HARRISON, N.J. — Santos Laguna left Red Bull Arena on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg. But that’s not all they left with. Over the course of a hectic 48 hours leading up to the match, the Liga MX side also had what could be defining experience; one where the team showed incredible resolve in the face of pressing circumstance. It’s the type of backbone and mentality that could well carry them far in this tournament.



The difficulties started following Santos Laguna’s 3-0 league loss at Leon on Saturday night. The club was set to depart Guadalajara for New York’s JFK airport on Sunday afternoon, but significant snowfall in the northeastern United States delayed their flight on Mexican airline Volaris.



Then, after arriving at the airport for their delayed departure, the team was notified that their flight was cancelled altogether. They headed back to their hotel, where they spent the...