There's an MLS team in all four quarterfinal matchups of the 2020 Concacaf Champions League.
Four of five MLS teams survived their Round of 16 ties and continue in their quest to end MLS's drought in the Concacaf Champions League once and for all.
The quarterfinals will be played over two legs in the span of a week (March 10-12 & March 17-19). The semifinals (April 7-9 & April 14-16) and final (April 28-30 & May 5-7) will also unfold over two legs.
LAFC vs. Cruz Azul
How preoccupied must Cruz Azul be after watching the way LAFC dismantled Club Leon at Banc of California Stadium in the Round of 16?
LAFC's epic comeback after losing 2-0 on the road in the first leg will go down as one of the greatest moments for any MLS club in Champions League history. And the 2019 Supporters' Shield winners have ample reason to believe they can keep their run going against the six-time Concacaf champions, who last won this tournament in 2014.
Cruz Azul, winners of the inaugural Leagues Cup last year, currently sit fourth in the Liga MX Clausura table. Then again, Leon were second when LAFC dealt them one of their worst losses of the season.
Atlanta United vs. Club America
It was inevitable that these two teams – two of the best in the entire Concacaf region – would meet again after a memorable Campeones Cup showdown in 2019 when the MLS club hoisted the trophy after a 3-2 win.
Club America, the current Liga MX leaders, have more continental titles than any club in the history of the competition. They last won the Champions League in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016. But they nearly suffered an embarrassing exit in the Round of 16 when they needed penalty kicks to advance past Guatemalan side Comunicaciones. Meanwhile, Atlanta United eased past Motagua 4-1 on aggregate.
Atlanta already have experience against a Mexican side in the quarterfinals, when they faced Monterrey in their first Champions League participation last year. Los Rayados advanced 3-1 on aggregate, despite suffering a 1-0 loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the second leg.
NYCFC vs. Tigres UANL
It's not been a bad start to NYCFC's maiden Champions League campaign.
Coming off their club-best 2019 MLS regular season, the Cityzens haven't skipped a beat thus far despite introducing a new coach in Ronny Deila. Their quality was on display against San Carlos in the Round of 16, but they will meet another level of opponent in Tigres.
The Monterrey-based team has been a force in Liga MX over recent years, and they've advanced to the Champions League final in 2016, 2017 and 2019. However, they've fallen short all three times. And they were lucky this year not to be bounced in the Round of 16 against Salvadoran side Alianza, needing a stoppage-time goal by goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman to book their meeting against NYCFC.
MLS clubs have a growing list of memorable encounters with Tigres. Given their playing style, the NYCFC matchup promises to be among the more entertaining of the head-to-heads.
Montreal Impact vs. Olimpia
This shapes up to be the most favorable matchup for an MLS side in the quarterfinals on paper, but the Impact won't be overlooking the Hondurans after Olimpia knocked off defending MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders in the Round of 16.
Another reason Montreal won't take their opposition lightly: The Impact also showed they have plenty of room for improvement after their Round of 16 series against Costa Rican side Saprissa. New head coach Thierry Henry was focused on the result and deployed a cautious approach to advance after both legs.
Given it's still early days for Henry's squad, it may once again prove a winning strategy should he opt to employ it against the latest Central American foe.
