The draw for the Concacaf Champions Cup is set, showing the road to the final which will be on June 1. After the Columbus Crew came up short in last year's final falling to Pachuca, they've earned an automatic berth to the round of 16 but their reward for that is facing the winner between Los Angeles FC and the Colorado Rapids. LAFC are a Major League Soccer side among the contenders to win this entire competition but that also sums up how the draw is for domestic sides.
Concacaf Champions Cup isn't supposed to be an easy competition but only eight of the the 10 MLS sides that qualified can possibly reach the round of 16 where the number will be trimmed even more as only six would be able to make the quarterfinals. Columbus/ LAFC and Inter Miami would have to meet in the quarters if they made it ensuring that a few of MLS' best shots to win the tournament can't make the final. It's similar for the Seattle Sounders who will have to go through a free-scoring Cruz Azul side to make it to the quarters.
A MLS team hasn't won the competition since Seattle in 2022 but could this be the year that changes?
The bracket
Teams most likely to win Concacaf Champions Cup
5. LA Galaxy: Fresh off of winning the MLS Cup, it's safe to say that the Galaxy are back under Greg Vanney. This is a team who used to be in contention for any silverware possible and even without Riqui Puig for most of the season due to his ACL injury, that doesn't mean that they don't have plenty of depth to compete at the top level. Considering a path to the final, Tigres and FC Cincinnati are the teams to watch en route to the semifinals but get past them and there's certainly a chance to win it all.
4. Monterrey: A free-scoring side with multiple top-level forwards, Monterrey can go toe to toe with anyone in Concacaf and on paper they may have the easiest path to the final four of any team in the entire tournament. Line those things up and it looks quite good for Rayados. They'll have a tough task being on the same side of the bracket of Inter Miami, the Columbus Crew, and LAFC but they'll only have to face one of that trio if any.
3. Cruz Azul: The Seattle Sounders are looking to improve heading into next season but even doing so may not give them enough firepower to take down Cruz Azul. It's them and Club America that Cruz Azul will have to contend with but the winner of that trio will be among the top contenders for winning the tournament.
2. Inter Miami: There may be a new coach coming in Javier Mascherano which is tough to account for how it will impact the side but Luis Suarez is locked up for another season, Lionel Messi is still there and despite Diego Gomez's departure, there's a club-record fee sitting in their pocket to help replace him. Miami have a tough path but you can't have a contenders list without including the Herons.
1. Club America: One of the most successful teams in the history of the competition, Club America are in a similar boat to the Galaxy. When considering who can win, they're one of the first names to come to mind. Henry Martin and Alex Zendejas are a formidable pair in attack and the defense will grind any game to a halt no matter who they face making them almost impossible to deal with in a knockout competition.