Inter Miami Headline MLS Teams in Concacaf Champions Cup: The Ultimate Guide, Contenders, How to Watch | OneFootball

Lionel Messi’s competitive 2025 season with Inter Miami CF is about to start with the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The four-time UEFA Champions League winner will take a crack at his second Concacaf tournament when the Herons take on Sporting Kansas City in round one. They’re among 10 MLS teams participating in the 27-team competition.

The 2025 tournament begins Tuesday, with Liga MX’s Cruz Azul facing Haiti’s Real Hope. Several other teams open on Wednesday and Thursday before the second group opens their tournaments between Feb. 18-20.

What is the Format?

Unlike the UEFA Champions League, the Concacaf Champions Cup goes straight into knockout rounds. The opening four rounds are played as two-legged ties home and away, with aggregate goals -- and the away goals rule is still relevant if the score is tied after both legs.

Goals scored in Leg 2’s extra time, if needed, do not count towards the away goals rule.

The final will be a single match on June 1, 2025. Defending champions CF Pachuca do not return to the tournament, but 2024 runners-up Columbus Crew SC are back as an MLS representative.

MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy and 2024 League Cup champions Columbus Crew receive byes to the Round of 16. The other eight MLS clubs join in Round 1.

How to Watch 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup

Inter Miami FC Clash With Sporting KC in Round 1

Inter Miami will need Messi healthy against Sporting KC. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Schedule

Under new head coach and former FC Barcelona man Javier Mascherano, Messi’s Miami will look to make their way through five rounds of the competition, making the most of their knockout round experience from the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs and 2024 Champions Cup.

The Herons qualified by winning the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield as the best regular season team, setting a regular season points record of 74, before losing to Atlanta United in the first round of the playoffs.

Like much of Inter Miami's success since Messi joined in 2023, it will come down to the Argentine’s health and whether that will be enough to draw defenders out of position or allow him to impact the game with signature moments. Even with that, they’ll feel pressure to get a strong start in the competition after last year’s MLS Cup Playoff and Champions Cup disappointments.

Could Sporting KC Cause an Upset?

Sporting KC qualified as runners-up in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup and are back in the Champions Cup for the first time since making the 2019 semifinals.

While the 2024 MLS season didn’t go to plan for SKC, finishing 13th and missing the playoffs in the Western Conference, they found success in the U.S. Open Cup before falling to LAFC in the final.

Veteran head coach Peter Vermes is back for another season and has a new-look roster, with former captain Johnny Russel, goalkeeper Tim Melia and others leaving the club. However, they added Serbian international Dejan Jovelic from the LA Galaxy for a reported $4 million, the first cash-for-player transfer in MLS history.

They have their work cut out against Inter Miami. Still, there’s some attacking bite to the team, with Hungary’s Dàniel Sallói and now a recent MLS Cup winner in Jovelić.

Round of 16 Opponent: Cavalier FC (Jamaica)

Oliver Giroud Looks for Concacaf Success as LAFC Face Colorado Rapids

LAFC's Olivier Giroud will hope for a better 2025 after struggling to settle in MLS. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Schedule

LAFC are a team built for cup competitions. After winning MLS Cup in 2022, they went to the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup Final, won the 2024 U.S. Open Cup and made the 2024 Leagues Cup final to qualify for 2025.

Coming off a year that saw them top the Western Conference and lose in the MLS Cup Playoff semifinals to the Seattle Sounders, they’ll want to rebound quickly in MLS and Concacaf.

While head coach Steve Churndulo will lean on star forward Denis Bouanga, LAFC will also hope for improved play from former Arsenal and Chelsea star Olivier Giroud, who got off to a slow start after joining last summer. They’ll be without Mateusz Bogusz after transferring the star Polish international to Cruz Azul.

Colorado Rapids in Flux

The Colorado Rapids are looking to upset LAFC, who are back in the competition as third-place finishers in the Leagues Cup.

While they sputtered out after losing Canadian international center back Moisë Bombito in the summer, they defeated four Liga MX teams in their Leagues Cup run before beating the Philadelphia Union in the third-place match.

Leaning on American attacking talents Djordje Mihailovic and Cole Bassett, as well as Brazil’s Rafael Navarro, head coach Chris Armas will hope to lead his team to an upset.

Round of 16 Opponent: Columbus Crew SC (USA)

Vancouver Whitecaps Against Former Star in Saprissa

Schedule:

The Vancouver Whitecaps, who won the Canadian Championship, return to the competition for the third straight season. They are one of three Canadian clubs joined by Canadian Premier League sides Cavalry FC and Forge FC.

Led by designated players Ryan Gauld and Brian White, the Whitecaps are a dynamic attacking team that thrives on hitting in transition. After firing head coach Vanni Sartini following a first-round MLS Cup Playoff exit against LAFC, the ‘Caps will get a glimpse of competitive action under new manager Jesper Sørenson.

Taking on Costa Rican giants Saprissa, Vancouver also meets former defender and MLS All-Star Kendall Waston.

Round of 16 Opponent: CF Monterrey (Mexico) or Forge FC (Canadian Premier League)

Seattle Sounders Kick Off a Busy Year

Schedule:

It’s a busy year for the Seattle Sounders as they take on MLS, the Concacaf Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. It all starts, though, against Guatemala’s Antigua GFC.

The 2022 Concacaf Champions League winners are always a serious threat, and they return for the first time since winning the tournament. Led by head coach Brian Schemtzer, the club finished seventh in MLS in 2024 and beat Mexico’s Pumas UNAM in Leagues Cup.

It’s an all-American attack for Seattle now, led by Jordan Morris, who comes off an 18-goal 2024 season, and new additions Jesús Ferreira and Paul Arriola from FC Dallas, all of whom will look to benefit off international stars in midfield, Albert Rusnak and Pedro de la Vega.

They shouldn’t have any issue taking care of the Guatemalan side.

Round of 16 Opponent: Cruz Azul (Mexico) or Real Hope (Haiti)

FC Cincinnati Return to Concacaf With New Star in Denkey

FC Cincinnati forward Kevin Denkey will have major pressure in 2025. / Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

Schedule

The looming drama surrounding Lucho Acosta takes the spotlight for FC Cincinnati, who return to the Champions Cup for the second time after falling to CF Monterrey in 2024.

Acosta did not report for training camp initially, and reports suggest he’s requested out of the club despite being under contract. While that hangs over FCC, they spent a short-lived MLS record fee of  $16.2 million on Togo international forward Kévin Denkey.

With Denkey, they’ll have a goalscorer but might struggle to attack without their 2023 MLS MVP and Argentine number 10, who had more assists than Messi with 19 in 2024.

Even without Acosta, though, FCC should have enough to get past FC Motagua with Denkey and USMNT veterans Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, and DeAndre Yedlin.

Real Salt Lake Face CS Herediano

Schedule

Real Salt Lake will clash with a Costa Rican superpower in their first round, taking on the 2024 Apertura champion Herediano, who come off a Cinderella quarter-final run in 2024.

After finishing third in the Western Conference and losing in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, they return in 2025 as a fun team to watch.

Diego Luna, the MLS Young Player of the Year in 2024, plays with an extra bite to his game. He recently showed well with the USMNT, earning high praise from head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Last year, as a 21-year-old, he scored eight goals and 12 assists. Meanwhile, former Nottingham Forest midfielder Braian Ojeda should control the midfield and dictate the pace of play.

The question, though, is how they forge forward without former captain Cristian Arango, who they recently shipped to the San Jose Earthquakes.

All 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Round 1 Matchups

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