Group B Preview: Tigres go hunting for more international glory | CCL

This is the Group B preview as the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League gets underway on Aug. 4-6. For comprehensive CONCACAF Champions League coverage, bookmark this page.

Tigres UANL | HOW QUALIFIED: 2014 Apertura runners-up | PREVIOUS BEST: Quarterfinals (Most recent: 2012-13)

Herediano | HOW QUALIFIED: 2014 Costa Rican Verano champions | PREVIOUS BEST: Semifinals (Most recent: 2014-15)

Isidro Metapan | HOW QUALIFIED: 2014 Salvadoran Apertura champions | PREVIOUS BEST: Quarterfinals (Most recent: 2014-15)

As with several other CCL groups, the Mexican entry looks like the odds-on favorite to cruise to the top spot here, as Tigres seek to extend their strong form in Liga MX and Copa Libertadores play to the CONCACAF arena. The best regular-season side in the 2015 Clausura, the talent-packed Nuevo Leon side flamed out spectacularly in the Liguilla (playoffs) with a first-round upset loss to Santos Laguna and will be eager to show better in the Champions League. But they'll have scant margin for error against their CCL-savvy opponents from Costa Rica and El Salvador, the former of whom reached the knockout rounds last year.

SCHEDULE

STAR POWER

Andre-Pierre Gignac, Tigres:MLS clubs aren't the only ones turning heads with big-name European signings this year, as Tigres lured one of France's top strikers across the Atlantic in the current transfer window to bolster an already-potent attack. He'll experience a whole new set of environments on the upcoming trips to Central America, however.

Ikechukwu Uche, Tigres:As if Gignac's capture in June wasn't enough of a statement of intent, manager Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti was provided with even more fresh ammunition when Uche, a Nigerian international with La Liga pedigree, was signed later in the month. Tigres are built to compete on multiple fronts and neither Isidro Metapan nor Herediano can match their resources – on paper, at least.

Elías Aguilar, Herediano – One of Costa Rica's fast-rising young talents, the defender has reportedly been on the radar of several Spanish clubs and could turn more heads with some solid work in CCL.

X-FACTOR

Tigres may find just as much of a challenge in the venues of their opponents as their adversaries themselves. Both Herediano and Isidro Metapan play in compact stadiums with synthetic turf, which should ensure a hostile reception and a rapid in-game learning curve for the favorites. And if past precedent is any guide, the Mexican club might well be greeted by other cunning forms of gamesmanship on their travels. CONCACAF's unique atmospherics have an uncanny way of injecting randomness into what otherwise appear to be one-sided matchups.

MLS/US CONNECTIONS

US fans will recognize Tigres midfielder and onetime USMNT standout Jose Torres, while US youth international Juan Pablo Ocegueda is presently out on loan at Oaxaca…Isidro Metapan striker David Lopez was born in El Paso, Texas and rose from the PDL's El Paso Patriots to professional opportunities in Mexico and now El Salvador...Herediano's well-traveled Panamanian defensive midfielder Gabriel Gomez spent the 2012 season with the Philadelphia Union, and they also have Canadian international Keven Aleman on the books, though he's been on loan at Belen of late...Tigres' midfield terrier Egidio Arevalo Rios, a veteran Uruguayan international, showed well in a 2013 loan stint with the Chicago Fire but was deemed too pricey to be signed on a permanent basis...Tigres recently sent former US youth international Omar Salgado, who was selected by Vancouver with the first overall selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, out on loan to NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies.