MIAMI, Florida – With the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League quarterfinals scheduled to kick off next week and the conclusion of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season and Canadian Championship on the horizon, the field for the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League is beginning to take shape.
The four representatives from Liga MX are already set, with Club Leon, Cruz Azul, Pumas and Santos Laguna scheduled to compete in next year’s edition.
The New England Revolution have already punched their ticket to the tournament, and will compete as either MLS Cup champions, MLS Supporters Shield winners or the Eastern Conference regular season champion.
By virtue of their first-place finish in the 2021 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship, AS Cavaly of Haiti will appear in the 2022 SCCL, while Guatemalan side Guastatoya, who has already advanced to the 2021 SCL semifinals, will be one of the top six sides from the 2021 SCL to participate in the tournament.
MEXICO
Club Leon
2020 Guardianes champions Club Leon will return to the SCCL for a third consecutive season and fourth overall. The Liga MX side will be seeking their first ever series win in the SCCL.
Cruz Azul
The 2013-14 SCCL champions are back in the tournament for a third straight year as well thanks to winning the 2021 Guardianes, and will look to go a step further than their semifinal finish in 2021. No team from Liga MX has competed in the SCCL more than Cruz Azul, who will be making their eighth appearance in 2022. La Maquina also have played in three SCCL Finals (2008-09, 2009-10, 2013-14).
Pumas
2020 Guardianes runners-up Pumas will compete in the SCCL for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign when they finished as quarterfinalists. Pumas will be participating in their fifth SCCL and hope to win their first ever SCCL title.
Santos Laguna
The Torreon club are also a stalwart when it comes to Concacaf competition and will be playing their seventh SCCL and first since 2019 thanks to a runner-up finish in the 2021 Guardianes. Santos’ best SCCL finish came in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 editions when they were runners-up.
USA
New England Revolution
The Revolution will be appearing in the SCCL for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2008-09. The Revolution have already secured a place as the MLS Eastern Conference regular season champions, but could still qualify as 2021 MLS Cup champions or 2021 MLS Supporters Shield winners.
HAITI
AS Cavaly
The 2022 SCCL will mark Cavaly’s first ever adventure in the SCCL after topping Suriname’s Inter Moengo Tapoe to claim the 2021 FCCCC. Cavaly are currently the only team qualified that will be making their SCCL debut and will become the fifth different Haitian side to appear in the tournament.
GUATEMALA
Guastatoya
After debuting in the SCCL in 2019, Guastatoya are back by virtue of their performance in the 2021 SCL. After eliminating Costa Rican giants LD Alajuelense 3-3 on aggregate via the away goal tiebreaker in the SCL Round of 16, Guastatoya advanced directly to the semifinal round, and thus qualified for the 2022 SCCL.
