MIAMI, Florida – When it comes to knocking out Liga MX sides in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, Toronto FC of MLS can say that they have been there and done that.
The Canadian side will once again be facing Liga MX opposition in the 2021 SCCL quarterfinals when they take on Cruz Azul.
Overall, Toronto FC’s record against Mexican teams is 5W-5D-7L, with 22 goals scored and 31 allowed. They are also one of the few teams to have eliminated three different Liga MX sides from the SCCL in a knockout round series.
Toronto FC’s first two meetings with Liga MX were both positive results in the group stage of the 2010-11 edition against Cruz Azul, with a 2-1 home victory and a 0-0 draw in Mexico.
A year later in the 2011-12 SCCL group stage, Toronto FC collected a 1-1 draw at home with Pumas, followed by a 4-0 defeat in Mexico City. The Canadian club would reach their first ever SCCL semifinal in that edition and played to a 1-1 draw in the semifinal first leg with Santos Laguna before being eliminated with a 6-2 defeat in the second leg in Torreon.
Toronto FC were back in the SCCL in 2012-13, but Santos would prove to be a thorn in their side in the group stage, as a pair of defeats (3-1, 1-0) prevented the MLS side from advancing to the knockout round.
The story changed in the 2018 SCCL, beginning in the quarterfinals against Tigres UANL. After posting a 2-1 home win in the first leg, Toronto FC advanced via the away goal tiebreaker after a 3-2 defeat resulted in a 4-4 draw on aggregate.
Another Liga MX opponent, Club America, was up in the next round in the semifinals and Toronto FC once again took care of business with a 3-1 win at home in the first leg and a strong 1-1 draw in the second leg in Mexico.
With that series victory, Toronto FC advanced to their first ever SCCL final, where they faced Chivas. The Guadalajara side emerged with a 2-1 win in Canada in the first leg, but Toronto FC countered with a 2-1 win in the second leg in the Mexico. In the end, Chivas lifted the trophy after defeating Toronto FC 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
In the present edition, Toronto FC opened with reigning Liga MX champions Club Leon, and a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the first leg in Mexico was followed by a 2-1 second leg victory, earning Toronto FC a place in the tournament’s final eight and a date with another Mexican opponent.
