Another anticipated staple of the MLS offseason, especially for fans of teams that qualified, is the 2022 Concacaf Champions League draw, which takes place tonight (6 pm ET) in Miami.
It’s a chance to project and look at potential future matchups, including possible MLS-Liga MX showdowns.
Let's take a look at what to know and how to watch the Concacaf Champions League draw.
Five MLS teams are in the 16-team field, each qualifying via a different method.
- NYCFC: MLS Cup 2021 champion (2nd appearance)
- New England Revolution: Supporters' Shield champion (2nd appearance)
- Colorado Rapids: Western Conference top seed (3rd appearance)
- Seattle Sounders FC: Next-best MLS regular-season record (7th appearance)
- CF Montréal: 2021 Canadian Championship winner (5th appearance)
- Dec. 15, 6 pm ET
- FS2, TUDN in US
- OneSoccer in Canada
The official draw will be executed using a double-blind system and four pots. Pots 1 and 2 will contain spheres with names of the 16 participating clubs, and Pots A and B will contain spheres with bracket positions for the Round of 16.
Based on the 2022 SCCL Ranking (more information is available here), clubs will be distributed in Pots 1 and 2 as follows (in alphabetical order):
Pot 1 (clubs ranked 1-8)
- CF Montréal (CAN)
- Club Leon (MEX)
- Colorado Rapids (USA)
- Cruz Azul (MEX)
- New England Revolution (USA)
- New York City FC (USA)
- Pumas UNAM (MEX)
- Seattle Sounders FC (USA)
Pot 2 (clubs ranked 9-16)
- Cavaly AS (HAI)
- CD Guastatoya (GUA)
- Club Santos Laguna (MEX)
- Comunicaciones FC (GUA)
- Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
- FC Motagua (HON)
- Hamilton Forge FC (CAN)
- Santos de Guapiles (CRC)
After the draw, each Round of 16 matchup will feature one club from each pot and no more than one club from each country (per competition regulations, clubs from the same country cannot face each other in the Round of 16). That means CF Montréal cannot meet Hamilton Forge FC.
The obvious answer here is Santos Laguna, the lone Liga MX side in Pot 2. A year ago that team was Club Leon, with Toronto FC drawing them in the Round of 16. Toronto emerged victorious, 3-2, on aggregate.
An argument can also be made for Saprissa, who have traditionally been difficult to beat at home, though the Philadelphia Union pulled out a 1-0 win in Costa Rica last year before a comfortable home victory in Leg Two during their run to the semifinals.
Comunicaciones will enter the competition confident off their Concacaf League title lift, defeating Motagua 6-3 on aggregate in the finals. The Guatemalan powerhouse is making their seventh CCL appearance, reaching the quarterfinals in 2009-10 before a tight 3-2 defeat by eventual champion Pachuca in the quarterfinals.
