The first round is complete and now the fun begins.
Eight Major League Soccer teams will compete in the Round of 16 in the rebranded Concacaf Champions Cup beginning this week and Mexico’s greatest rivalry will also be played out when Chivas Guadalajara and Club America do battle.
Let’s take a look at the six two-leg series featuring MLS teams.
Philadelphia Union vs. Pachuca
1st Leg: March 5 | Subaru Park
2nd Leg: March 13 | Estadio Hidalgo
The Union booked their Round of 16 ticket by edging Costa Rican squad Saprissa, with a Julian Carranza hat trick powering the way to a 3-2 road victory before a wild 3-3 home draw gave Philadelphia the slighted 6-5 win on aggregate.
Pachuca is one of five teams to receive a first-round bye and currently sit second in the Liga MX table, tied on points with first-place Cruz Azul. Los Tuzos have won five Concacaf Champions Cup titles, most recently in 2016-17.
“Pachuca has a very strong fan base, it's going to be a difficult task to, over the two legs, beat them,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said after his rotated side earned a 1-1 draw at Sporting Kansas City Saturday. “But at the same time, we know we have a great home field advantage, we have to take our chances on Tuesday night, I think we've set ourselves up to be as fresh as possible.”
The winner faces either Herediano, which upset Mexican squad Toluca in the first round, or Suriname side Robinhood.
New England Revolution vs. Alajuelense
1st Leg: March 6 | Gillette Stadium
2nd Leg: March 14 | Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
The New England Revolution are the only MLS team to not face either an MLS side or a Liga MX squad in the Round of 16. But this is far from a layup for the Revs with Alajuelense one of Costa Rica’s best squads. The Lions were Concacaf Champions Cup semifinalists in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and were ousted in the Round of 16 in 2021 and 2023.
There’s also an injury issue element for New England, with playmaking star Carles Gil questionable with an Achilles injury. The Revs rolled against Independiente in the opening round, with Tomas Chancalay scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory in Panama before Nacho Gil, Chancalay and Mark-Anthony Kane struck in the home leg.
Alajuelense, second in the Costa Rican league, also earned a bye into the Round of 16.
The winner takes on either Chivas Guadalajara or Club America in the quarterfinals.
Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew
1st Leg: March 6 | Shell Energy Stadium
2nd Leg: March 12 | Lower.com Field
This is the first of two all-MLS matchups in the Round of 16, pitting the defending U.S. Open Cup winner (Houston Dynamo) against the MLS Cup champions (Columbus Crew).
Houston, which host the first leg, are dealing with injuries to stars Hector Herrera (knee) and Sebastian Ferreira (hamstring). Despite that, they rallied to knock off St. Louis CITY SC in the first round.
The Dynamo lost the opening leg, 2-1, on the road, but the 72nd-minute goal by Sebastian Kowalczyk proved decisive after the Dynamo won 1-0 at home in the second leg on a 60th-minute goal by Erik Sviatchenko.
With the aggregate series tied 2-2, it was Kowalczyk’s away goal that booked Houston’s passage into the second round.
Columbus, another of the five teams to earn a first-round bye, is considered one of the favorites in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup. The Crew are led by Cucho Hernandez, who struck for his second goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United Saturday.
Orlando City SC vs. Tigres UANL
1st Leg: March 5 | Inter&Co Stadium
2nd Leg: March 12 | Estadio Universitario
Orlando City SC will look to put a 5-0 thrashing by rival Inter Miami on Saturday behind them when they face one of the region’s most formidable opponents in Tigres UANL, the 2020 Concacaf Champions Cup winners.
This is a rematch of last year’s Round of 16 clash, which saw the teams play to a 1-1 draw on aggregate with Sebastian Cordova’s away goal the difference.
Orlando, which finished second in the Supporters’ Shield race, clinched their spot in the Round of 16 with a comfortable 6-1 aggregate win over Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC. After Duncan McGuire opened the scoring, Facundo Torres struck for a brace in a 3-0 road win.
Nico Lodeiro, Ramiro Enrique and Kyle Smith scored in the home leg, a 3-1 victory.
Tigres, which are sixth in the Liga MX Apertura table, four points behind leaders Cruz Azul, are looking to knock off a second straight MLS side after dispatching the Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 in the first round.
The Whitecaps were two minutes from a huge win in the opening leg, but Andre-Pierre Gignac leveled in the 88th minute, canceling out Damir Kreilach’s first-half goal.
In the return leg in Mexico, Tigres struck three times in the second half to cruise into the Round of 16.
The winner takes on either Houston or Columbus in the quarterfinals.
FC Cincinnati vs. Monterrey
1st Leg: March 7 | TQL Stadium
2nd Leg: March 14 | Estadio BBVA
The third MLS-Liga MX meeting of the Round of 16 should be a thriller with FC Cincinnati making their first appearance in the competition after winning the Supporters’ Shield last year and Monterrey winning their fifth Concacaf Champions Cup title in 2021.
The added element is FC Cincinnati facing former striker Brandon Vazquez, who was transferred to Monterrey in January for a reported $7.5 million fee that contains $1 million in add-ons, and a sell-on clause.
Vazquez had 26 goals and 12 assists in the last two seasons with FC Cincinnati and is off to a hot start with his new club, with four goals in his first seven Liga MX appearances. The US men’s national team forward also scored the final goal in a 7-1 aggregate win for Rayados against Comunicaciones from Guatemala in the opening leg.
FC Cincinnati also made short work of their first-round opponent, advancing 6-0 on aggregate against Jamaican side Cavalier.
Sergio Santos and Malik Pinto scored second-half goals in a 2-0 win in Kingston, while Jamaican international Alvas Powell, Aaron Boupendza, Isaiah Foster and Gerardo Valenzuela struck in the home leg.
Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami CF
1st Leg: March 7 | GEODIS Park
2nd Leg: March 13 | Chase Stadium
It’s a rematch of last year’s Leagues Cup final, which saw Inter Miami CF claim the crown via a penalty kick shootout over Nashville SC.
Nashville also easily defeated a minnow in the first round, knocking off Dominican Republic squad Moca, 7-0, on aggregate. Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge scored in the opening leg win, but have been out due to injury since.
Inter Miami, which had a first-round bye, will be making their Concacaf Champions Cup debut. The Herons are coming off a 5-0 victory over Orlando City SC with stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scoring two goals apiece in the blowout win.
The winner meets either FC Cincinnati or Monterrey in the quarterfinals.
