Orlando City SC hope to exact some revenge on Liga MX powerhouse Tigres UANL in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, starting with Tuesday's Leg 1 matchup at home.
Watch
- English: FS2
- Spanish: ViX
When
- Tuesday, March 5 | 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
Where
- Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando, Florida
Leg 2 is set for March 12 at Tigres' Estadio Universitario, deciding which team books a quarterfinal date with the winner of the Houston Dynamo FC-Columbus Crew series. The quarterfinals will be played in early April.
What's at stake come the tournament's June 2 final? The winner qualifies for both the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, plus gets regional bragging rights and prize money.
- Round One: 6-1 aggregate vs. Cavalry FC (Canada)
Orlando City were inches away from knocking off Tigres in the 2023 Champions Cup Round of 16, battling to a 1-1 aggregate deadlock – only to be eliminated on the away-goals tiebreaker. In hindsight, that series provided a precursor for Orlando City's best-ever MLS season as they finished as Supporters' Shield runners-up with 63 points.
Now, head coach Oscar Pareja's team needs to regroup following Saturday's 5-0 dismantling at in-state rival Inter Miami CF. Everyone from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese to forwards Facundo Torres and Luis Muriel will need to raise their level, lest the Lions suffer another early CCC exit.
In Round One of this year's tournament, Orlando outclassed Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC – a reflection of quality and spending power.
- Round One: 4-1 aggregate vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Tigres have already knocked off one MLS opponent in Champions Cup play, comfortably beating Vancouver 3-0 at home after grinding out a 1-1 draw on the road. Highlights included an André-Pierre Gignac free-kick golazo, as well as standout saves from goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán.
In league play, Tigres sit sixth in the Clausura table – four points off leaders Monterrey. However, they lost 2-1 to Toluca over the weekend after Sebastián Córdova's red card allowed for a second-half comeback and negated Ozziel Herrera's opener.
Tigres, winners of the 2020 Champions Cup, are hoping to join fellow Liga MX sides CF Monterrey and Club León as 2025 Club World Cup-bound teams. One of the region's dominant forces, they made four Champions Cup finals from 2016-20.
