The 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League group stage ended on Thursday, and we now know the eight teams that will be advancing to the quarterfinal round.
Three MLS teams – the Vancouver Whitecaps, New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas – have booked passage to the quarterfinals this tournament. Joining them are three Liga MX teams, Pachuca, Tigres UANL and Pumas UNAM, as well as two Central American teams, Saprissa (Costa Rica) and Arabe Unido (Panama).
One of the quarterfinals, the 1-8 match-up, will be an all-MLS affair, with Vancouver taking on the Red Bulls, while Dallas avoided Mexican opposition, although they will have to be wary of their opponent, Arabe Unido, who knocked out former CCL champions Monterrey in the group stage.
Based on final seeding for the quarterfinal round, here are the match-ups for the quarterfinal round, which is a two-legged home-and-away series that will take place in the spring:
CONCACAF Champions League 2016/17 Quarterfinals – First Leg (February 21-23)
(8) New York Red Bulls vs. (1) Vancouver Whitecaps FC
(7) FC Dallas vs. (2) Arabe Unido
(6) Deportivo Saprissa vs. (3) CF Pachuca
(5) Tigres UANL vs. (4) Pumas UNAM
CONCACAF Champions League 2016/17 Quarterfinals – Second Leg (February 28 – March 2)
(1) Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. (8) New York Red Bulls
(2) Arabe Unido vs. (7) FC Dallas
(3) CF Pachuca vs. (6) Deportivo Saprissa
(4) Pumas UNAM vs. (5) Tigres UANL
The provisional date range for the first legs of the semifinal round is March 14-16, 2017; the return legs will be played from April 4-6.
The winners of the Whitecaps vs. Red Bulls quarterfinal will face the winners of the Pumas vs. Tigres quarterfinal in the semis. The victors in the matchup between Arabe Unido and FC Dallas will face the winner of Pachuca vs. Saprissa in the other semifinal.
The home-and-away championship finals series between the two semifinal winners will take place during the last two weeks of April.
