The month of February has arrived, and with that comes a monumental showdown between Sporting Kansas City and Deportivo Toluca FC in the 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Sporting KC will host the first leg at Children’s Mercy Park on Feb. 21 before traveling to Mexico for the decisive second leg on Feb. 28. Tickets to the contest at Children’s Mercy Park are now on sale at SeatGeek.com as Sporting hosts its earliest competitive match in club history.
In the 20 days leading up to Feb. 21, SportingKC.com will rattle off a 20-day Champions League Countdown, hitting all the relevant storylines surrounding the two-legged fixture. From history and geography lessons to number crunching, player matchups and coaching backgrounds, this daily series will set the stage for a pivotal battle in which two successful sides aim to take their first steps toward Champions League glory.
In the fourth edition of our Champions League Countdown, we give a comprehensive rundown of the tournament’s format and rules.
In many ways, the 2019 Concacaf Champions League will unfold much like the conference semifinals and finals of the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Sporting Kansas City are no strangers to this knockout-style setup, and in order to become the first MLS club to win the Champions League, Manager Peter Vermes’ men will have to navigate four separate rounds of two-legged series.
However, there are few important format differences between the Champions League and the MLS postseason. Read carefully as we dig into it.
Sweet 16
A total of 16 teams will contest for the 2019 Champions League—including four each from the United States and Mexico, two from Costa Rica, and one each from Canada, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
These clubs will play in a fixed, knockout-style bracket through the final. Every Champions League matchup will be contested over two legs on a home-and-away basis.
Away goals and no extra time through the semifinals
In the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, the away goals rule will be applied if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg. For example, if Sporting draws Toluca 0-0 at home in the first leg and 1-1 on the road in the second leg, they will advance by virtue of away goals.
If the round of 16, quarterfinal or semifinal series is still tied through the second leg, a penalty shootout will be used to determine the winner. Take note: if the series is still tied through two legs, an additional 30 minutes of extra time will not be played. It’s straight to penalties after 180 minutes.
Extra time but no away goals in the finals
The 2019 competition will tweak its format when two clubs reach the finals. In the championship series, the away goals rule will no longer be applied. Furthermore, 30 minutes of extra time will be played if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg. If the aggregate score is still level after 30 minutes of extra time, a penalty shootout will determine the champion.
Champions League schedule
- Round of 16 Leg 1: Feb. 19-21
- Round of 16 Leg 2: Feb. 26-28
- Quarterfinal Leg 1: March 5-7
- Quarterfinal Leg 2: March 12-14
- Semifinal Leg 1: April 2-4
- Semifinal Leg 2: April 9-11
- Final Leg 1: April 23-25
- Final Leg 2: April 30-May 2
Who hosts which leg in the round of 16?
In the round of 16, the eight teams that were put into Pot 1 in the tournament draw last December will host the decisive second leg. In a strange seeding quirk, Sporting were the only MLS team not placed in Pot 1 for the draw. The other four MLS participants—Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls, Atlanta United FC and Houston Dynamo—will host Leg 2 in the round of 16 against Central American opponents outside of Mexico.
Who hosts which leg in the quarterfinals?
In the quarterfinals, the winners of round of 16 matchups 1, 3, 5 and 7 will host the second leg. Since Sporting vs. Toluca is matchup 5, Sporting would host the second leg of the quarterfinals on March 13 or 14 after hitting the road for the first leg on March 6 or 7.
- Matchup 1: Marathon (HON) vs. Santos Laguna (MEX)
- Matchup 2: Atletico Pantoja (DOM) vs. New York Red Bulls (USA)
- Matchup 3: Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) vs. Tigres UANL (MEX)
- Matchup 4: Guastatoya (GUA) vs. Houston Dynamo (USA)
- Matchup 5: Sporting KC (USA) vs. Toluca (MEX)
- Matchup 6: Independiente (PAN) vs. Toronto FC (CAN)
- Matchup 7: Herediano (CRC) vs. Atlanta United FC (USA)
- Matchup 8: Alianza FC (SLV) vs. Monterrey (MEX)
Who hosts which leg in the semifinals and finals?
The team in each semifinal series that has the better performance in previous rounds will host the second leg. For example, a team with a 3-0-1 record through the first two rounds would host the second leg against a team that had a 2-1-1 record. The exact same principle applies in the finals.
