Union’s backups earn scoreless tie at El Salvador’s Alianza in Champions League opener

A Union squad of mostly backups played to a scoreless tie at El Salvador’s Alianza in their Concacaf Champions League round of 16 opener on Tuesday. The game mostly was boring, but that’s probably just fine as far as the Union are concerned, as their home game in the series is next Tuesday at Subaru Park.

Union manager Jim Curtin said he’d rotate his starting lineup for this game, and he sure did. Just three of the 11 starters in Saturday’s loss at Inter Miami started this time, all on defense: goalkeeper Andre Blake (of course), left back Kai Wagner, and centerback Jack Elliott.

In came Chris Donovan and Quinn Sullivan for rare starts up front; Joaquín Torres, Jack McGlynn, Andrés Perea, and Jesús Bueno in midfield; and Damion Lowe and Nathan Harriel filled out the back line.

Donovan was a useful pest. He isn’t the most skilled, as his many missed chances showed, but he ran hard and frustrated Alianza’s defense. He even showed off some of the dark arts, making the most of hitting the deck in the 16th minute when Alianza goalkeeper Mario González came out of his 18-yard box and nearly forced a collision. Veteran Mexican referee César Arturo Ramos rightly didn’t buy it, but if you assume American players never dive, now you know.

It was scoreless at halftime, with Alianza having four shots (one on target) to the Union’s two (none on target). One of the most entertaining moments of the first period was the sight of a dog trotting through the half-filled stands of San Salvador’s famed Estadio Cuscatlán.

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The Union registered the first four shots of the second half, including a breakaway chance for Torres in the 53rd minute that he shot over with the goalkeeper charging at him. Torres had an even better chance in the 58th minute on a header off Perea’s setup cross that González dove full-stretch to save.

By the time the hour mark came up, the Union had accomplished enough of their mission that Curtin felt ready to send in the cavalry and go for the win. He made a triple-sub in the 63rd minute: Dániel Gazdag for Torres, Julián Carranza for Sullivan, and José Andrés Martínez for Bueno.

Their impact was mitigated four minutes later when a dog — perhaps the aforementioned one, though it wasn’t clear — ran on to the field and stopped play. He was promptly attended to and removed from the field by stadium security, but managed to attempt a bite of the ball first. The ball survived and was not replaced. (That might have been the most surprising thing of the whole sequence.)

» READ MORE: Joaquín Torres goes from foe to friend in move from Montreal to Union

Leon Flach entered for McGlynn in the 79th minute, Curtin’s first defense-for-offense substitution of the night. Naturally, two minutes later, Alianza mounted one of its better attacking threats of the night, but William Canales fumbled the ball away on the end line after a run down the right flank.

Alejandro Bedoya was the night’s last substitute, replacing Perea in the 88th to close the game out. He got right to work, springing Harriel on the right flank with a really nice pass that Harriel crossed low to force González to block.

Alianza’s last good chance was a 94th-minute free kick that veteran forward Rodolfo Zelaya — who had a tryout with the Union in 2015 — launched well over the crossbar.

The teams will meet again next Tuesday at Subaru Park (8 p.m., Fox Soccer Plus), with the Union needing simply to win to advance.