MIAMI, Florida – Two teams looking to leave their mark in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League will square off in next February’s Round of 16 in the 2022 SCCL, as the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer take on newly crowned 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League champions Comunicaciones of Guatemala.
Colorado will be appearing in the tournament for just the third time in their history.
The Rapids’ first SCCL occasion came back in the 2011-12 edition when they were drawn with eventual runners-up Santos Laguna of Mexico, plus Honduran side Real Espana and Isidro Metapan of El Salvador in the group stage.
While Colorado would finish third in that four-team group and not advance to the knockout round, they did compile a solid 2W-1D-1L record against their Central American opponents, Real Espana and Isidro Metapan.
Of note was the fact that the Rapids got a result in each away match in Central America, something that they will hope to do when they travel to Guatemala City to take on Comunicaciones on February 17.
As for Comunicaciones, they will be participating in their seventh SCCL in 2022, but the series with the Rapids will be just their fifth and sixth matches against an MLS opponent.
In the 2011-12 tournament, the Chapines faced the Seattle Sounders in a four-team group stage and fell 4-1 in Seattle before drawing 2-2 at home.
The next meeting versus an MLS opponent for the Guatemalan club would not come until the 2015-16 group stage, as they were defeated 5-0 by the Los Angeles Galaxy in L.A. before earning a 1-1 draw at home with a last-minute goal.
With those numbers in mind for both teams, this 2022 SCCL pairing represents a great opportunity for Colorado and Comunicaciones to each carve out a new legacy within Concacaf competition.
