What does América need to play the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter finals at the Azteca?

América secured their place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter finals after eliminating Chivas 5-3 on aggregate. Now, they must wait to see what happens in tonight’s final Round of 16 tie between the New England Evolution and Alajuelense to determine who they will face next and crucially, the order in which both legs will be played.

André Jardine’s team is safely through but still don’t know whether they will be able to play the second leg of their quarter final tie at the Azteca. That will depend on how New England Evolution fare against Alajuelense, a tie that the MLS side go into with a 4-0 advantage.

All eyes on the Catedral

The Concacaf Champions Cup competition regulations state that the team with the best aggregate score in the previous round will play the return leg at their own stadium. The Águilas squandered their three-goal advantage against Chivas, losing the return leg 2-3 at the Azteca to give them an aggregate score of 5-3. As it stands, they would need Alajuelense to win tonight’s game against the Revs at the Catedral in Costa Rica by a three-goal margin or more

In the quarter final ties that have already been established, Pachuca will begin their matchup against Herediano at the Hidalgo stadium and close it away from home. The Tuzos won their Round of 16 tie 6-0 - a superior scoreline to Herediano’s 3-1 win over Robinhood but won’t have the privilege of playing the defining match at home. Why is that?

Again we have to consult the tournament regulations - Pachuca were one of five teams who directly qualified for the Round of 16 for being the best ranked champion in the 2022-23 season with 1207 points - unlike Herediano who had to go through the qualifying phase. They beat Toluca in Round 1 then Robinhood in the Round of 16, scoring a total of seven goals, compared to the six that the Tuzos have. In this case, the total number of goals determines which team closes the series at home.

The first leg matches of the upcoming quarter final phase will be between Tuesday 2 and Thursday 4 April, with the second legs scheduled a week later - from Tuesday 9 April to Thursday 11 April. Just two Round of 16 ties have yet to be decided - New England Evolution vesus Alajuelense (4-0) and Monterrey versus Cincinnati (1-0).