Nostalgia will be in the air Thursday night at TQL Stadium, as FC Cincinnati host CF Monterrey and Brandon Vazquez for Leg 1 of their Round of 16 series in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Watch
- English: FS2
- Spanish: ViX
When
- Thursday, March 7 | 7 pm ET/4 pm PT
Where
- TQL Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Leg 2 is set for March 14 at Estadio BBVA, deciding which team books a quarterfinal date with the winner of the Inter Miami CF vs. Nashville SC series. The quarterfinals will be played in early April.
What's at stake come the tournament's June 2 final? The winner qualifies for both the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, plus gets regional bragging rights and prize money.
- Round One: 6-0 aggregate vs. Cavalier (Jamaica)
FC Cincinnati transferred Vazquez to Monterrey in early January, reportedly getting a $7.5 million transfer fee (with add-ons and sell-on %) for the US men’s national team striker.
Fast forward two months and Vazquez is one of five starters who departed from their 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield-winning team. But club brass has reinforced Pat Noonan’s squad, acquiring center back Miles Robinson, wingbacks DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano, midfielder Pavel Bucha, and forward Corey Baird.
Those new faces, combined with holdovers like reigning MVP Luciano Acosta, firmly leave FC Cincinnati among the MLS favorites in 2024. We’ll see, though, if everyone gels fast enough to make the club’s Concacaf Champions Cup maiden voyage a memorable one.
- Round One: 7-1 aggregate vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
Monterrey are one of North America's premier teams, winning the Concacaf Champions Cup five times (most recently in 2021). They’re also atop the Liga MX Clausura table with a 6W-0L-4D record.
That all creates expectations for Vazquez, who has met the moment with six goals in 10 matches across all competitions. That includes one CCC goal, a second-leg strike vs. Guatemalan side Comunicaciones.
Another MLS-centric storyline to track at Monterrey: Argentine striker Germán Berterame is linked with a big-money move to the Portland Timbers. He'd be a Designated Player, reportedly challenging the league's inbound transfer fee record.
