Four of the United States' and Canada's five CONCACAF Champions League slots for the 2017-18 tournament are now spoken for.
The New York Red Bulls became the latest team to clinch their spot in the CCL, as they clinched the Eastern Conference regular season title on Sunday with a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania.
That means the Red Bulls, who are still alive in the 2016-17 CCL after winning their group and qualifying for the quarterfinals, which will take place in February and March, have earned spots in two successive CCL tournaments.
In that regard, they join fellow 2016-17 quarterfinalists FC Dallas, who already qualified for the 2017-18 tournament after winning the 2016 US Open Cup. The Colorado Rapids have also clinched a 2017-18 CCL berth, by virtue of finishing second to Dallas in the 2016 Supporters' Shield, and Toronto FC are also in the 2017-18 competition after winning the 2016 Amway Canadian Championship.
That leaves one CCL slot up for grabs. At this point, it will go to the MLS Cup winner. If any of the four teams that has already qualified, or the Montreal Impact, win MLS Cup, New York City FC would get the final slot as the highest team in the Supporters' Shield standings that has not already earned a CCL berth. Montreal are not eligible for a CCL slot if they win MLS Cup because Canadian teams can only qualify through the Canadian Championship.
