The Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) Round of 16 has come and gone, and just eight teams remain. New York City FC and Seattle Sounders cruised through their two legs, Santos Laguna fell to CF Montréal, Haitian side Cavaly AS withdrew due to travel issues, and 3-time champs Saprissa were knocked out by Pumas. Here is a quick rundown of what you may have missed:
New York City FC v. Santos de Guapiles
(NYFC, 6 – 0 on agg.)
NYCFC started their 2022 campaign in style by traveling to Costa Rica on February 15 in the Round of 16 1st Leg.
The game ended 2-0 to the American Champions with Valentin Castellanos scoring both by halftime as he started the match, despite the talks of a move abroad.
Santos was still attempting to engineer a comeback by the 2nd Leg on February 23, but they were unable to test Sean Johnson that night. The Pigeons were able to score with venom as they put 4 past Santos.
NYCFC is set to face CD Comunicaciones on March 8 on the first leg and March 15 for the second leg of the Quarterfinals.
CD Comunicaciones v. Colorado Rapids
(1 – 1 on agg., CDC. win 4 -3 on penalties)
Major League Soccer’s number one seeded Western team, Colorado Rapids, had a season to remember in 2021, earning qualification for the CCL against CD Comunicaciones from Guatemala.
Playing the first leg in Guatemala, it took 89 minutes for defender Karel Espino to fire a rocket from 35 yards into the top corner for Comunicaciones to pick up the 1-0 win.
The Rapids fared a bit better when they equalized 1-0 on aggregate at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. The game went all the way to penalties as snow filled the pitch and Colorado just couldn’t get past goalkeeper Kevin Moscado as he saved 3 penalties for Comunicaciones to win 4-3 in the shootout.
CD Comunicaciones will play against NYCFC on March 8 for the first leg and March 15 for the second leg of the Quarterfinals.
Seattle Sounders v. Motagua
(Seattle, 5 – 0 on agg.)
Seattle traveled to Honduras on February 17 to face Motagua where the game ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw in the first leg.
With Motagua seemingly with the advantage as away goals would send them through to the quarterfinals, they capitulated in the second leg in Washington a week later and conceded 5-0 to the Sounders.
Seattle will face Club Leon in Washington on March 8, with the Quarterfinal second leg in Mexico on March 15.
Club Leon v. Guastatoya
(Club Leon, 3 – 0 on agg.)
Club Leon was dominant across both their Round of 16 legs against Guatemalan side Guastatoya, scoring 2 goals in the first leg away from home.
At home, fans were treated to an early goal by Leon star Elias Hernández as they won 1-0, 3-0 on aggregate.
Club Leon will play their quarterfinal first and second leg against Seattle on March 8 and 15 respectively.
Pumas v. Saprissa
(Pumas, 6 – 3 on agg.)
UNAM Pumas versus Deportivo Saprissa was always gonna be a heated encounter considering both teams are 3-time winners with Saprissa winning their 3rd against Pumas in the 2005 CCL Final.
The first leg saw home team Saprissa draw to Pumas 2-2 in an up & down match in Costa Rica.
It was the Costa Rican who left the second leg at the Olímpico Universitario in Mexico in tears as Pumas won 4-1. The Mexican club are seeking its first CCL since 1989.
Pumas will travel to Massachusetts to play the New England Revolution on March 8 for the first leg, March 15 for the second leg at the Olímpico Universitario.
CF Montréal v. Santos Laguna
(CF Montréal, 3 – 1 on agg.)
CF Montréal, formally Montreal Impact, finished 10th in MLS but won the Canadian Championship to face Mexican side, Santos Laguna, in the CCL, where they lost 1-0 in Corona, Mexico.
The Canadians flipped the script by sending 3 past Santos in a raucous home game with 4 yellow cards given to Montréal.
CF Montréal is facing 6-time CCL champions Cruz Azul on March 8 at the Estadio Azteca in México in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Azul will play in Canada on March 15 for the second leg.
Cruz Azul v. Forge FC
(Cruz Azul, 4 – 1 on agg.)
Despite Forge FC being 2-time Canadian Premier League champions, they had a mountain to climb against Club Azul, the second-most successful CCL team in history.
Azul got a 1-0 win in Hamilton, Ontario in the first leg before finishing off Forge at the Estadio Azteca 3-1 for Azul to progress to the CCL quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.
Cruz Azul will play against CF Montréal on March 8 in Mexico for the first leg and March 15 for the second leg in Canada.
New England Revolution v. AS Cavaly
(AS Cavaly have withdrawn, New England automatically qualify)
AS Cavaly were unable to secure visas for their matches against the New England Revolution and thus have withdrawn from their tournament. The Revolution now automatically qualifies for the quarterfinals against UNAM Pumas on March 8 and 15.
 Round of 16 has come and gone, and just eight teams remain. New York City FC and Seattle Sounders cruised through their two legs, Santos Laguna fell to CF Montréal, Haitian side Cavaly AS withdrew due to travel issues, and 3-time champs Saprissa were knocked out by Pumas. Here is a quick rundown of what you may have missed:){kind=link}