With a 4-3 win on penalties over Tigres on Tuesday, the Columbus Crew advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It was a statement win over the Liga MX team for Columbus, whose Major League Soccer championship last season established it as one of the strongest teams in league history.
“Yes, we are champions, but the idea is: Is it possible to seek improvement, all the time?” Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy said after the win.
Nancy’s push for improvement in the Champions Cup is a tall order.
The continental competition, featuring teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, serves as a yardstick to measure the quality of club soccer in the region. All told, 60 champions have been crowned since the tournament’s debut in 1962.
With soccer in America well-established and on the rise, casual fans might think MLS teams are capable of dominating the tournament. The statistics prove otherwise – Mexican clubs are the clear winners. Of the 60 regional champions, 38 have come from Mexico’s Liga MX while three have hailed from the United States.
MLS has even struggled to place teams in the final. In the past 10 years, only three MLS clubs made it to the final round of the tournament, with just one – the Seattle Sounders in 2022 – winning the title.
MLS clubs have always struggled to perform during away games in Mexico in front of raucous home fans. The Crew’s extra-time penalty-kick victory over Tigres was MLS’ first away win in the knockout rounds since 2019.
