switched football for running in 2015 and last year achieved a breakthrough under-17 Inter-Counties cross-country win before a summer which included a ninth-place finish in the 3000m at the European Under-18 Championships in Gyor.

After being disappointed which his performance at the European Cross in Tilburg in December, Leonard bounced back to win the Northern title at Pontefract before storming to English National success in Leeds and then securing silver at the Inter-Counties and World Cross trials in Loughborough, despite almost losing a shoe.

At the global event in Denmark, Rory placed 37th in the under-20 men’s 8km – finishing as the fourth European athlete and second British runner.

“It was the hardest race of my life but easily the best,” he told AW in Aarhus. “That was so satisfying because I’ve been unlucky in GB vests twice now. The first time I didn’t run well, the second time I had shoe issues.”