Only two more matches to close out the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, featuring teams from three different countries. Here they are.
All games will be broadcast live in the U.S. on FS2.
FC Cincinnati vs. Tigres UANL
Kickoff: 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
These two teams met in the first round of last year’s Champions Cup, which Tigres won 4-2 on aggregate. FC Cincinnati will hopefully have learned from that experience that playing this side down in Mexico is a tough proposition. Sitting on a lead is essential to give your team the breathing room they need.
FC Cincinnati won their home opener 2-0, but their opponent was Atlanta United (who appear to be continuing their 2025 abysmal form). They also decimated O&M Fútbol Club from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with a 13-0 aggregate scoreline, but that club was the weakest in the Champions Cup based on Concacaf club ranking. Their subsequent two league games were 1-0 losses to Minnesota United and Toronto FC respectively. All this means, is that they’re vulnerable.
Tigres reached the Liga MX Clausura final in December after finishing 2nd in the standings, but their 2026 Apertura campaign has floundered somewhat. They already have four league losses, three in their last five matches. That’s also three more than they suffered in the Apertura. They are down in the sixth spot in the standings. They will take heart from last weekend’s win over rivals Monterrey in the Clásico Regio, and at least had more recovery time than Los Rayados did (they lost 2-3 to Cruz Azul on Tuesday). Scoring is via committee, with Marcelo Flores, Juan Brunetta and Ángel Correa all on three goals.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders
Kickoff: 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT
BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Even in regular league games, this fixture is a heated one. The two clubs are separated by a scant 144 miles (and an international border) and their rivalry runs deep. Layer on a tournament knockout round and the stakes get even higher.
The Whitecaps qualified for this year’s competition via two separate paths: as Canadian Cup winners and by finishing in the top four of the MLS Supporter’s Shield standings. Last year was their strongest ever in the club’s long history, though they have no hardware to show for their efforts. They suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Cruz Azul in this tournament’s final last June, and a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami in the MLS Cup final. So this team is ready for some redemption, and who better to start down that path than by defeating the hated Sounders?
The Whitecaps are undefeated in 2026 matches. While not scintillating against the Costa Rican club Cartaginés, they nevertheless finished the job with a 2-0 aggregate. In league play, they are a solid 3-0 with a +7 goal differential. They also have one of the most intense strikers around, the indomitable Thomas Müller.
This is Seattle’s ninth trip to the Champions Cup, third most of MLS teams behind D.C. United (12) and LA Galaxy (10). They remain the only MLS team to have ever won the title, defeating Tigres back in 2022. All of this history is moot, of course. The current team has only played three league games so far, winning two and losing one. One of those wins was a 4-1 drubbing of fellow Pacific Northwest rival Portland Timbers, but the loss was to a Real Salt Lake team boasting a good number of young academy kids. Neither of these teams is close to Vancouver’s talent or current momentum. This will be a challenge for Seattle, especially on the road.
