MLS performance in the CONCACAF Champions League
Major League Soccer teams have participated in the CONCACAF Champions League each season since the tournament began its current format in 2008–09. Previously, MLS teams played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. MLS may send up to five teams to the CONCACAF Champions League each season — up to four from the United States, and up to one from Canada.
The first MLS team to finish first in its group was Real Salt Lake in 2010.[1] The best performance by an MLS team to date occurred in 2011, when Real Salt Lake reached the finals, before losing to Mexico's Monterrey 3–2 on aggregate.[2]
Performance by year
The following table shows the number of MLS participants in the Champions League each season, as well as the number of MLS teams that have reached various stages in the knockout rounds. MLS teams performed poorly during the first two years, as fixture congestion from the Superliga tournament as well as CONCACAF Champions League preliminary rounds meant that MLS teams often fielded teams without their first choice players.
| Tournament | Participants | Quarter- finalists | Semi- finalists | Finalists | Champions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2011–12 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| 2012–13 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 2013–14 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2015–16 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||
Notes:
- MLS sent only four teams to the Champions League in 2008–09 because the Canadian team, the Montreal Impact, played in the minor-league United Soccer Leagues at the time.
Performance in knockout rounds
The following table shows the performance of MLS teams in the knockout rounds for each home-and-away series for opponents from various leagues. During the first few seasons of the Champions League, MLS teams have not yet played any foreign teams in knockout stage other than Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.
In knockout rounds of the Champions League, MLS teams have played Mexican teams more than any other country, in some years facing multiple matchups.[3] Seattle's 2013 quarterfinal win over Mexico's Tigres was the first time since the Champions League format began in 2008–09 that an MLS team eliminated a Mexican team in the knockout rounds.[4] Montreal repeated the feat in 2015 when they beat Mexico's Pachuca in the quarterfinals.[5]
| Tournament |  Mexico |  Costa Rica |  Panama |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 0–1 | — | — |
| 2009–10 | 0–1 | — | — |
| 2010–11 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — |
| 2011–12 | 0–2 | — | — |
| 2012–13 | 1–3 | 1–0 | — |
| 2013–14 | 0–3 | — | — |
| 2014–15 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
| 2015–16 | 0–4 | — | — |
| 2016–17 | 0-2 | — | 1–0 |
| Totals | 2–18 (10%) | 3–1 (75%) | 1–0 (100%) |
Performance by team
Champions' Cup era
MLS teams joined the Champions' Cup in its 1997 edition, and a total of nine teams earned berths before it was ceased in 2008.
D.C. United (1998) and LA Galaxy (2000) are the only Champions' Cup winners from the United States, and remain the only MLS teams to have won a CONCACAF championship.
| Team | App | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | 3 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 3rd place |
| Colorado Rapids | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | preliminary round |
| Columbus Crew | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | quarterfinals |
| D.C. United | 8 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 44 | 30 | winner |
| Houston Dynamo | 2 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 10 | semifinals |
| Kansas City Wizards | 2 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | semifinals |
| LA Galaxy | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 21 | winner |
| New England Revolution | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | quarterfinals |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 3 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 12 | quarterfinals |
| TOTAL | 84 | 39 | 16 | 29 | 124 | 116 | winner (2) | |
Champions League era
17 MLS teams have appeared in the CONCACAF Champions League since the inaugural 2008–09 season.
Real Salt Lake in 2010–11 and Montreal Impact in 2014-15 are the only teams that played in the competition's finals, but both failed to win continental title.
Canadian teams in MLS – Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps – qualify to the Champions League via separate competition, the Canadian Championship, and they represent Canadian Soccer Association. Only time MLS standings were used for Canadian teams qualification was 2014 season to determine 2015–16 Champions League representative as Canadian Championship format was changed that season.
Starting in 2018 group stage has been removed so MLS teams will start in the Round of 16 (first round).
As of 2016–17 completion
| Team | App | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chivas USA* | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | preliminary round |
| Colorado Rapids | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | group stage |
| Columbus Crew | 2 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 22 | -2 | quarterfinals |
| FC Dallas | 2 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 22 | +2 | semifinals |
| D.C. United | 4 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 38 | 36 | +2 | quarterfinals |
| Houston Dynamo | 4 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 30 | +3 | quarterfinals |
| LA Galaxy | 5 | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 52 | 36 | +16 | semifinals |
| Montreal Impactǂ | 2 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 17 | +5 | finals |
| New England Revolution | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -5 | preliminary round |
| New York Red Bulls | 3 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | quarterfinals |
| Portland Timbers | 2 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 13 | +9 | group stage |
| Real Salt Lake | 3 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 22 | +12 | finals |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | quarterfinals |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 4 | 32 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 48 | 45 | +3 | semifinals |
| Sporting Kansas City | 3 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 18 | +2 | quarterfinals |
| Toronto FCǂ | 4 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 35 | 34 | +1 | semifinals |
| Vancouver Whitecaps FCǂ | 2 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 12 | +4 | semifinals |
| TOTAL | 258 | 115 | 66 | 87 | 393 | 342 | +51 | finals (2) | |
ǂ – teams representing Canada
* – team folded
App – CCL appearances
GP – games played
W, D, L – win, draw, loss
GF, GA – goals for, goals against
teams in italic qualified for the 2018 tournament
Records
Biggest win: 6 goals margin
Portland Timbers - Alpha United 
6-0 (2014-15 Group stage)
Biggest defeat: 5 goals margin
Santos Laguna - Seattle Sounders 6-1 (2011-12 Quarterfinals, first leg)
Other continental competitions
MLS teams have participated in other continental competitions.
Copa Sudamericana
- 2005 — D.C. United played in the Round of 16, where they lost 3–4 in aggregate over two legs (1–1, 2–3) to Chile's Universidad Católica.
- 2007 — D.C. United played in the Round of 16, where they lost 2–2 on aggregate on away goals (2–1, 0–1) to Mexico's Guadalajara.
References
- ↑ "The Throw-In: Real Salt Lake's Champions League run? For MLS' sake, forget it ever happened", MLS Soccer, March 20, 2014.
- ↑ "The Throw-In: Real Salt Lake's Champions League run? For MLS' sake, forget it ever happened", MLS Soccer, March 20, 2014.
- ↑ "It’s MLS vs. Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals", Washington Post, Steven Goff, October 22, 2015.
- ↑ "CCL Match Recap: Seattle Sounders 3, Tigres UANL 1", MLS Soccer, March 13, 2013.
- ↑ "Montreal's epic moment caps CONCACAF Champions League QFs", ESPN FC, Arch Bell, March 6, 2015.
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