The American domestic league finally got over the hump as the Seattle Sounders defeated Pumas UNAM 3-0 in the second leg to secure a 5-2 aggregate victory across the CONCACAF Champions League final. Real Salt Lake (2011), Toronto FC (2018), Montreal (2015), and LAFC (2020) advanced to the final in the past only to fall short at the final hurdle, but Seattle finally got the monkey off the MLS back.
Pumas was a worthy opponent, reaching the final in part thanks to one of the most remarkable results of the tournament, coming back from 3-0 down to get past the New England Revolution in the quarterfinals via a penalty-kick shootout. Talismanic striker Juan Dinenno was the tournament’s leading scorer with nine goals.
Seattle, however, became the fifth side to win the tournament with an unbeaten record through the entirety of the competition, able to grind out road results and use its home field advantage to advance. The Sounders become the first MLS club to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup, qualifying with the victory.
The final was a two-legged competition, with matches at each team’s venue. Away goals served as the tiebreaker in the earlier rounds if teams were even on aggregate, but in the finals that will no longer be the case.
The complete CONCACAF Champions League bracket, schedule, results and highlights from the Round of 16 through to the final follow below.
MORE: History of MLS vs. Liga MX in Champions League
2022 CONCACAF Champions League bracket & schedule
CONCACAF Champions League Final
Unlike other continental championships, the North American final is contested as a two-legged matchup.
This is a return to the usual format for the CONCACAF Champions League, after the last two tournaments were forced to utilize a single-match final due to extraordinary pandemic-related scheduling.
1st Leg
2nd Leg
CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals
According to the official tournament rules, the four teams left standing in the semifinals were ranked based on their 2022 Champions League results, with three points assigned for every win and one point for every draw through the quarterfinals.
The highest-ranked team in each of the semifinal and final matchups, based on the aforementioned points system, will host the second leg of the semifinals and final.
Semifinals 1st Leg
Semifinals 2nd Leg
2022 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals
Quarterfinals 1st leg
Quarterfinals 2nd Leg
2022 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16
Round of 16 1st Leg
**The two-leg series between Cavaly and the New England Revolution was cancelled due to visa issues for the Haitian club. Cavaly was forced to withdraw from the event, sending New England through via a 3-0 forfeit victory. The second leg was cancelled as a result.
Round of 16 2nd Leg
CONCACAF Champions League away goals rule
In this year’s tournament, away goals are used as a tiebreaker in case teams are even on aggregate goals. However, there’s one major exception.
With the final moving back to a two-leg matchup, away goals will not be applied as a tiebreaker in the finals.
In addition, there’s one other notable rule marker: Throughout the Round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, there is no extra time if teams are even on away goals. If the aggregate score and away goals are both level after 180 minutes of play, the matchups go directly to a penalty shootout.
However, just like the away goals rule, that differs in the finals, with extra-time used before a penalty shootout to determine the champion.
How to watch 2022 CONCACAF Champions League
Dates: Feb. 16, 2022 to May 5, 2022 TV channel: FS1 & FS2 (USA), OneSoccer (Canada) Spanish-language TV: TUDN (USA) Streaming: fuboTV, Fox Sports Go (USA), OneSoccer (Canada)
The CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 is available on television via FS2 in the United States (English), as well as on TUDN (Spanish). It is available via OneSoccer in Canada.
Fans can stream all those channels in the USA and Canada via fuboTV, which offers a free trial for new users. Fox Sports Go will also carry the matches in the USA.
