The kickoff of the Champions Cup semifinals takes center stage this week in Concacaf

MIAMI — This week in Concacaf is headlined by the start of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals as clubs look to take a foot forward towards lifting this year’s trophy.

Club America hosts Pachuca on Tuesday at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The two multiple-time champions meet for the first time in any stage of the tournament. There have been 12 series between Mexican teams in the semifinals of the tournament prior to this latest encounter.

Both teams pack major contributors on offense with America featuring the likes of Alejandro Zendejas with four goals to his name, and Julian Quiñones and Henry Martin, each with three goals apiece. Pachuca striker Salomon Rondon is the leading scorer in the tournament with seven goals, with Oussama Idrissi also a key player with a team-leading four assists.

Columbus Crew face Monterrey on Wednesday at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. The two clubs meet for the third time in their history. Monterrey won the previous meeting, 5-2 on aggregate, in the 2021 quarterfinals, going on to be crowned champions. This series will mark the 13th between MLS clubs and Mexican teams.

Both clubs have fared well defensively with Columbus allowing only two goals in the eliminations of another Monterrey based side Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals, winning 4-3 on PKs. Monterrey held the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to two goals in the semifinals as they moved on to win 5-2 on aggregate over MLS side Inter Miami CF. Diego Rossi leads Columbus in scoring with two goals while Brandon Vazquez leads Rayados with four.