An own goal and a Daniel Royer tally gave the New York Red Bulls a 2-0 win over Atletico Pantoja in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League opening-round series on Wednesday at Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
The Red Bulls went on top in the 39th minute when a Bradley Wright-Phillips side volley was saved by Pantoja goalie Odalis Baez, only to see the ball ricochet back off Jean Innocent into the net.
A cross from Kaku set up Royer for a close-in finish in the 67th minute, ensuring New York of a safe heading to the second leg at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Feb. 27.
In other first-round CONCACAF Champions League action on Wednesday, a hat trick from Javier Correa led Mexico's Santos Laguna to a 6-2 rout of Club Deportivo Marathon in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
In the evening's final match, Mexico's CF Monterrey played a scoreless draw against Alianza FC at San Salvador, El Salvador.