Home matches moved from Honduras due to social unrest
MIAMI – CONCACAF announced Monday the approval of site change requests made by Motagua and Olimpia, relocating their upcoming 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League home matches.
Following the CONCACAF Council’s approval to move the Round of 16 encounters -- and an approval process for the alternate sites and stadiums as submitted to CONCACAF by the clubs -- Motagua will host Liga MX side Club Tijuana at the HEB Park, in Edinburg, Texas, on Wednesday, February 21 at 10:00 PM ET (9:00 PM local).
The next day, Thursday, February 22, Olimpia will face the New York Red Bulls at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica. That match will kick off at 10:00 PM ET (9:00 PM local) behind closed doors, as part of an on-going sanction against the club levied during the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League.
The changes have been made due to the political and social situation in Honduras that has affected the country in recent months. The schedule for the second leg matches to be played at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico and the Red Bull Arena remains as previously announced.
The requests to move the matches, made individually by each club, were approved by the CONCACAF Council per section XVII. A. of the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Regulations, which deals with cases of force majeure. Per the Council decision, should either Honduran club advance to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Champions League, those matches would also be played outside Honduras, allowing time for the situation in that country to stabilize.
The two relocated matches are among the eight contests scheduled for the opening week, as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League kicks off across the Confederation. The second leg Round of 16 matches will be played the following week, February 27 to Match 1.
The range of dates for the first leg quarterfinals, to be disputed among the eight Round of 16 winners, is March 6-8. The second leg quarterfinals are scheduled for 13-15. The semifinals and championship home-and-away final of the competition are scheduled for April.
The winner of the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League will represent the region in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.
2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League – Round of 16 Schedule
*ET and home team listed first
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
20:00 CS Herediano (CRC) vs. Tigres UANL (MEX)
22:00 Colorado Rapids (USA) vs. Toronto FC (CAN)
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
20:00 Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) vs. Club America (MEX)
20:00 Tauro FC (PAN) vs. FC Dallas (USA)
22:00 FC Motagua (HON) vs. Club Tijuana (MEX)
Thursday, February 22, 2018
20:00 Cibao FC (DOM) vs. CD Guadalajara (MEX)
22:00 CD Olimpia (HON) vs. New York Red Bulls (USA)
22:00 Santa Tecla FC (SLV) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (USA)
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
20:00 Toronto FC (CAN) vs. Colorado Rapids (USA)
20:00 Tigres UANL (MEX) vs. CS Herediano (CRC)
22:00 Club Tijuana (MEX) vs. FC Motagua (HON)
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
20:00 FC Dallas (USA) vs. Tauro FC (PAN)
20:00 CD Guadalajara (MEX) vs. Cibao FC (DOM)
22:00 Club America (MEX) vs. Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
Thursday, March 1, 2018
20:00 New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. CD Olimpia (HON)
22:00 Seattle Sounders FC (USA) vs. Santa Tecla FC (SLV)
Home Stadium for the Round of 16 Matches
*Listed in alphabetical order
CD Guadalajara (MEX) – Estadio Akron, Guadalajara, Mexico
CD Olimpia (HON) – Estadio Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica
Cibao FC (DOM) – Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago, Dominican Republic
Club America (MEX) – Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
Club Tijuana (MEX) – Estadio Caliente, Tijuana, Mexico
Colorado Rapids (USA) – Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO, USA
CS Herediano (CRC) – Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, Heredia, Costa Rica
Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) – Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma, San Jose, Costa Rica
FC Dallas (USA) – Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX, USA
FC Motagua (HON) – HEB Park, Edinburg, TX, USA
New York Red Bulls (USA) – Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ, USA
Santa Tecla FC (SLV) – Estadio Las Delicias, Santa Tecla, El Salvador
Seattle Sounders FC (USA) – CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA, USA
Tauro FC (PAN) – Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City, Panama
Tigres UANL (MEX) – Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico
Toronto FC (CAN) – BMO Field, Toronto, ON, Canada
