The 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup has completed the Round of 16, and 8 teams live on to compete for the title of Concacaf’s best club team. For Major League Soccer teams, that title seems like an unattainable operation, as the competition has not been kind to the league.
Concacaf Champions Cup is not going well for MLS
It’s been a struggle for the league to compete so far.
Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images
With the reformatting of the Concacaf Champions League to an expanded Concacaf Champions Cup, 10 MLS teams earned slots to the competition: Philadelphia Union, Orlando City, Nashville SC, FC Cincinanti, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo, Vancouver Whitecaps, and St. Louis City entering in Round One. Columbus Crew (MLS Cup champions) and Inter Miami (Leagues Cup champions) earned a bye to the Round of 16.
As the Round of 16 was completed last night, one thing is for certain: MLS teams have not shown well. Only Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, and the New England Revolution have advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. In the case of Miami and Columbus, they both had the bye to the Round of 16 and both advanced by beating fellow MLS teams. Only New England advanced by entering in Round One and defeating a team outside of Major League Soccer (they advanced by beating Alajuelense).
The struggles in Concacaf Champions Cup for MLS teams have mainly come on the road, including some incredible blowouts at the hands of Liga MX teams. Three MLS teams faced Liga MX teams in the Round of 16. In each matchup, the MLS team lost. That can’t help the league as they latch on to more competitions with Liga MX via Leagues Cup as well as the 2024 All-Star Game, which will see MLS All-Stars compete once again against Liga MX All-Stars.
It means added pressure for the MLS teams left in the competition, as they seek to not only win the Champions Cup but also qualify for next year’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States. Will it mean some maneuvering of match schedules by the league in order to give them plenty of time to rest in an effort to go for it? None of the remaining teams will be competing in the U.S. Open Cup, which could open up some makeup dates. However, the remaining teams will have to figure out how to play better on the road.
Major League Soccer will hope that the remaining teams in the Concacaf Champions Cup can respond and show that the league has teams that are the best in the region. But again, they will have some true litmus tests. The remaining 3 MLS teams each will face a Liga MX team in the quarterfinals. Inter Miami will take on Monterrey, the Revolution will face Club América, while Columbus will go up against Tigres. These matchups will be important, as the chance to almost completely shut out Liga MX from the semifinals could be a big boost for Major League Soccer despite its early struggles in the competition. However, if the struggles continue, it will leave fans wondering if the league is focused on the right competition.
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