The time to know the finalists in the CONCACAF Champions League is almost here, and all four teams still involved in the tournament have a legitimate chance of getting to the title clash set to be played on October 28, 2021.
Liga MX teams have dominated the competition since 2005, with seven teams claiming the title during that span. All Liga MX clubs involved in the tournament this year have won it at least once since 2005, with Monterrey (four titles) and América (three crowns) leading the pack.
This year, it will be up to the Philadelphia Union to try and end Liga MX's dominance. The Union reached the semi-finals in their first CONCACAF Champions League performance, and they will try improve the deeds of clubs such as Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles FC, or the LA Galaxy, who have all succumbed to Mexican sides either on the semi-finals or in the title clash in recent years.
Without further ado, here are the facts and stats ahead of the return legs in the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals in chronological order.
Philadelphia Union vs América (first leg result: 2-0 for América)
Las Águilas enter this game with the odds in their favor, since they have never seen one of their rivals come from behind and cancel a lead after winning the first leg. Santiago Solari's men are yet to lose a game away from home in this edition after beating Olimpia (2-1) and drawing against the Seattle Sounders (1-1) in what turned out to be a highly controversial game.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia Union will try to make their home-field advantage count as they did in past stages of the competition. Jim Curtin's men defeated Saprissa 1-0 in the Round of 16, while their second home game of the tournament saw them draw against Atlanta United 1-1 after winning the first leg three-nil. If América score a goal here, Philadelphia Union will have to score four to eliminate Las Águilas due to the away goals' rule.
Cruz Azul vs Monterrey (first leg result: 1-0 for Monterrey)
Monterrey and Cruz Azul lock horns in this semi-final clash with different goals to achieve. La Máquina make it to this game while on a four-game streak without a win, which includes a 2-1 loss to Juárez last week. Meanwhile, Javier Aguirre's crew will also make it to this game after losing their most recent clash to Atlas (1-2), but with a better performance in their previous games.
Cruz Azul will try to make it to the title match in this competition for the first time since their tournament-winning run in 2014. Meanwhile, Monterrey seem ready to fight for the CCL title after a two-year absence, when they defeated bitter-rivals Tigres in 2019. If Monterrey are able to score an away goal here, Cruz Azul will be forced to score three times to reach the title clash due to the away goals' rule.
