Paid Their Dues: Orozco Hurt; Garfan in Playoffs

Porfirio Lopez and Alajuelense grated out a 1-0 win over Limón last Sunday, bringing the club to 50 points, seven more than the second-placed Herediano.

While David Myrie's Herediano has some ground to make up on the Alejuela club, they are doing all the right things. On Wednesday, they squeezed Limón 4-1. Limón is probably pretty bitter about having to face Costa Rica's two best teams in a four-day span.

Mexico's Apertura just wrapped up, and Puebla will certainly not be pleased with where they stand. At fifteenth, the central Mexican side failed to qualify for the Liguilla. Furthermore, they now have relegation on their minds, as they now look like one of the favorites to go down come summertime. To make things worse, Michael Orozco came down with a calf tear in their penultimate game. It is not known when he will return.

Gabriel Farfan's Chiapas drew Toluca 1-1 on Thursday, as they kicked off their Liguilla home-and-home. The return leg will be played in Toluca on Sunday. That being said, Gabe hasn't featured for the first team since September 23.

Back-up goalkeepers and 2010 teammates Brian Perk (Los Angeles) and Brad Knighton (New England) will head into the second leg of their respective conference finals with a one-goal advantage. While the Galaxy are traveling to Seattle, New England will host the Red Bulls in Foxboro. Chandler Hoffman, who was drafted by the Union in 2012, is also on the Galaxy roster.

Kai Herdling still hasn't made an appearance for eighth-placed Hoffenheim, despite being named to the matchday squad with regularity. Hoffenheim is currently on a three-game losing streak, so it is possible that Herdling will see some time this weekend just to shake things up.