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One round down, four to go!
Aside from St. Louis CITY SC falling to the Houston Dynamo, every MLS team advanced from their Round of 32 ties, mostly in convincing fashion. As a result, half of the sixteen teams remaining in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup (CCC) are from the United States. Theoretically, that should give MLS a 50% chance of finding their second-ever champion of this continental competition, but the opposition is stiff.
Liga MX still boasts five participants, including their three major powerhouses of Club América, Tigres UNAL, and C.F. Monterrey. Despite last year’s champion, Club León, failing to qualify for the tournament in 2024, Liga MX will be expecting to maintain their superiority in this tournament.
Highlighted by a few of these mouthwatering MLS vs. Liga MX clashes, this year’s CCC Round of 16 could feature the best slate of matchups we’ve ever seen. As always, SBI has you covered with a preview of every tie involving an MLS team:
Philadelphia Union vs. Pachuca
The Philadelphia Union were the only MLS team to be given a genuine scare by a foreign opponent in the Round of 32 as they required extra time to find the winning goal against Deportivo Saprissa despite being down to 10 men. Nonetheless, the Union squeaked through into a Round of 16 date with Pachuca.
Although not considered a giant of Liga MX as some others we will discuss, Pachuca has won CCL five times and was the only Mexican side to receive a bye in the Round of 32 as champions of the 2022-23 Liga MX Apertura. They look just as good here in 2024 at the moment. Currently sitting level atop the Liga MX Clausura table on 22 points through 10 matches with wins over Cruz Azul and Club América, Pachuca has firepower. Former Premier League striker Solomon Rondon will lead the line for Los Tuzos supported by Oussama Idrissi who has been excellent since coming over from Europe. Despite playing in a double pivot Erick Sánchez will also look to…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/03/champions-cup-round-of-16-preview-columbus-crew-inter-miami-enter-competition
Author : Justin Ruderman
Publish date : 2024-03-05 12:23:23
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