First team in Mexico for first leg against Santos Laguna
CF Montréal is back in action Tuesday night at 10pm, as it gets set to take on Mexican side Santos Laguna in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League round of 16, at Estadio Corona in Torreon, Mexico.
The first team flew out to Mexico on Sunday after finishing off the last phase of its training camp in Ft. Lauderdale. They’ll return to Montreal after the first leg to prepare for the second leg at Olympic Stadium the following Tuesday, February 22 at 8pm. Tickets for that game are available here.
For CF Montréal, it’s a return to the Champions League, a competition they know well, for the first time since 2020, when they were ousted in the quarterfinals of the continental tournament by Honduran side CD Olimpia.
“We are in a different environment, one that’s new to many of us,” said head coach Wilfried Nancy. “It’s exciting and we are ready to face this challenge. I’m happy with how preseason went, and we did a lot of interesting things well. The focus is on us. We respect Santos Laguna, and we know they’re a good team, but we want to play the way we want to play.”
A matchup with history
This won’t be the first time the Montreal Club takes on Santos Laguna in the Concacaf Champions League. During their first participation in the continental tournament back in 2009, Montreal was able to emerge from the group stage and qualify to the quarterfinals, where it drew Santos Laguna.
Montreal managed a historic 2-0 win at Olympic Stadium in front of what was then a record-breaking crowd at the Big-O although they fell short in the second leg in Mexico.
Thirteen years later, the opportunity for revenge has presented itself.
“I haven’t spoken of that game with some of our alumni in a while, but I’ve spoken about it many times because I lived that moment,” explained Nancy. “As a supporter back in the day, it was beautiful. It wasn’t the end we hoped for, but it was a great moment. We have a plan to talk of that game with the players. It’s important for them to know the Club’s history.”
Following the return leg at Olympic Stadium, CF Montréal will play its MLS season opener on Sunday, February 27, against Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium, before playing their home opener the following week on Saturday, March 5, at 4pm at Olympic Stadium. Tickets for our MLS home opener available here.
