Major League Soccer's five representatives in the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League learned their fates tonight in a draw that will see one all-MLS matchup in the Round of 16, with three other MLS teams facing Central American opposition.
Toronto FC, fresh off a historic treble that saw them clinch all three domestic trophies on offer in 2017, will begin their quest to become the first MLS team to win the CCL by facing the Colorado Rapids.
FC Dallas, who qualified as the 2016 Supporters' Shield winners, were drawn against Panamanian side Tauro FC. It will be the second consecutive year that FCD have faced a team from Panama in the CCL knockout rounds, following their 5-2 aggregate victory over Árabe Unido in the 2016-17 quarterfinals.
The Seattle Sounders, returning to the CCL as 2016 MLS Cup winners after a year-long hiatus, will face Salvadoran outfit Santa Tecla, who qualified by winning back-to-back championships in their countries 2016-17 team.
Finally, the New York Red Bulls will face a difficult match-up against Honduran outfit CD Olimpia, winners of the inaugural CONCACAF League and a team that has given MLS squads plenty of trouble in the past. Though they did not face MLS opposition last time out, Olimpia memorably knocked the Portland Timbers out of the 2014-15 tournament and pushed Sporting Kansas City to the brink in the previous year's group stage.
MLS teams avoided the unenviable task of facing one of the two Costa Rican sides in the Round of 16, with Tico qualifiers Saprissa and Herediano both drawing Liga MX opposition in the form of Club América and Tigres UANL, respectively. Elsewhere in the draw, the first Dominican team to qualify for the CCL – 2017 Caribbean champions Cibao FC – were handed the mammoth task of a two-legged series against Chivas de Guadalajara, one of Mexico's most storied clubs. Check out the full bracket:
Courtesy of CONCACAF
This is the first year that the CCL will feature a 16-team knockout tournament, which comes along with a change in the schedule that will see the entirety of the competition in a single calendar year. The winner of the 2018 CCL will represent CONCACAF in the 2018 Club World Cup, which is set to take place in December in the United Arab Emirates.
2018 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 matchups:
- CD Guadalajara (MEX) vs. Cibao FC (DOM)
- Seattle Sounders vs. Santa Tecla (SLV)
- New York Red Bulls vs. CD Olimpia (HON)
- Club Tijuana (MEX) vs. FC Motagua (HON)
- Tigres UANL (MEX) vs. Herediano (CRC)
- Toronto FC vs. Colorado Rapids
- FC Dallas vs. Tauro FC
- Club América (MEX) vs. Saprissa (CRC)
Match dates to be announced.
