Jose Martinez to miss Concacaf Champions League semifinal second leg in LA

A player who introduced himself to MLS with a standout performance in Los Angeles three years ago won’t get a chance to play LAFC on Tuesday night in the second and decisive leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal.

Jose Martinez is recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up in the first leg last week and didn’t make the trip with the team. Union head coach Jim Curtin confirmed Monday that he won’t be available to play.

“It hurts but at the same time it’s 11 guys out there, it’s not just one guy,” Curtin said.

Curtin didn’t tip his cap about what he might do to cover for the holding midfielder whose defensive grit and bite has been critical in the Union’s clashes with LAFC over the past few seasons. The teams have played to draws in five of their six meetings, including a 3-3 draw that was decided by penalty kicks in the MLS Cup final last fall.

Options for Curtin would include inserting Leon Flach into the No. 6 roll, shifting formations to a three-man back line with Damion Lowe as the third center back, shifting to an old Union standby with a 4-2-3-1, etc.

“We have a lot of different things we can go to, a lot of flexibility we can have in our group because we have such a strong squad,” Curtin said. “We’ll put a team out there that can still execute within our principles and try and get a result against a strong opponent.”

The two teams are tied at 1-1 after the first leg. LAFC has a slight advantage with the away goal that would be wiped away if the Union are able to score at least once. If they score more than one goal they could advance to the final with another draw. Another 1-1 draw could lead to a similar scenario as the MLS Cup final at BMO Stadium back in November.

“To meet in the Champions League in the semifinal with an opportunity to go to another final for both teams is special,” Curtin said.