The Seattle Sounders became the first entrant in the current format of the CONCACAF Champions League to advance from the group stage of the event as representatives of the US Open Cup. A 2-2 draw in Guatemala versus Comunicaciones on Tuesday clinched a spot in the Quarterfinals.
The Sounders sit in first place in their group with 10 points, one ahead of defending CCL champion Monterrey of Mexico, with one game remaining in the group phase. Comunicaciones is third with seven. After falling 1-0 in Panama to San Francisco in the first leg of the Preliminary Round, the Sounders won four straight, advancing to the group phase with a 2-0 win at home versus San Francisco. The opened group play with a 4-1 win against visiting Comunicaciones and then stunned Monterrey 1-0 on the road in the second match, becoming only the second MLS club ever to win in Mexico. A few weeks later Seattle built a commanding lead in the group with a 2-1 road win versus Herediano. The Costa Ricans, however, returned the favor the following week with a 1-0 win in Seattle.
Despite the defeat, the Sounders became the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout stage with the 2-2 draw on the road. Santos Laguna is the only other team to have secured a quarterfinal berth with one game remaining in the round.
A year ago, in their first trip to the even as Open Cup champions, the Sounders had a tough introduction to the Champions League. After advancing to the group stage with a 1-0 win and 1-1 draw against Isidro Metapan (El Salvador), the Sounders were unable to register a victory until the fifth game of the group phase, dropping the first four contests.
DC United had finished third in their group in the 2009-10 edition of the CCL, posting a 3-2-1 record supported by a sweep of Trinidad & Tobago’s San Juan Jabloteh and a home win versus Marathon (Honduras). The club had narrowly advanced from the Preliminary Round versus Firpo (El Salvador), winning a penalty kick tiebreaker after a pair of 1-1 draws.
The New England Revolution were the first Open Cup champions to play in the CCL, albeit briefly. In the first edition of the event in 2008-09 the Revolution were embarrassed by Joe Public (T&T) 6-1 on aggregate in the Preliminary Round, suffering a 4-0 loss in the second leg.
Prior to 2008, the last club to represent the Open Cup in CONCACAF play was the 2002 champion Columbus Crew, who played in the 2003 regional championship tournament. It was the first time since 1992 that a US Open Cup side played in the event.
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