Sporting Kansas City remains the only MLS club that has officially punched its ticket to the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.
CONCACAF clarified as much on Monday, providing further qualifying details after a peculiar scenario arose when Toronto FC won the 2017 MLS Cup.
The 2017 MLS Cup winner was automatically slated to qualify for the 2019 CCL alongside Sporting KC. But as a Canadian club, Toronto FC can only qualify for the 2019 CCL by winning the 2018 Canadian Championship.
Consequently, Toronto’s CCL spot as MLS Cup champion will instead be taken by the American team with the most aggregate points over the 2017 and 2018 seasons combined.
The same method will be enacted if a Canadian side wins the 2018 MLS Cup, or if an American club occupies more than one berth — for example, if Sporting KC won the 2018 Open Cup or 2018 MLS Cup.
Starting this year, the CONCACAF Champions League will unfold in the spring using a new and exciting 16-team format. Home-and-away aggregate series will be played from the Round of 16 through the finals, with the tournament scheduled to conclude in late April.
MLS participants in 2018 CCL
- Seattle Sounders FC (2016 MLS Cup winner) vs. Santa Tecla (SLV) -- Feb. 22 & March 1
- FC Dallas (2016 Supporters’ Shield winner) vs. Tauro FC (PAN) -- Feb. 21 & Feb. 28
- New York Red Bulls (2016 1st-place Eastern Conference team) vs. CD Olimpia -- Feb. 22 & March 1
- Colorado Rapids vs. Toronto FC -- Feb. 20 & Feb. 27
- Toronto FC (2016 & 2017 Canadian Ch'ship winner) vs. Colorado Rapids -- Feb. 20 & Feb. 27
Because FC Dallas won both the U.S. Open Cup and Supporters' Shield in 2016, one of the two U.S. slots went to the team with the next best regular season record, in this case Colorado.
MLS participants in 2019 CCL
- Sporting KC (2017 U.S. Open Cup winner)
- Team with best aggregate record over the 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons
- 2018 MLS Cup winner
- 2018 Open Cup winner (if an MLS team wins)
- 2018 Canadian Championship winner (if Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver win)
This berth was originally designated for the 2017 MLS Cup winner. But because Toronto FC can only qualify for the 2019 CCL as the winner of the 2018 Canadian Championship, the berth is re-assigned to the U.S. team with the best aggregate record over the 2017 and 2018 MLS seasons.
