The 2023 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League kicks off on Tuesday with sixteen teams gunning for the crown, although there will be some that have a better chance of winning it than others.
There will be a sense of nostalgia when it comes to this competition, as this will be the last edition of the tournament with the current format. Starting in 2024, there will be 27 teams playing the tournament, which will make it even more interesting and will also add quality to the competition.
This will be the first time in over 16 years in which a Major League Soccer team
For this edition, the slots to join in were handed out like this:
Mexico (4): Pachuca, Atlas, Tigres UANL, León.
United States (4): Los Angeles FC, Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC, Austin FC.
Honduras (3): Olimpia, Motagua, Real España.
Canada (1): Vancouver Whitecaps.
Costa Rica (1): Alajuelense.
Panamá (1): Tauro.
El Salvador (1): Alianza.
Haiti (1): Violette FC.
2023 CONCACAF Champions League - Top games to watch
Tigres UANL vs Orlando City - The Liga MX side returns to this competition after taking the trophy home in 2020. Back then, the team led by Ricardo Ferretti defeated LAFC in the title match, and their return to the tournament will see them facing Orlando City, the team from Florida who will be making their debut in the competition.
There is no love between Liga MX and MLS sides, and this match will certainly be a good proof of that. To make it even more interesting, it will be the primetime game of the competition on Tuesday (Click on the match for further broadcast info).
Olimpia vs Atlas - Los Rojinegros will make it to this competition for the first time in history, and their debut in the tournament will be quite complicated when they make a trip to face Honduras' Olimpia, the winners of the 2022 CONCACAF League. The Liga MX side will certainly lack of experience in international tournaments, but coach Benjamín Mora has been involved in AFC Champions League matches, which means he has the chops to lead the team from Jalisco to a good run in the tournament (Click on the match for further broadcast info).
Alajuelense vs Los Angeles FC - The 2022 MLS Cup winners make it back to the CCL after making it to the title clash in their only appearance in the competition back in 2020. This time, the L.A.-based side face Alajuelense to kick things off, in what should not be a walk in the park for Steve Cherundolo's team. On the other hand, Alajuelense has taken part in this competition for quite a few times, and even if they got here as underdogs, this might be a good time to shock the world and try to make it past the semi-finals or better, just like they did in the 2014-15 edition (Click on the match for further broadcast info).
The return legs for all ties are set to be played next week.
