Herediano, Antigua, Sporting KC and Motagua take action in Round One

MIAMI – The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup continues on Wednesday with four first-leg matches in Round One.

CS Herediano opens the evening hosting Real Salt Lake at Estadio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica. Sporting Kansas City will host Inter Miami CF at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Antigua GFC welcomes Seattle Sounders FC at Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, Guatemala. The night concludes with FC Motagua hosting FC Cincinnati at Estadio Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

CS Herediano vs. Real Salt Lake

CS Herediano will begin its 17th participation in the Champions Cup against Real Salt Lake at Estadio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica.

These teams face each other for the third time in the tournament. The Costa Rican side leads the all-time series with one win and a draw.

Real Salt Lake is playing in the Champions Cup for the first time since the 2015/16 edition, where it reached the quarterfinals. The MLS club’s best finish was runner-up in the 2010/11 tournament.

Sporting Kansas City vs. Inter Miami CF 

Sporting Kansas City hosts Inter Miami CF at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, for the first meeting between the sides in Champions Cup action and third in their history. Inter Miami leads the all-time series, claiming wins in the two previous encounters.

Sporting KC is making its seventh appearance in the Champions Cup and the first since reaching the semifinals in 2019. Sporting qualified for the 2025 edition as a finalist in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

SKC will look to extend its positive home record, winning six of the last eight CCC home games. Attacker Wiliam Agada and midfielder Erick Thommy, who have previously scored against Inter Miami, will be essential players in the series for the Kansas side.

Inter Miami records its second appearance in the CCC after qualifying as the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners. The Herons reached the quarterfinals in 2024, the team’s debut campaign.

Global icons Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, who scored two goals and provided two assists each in the 2024 edition, will be among the Inter Miami players to watch.

Antigua GFC vs. Seattle Sounders FC

Antigua GFC and Seattle Sounders FC meet for the first time ever at Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, Guatemala.

The encounter will be Antigua’s second time facing an MLS club after previously playing the New York Red Bulls in the 2016/17 edition.

Seattle’s last and only defeat against a Guatemalan side was a 2-nil shutout at the hands of Comunicaciones FC in 1997, before the club competed in MLS.

Romario Da Silva is set to make his Champions Cup debut after impressing in the Central American Cup. The Brazilian has played the last four seasons in Guatemala’s Liga Nacional, scoring 27 goals.

The Sounders are making their first appearance in the tournament since 2022, when they were crowned champions. Stefan Frei, Cristian Roldán, and Jordan Morris, who were all part of that winning squad, remain a significant part of Seattle’s blueprint.

FC Motagua vs. FC Cincinnati

FC Motagua hosts FC Cincinnati for their first time at Estadio Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Motagua’s last win against U.S. opposition was in 1983. Since then, they have lost six and drawn three times, marking their worst streak of consecutive matches without a win against U.S. teams.

Las Aguilas Azules aim to recreate some magic like they did in 2023, when they made a run to the quarterfinals.

FC Cincinnati will face a Central American club for the first time in club history. Pat Noonan’s squad led all teams in total shots during the 2024 Round One series (41 total attempts against Cavalier). They also were the second-ranked team in total passes during the first round (1,254), trailing only CF Monterrey, who eliminated them in the Round of 16.