FRISCO – FC Dallas will meet Tauro FC in the Round of 16 during the 2018 edition of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, according to the CCL draw held earlier tonight in Miami.
FCD will open the 2018 tournament in Panama for Leg One of the Round of 16 between Feb. 20-22, 2018 before returning home for the decisive Leg Two between Feb. 27-March 1, 2018. Exact dates for the matches and ticket information for Dallas’ home leg will be announced at a later date.
The two clubs met twice during the 2011-12 tournament, playing to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 11, 2011 and Tauro FC taking a 5-3 win on Sept. 28, 2011 in two group stage matches.
Dallas was drawn into position A7 on the tournament bracket, meaning should the club advance past the Round of 16, they would also host Leg Two of a potential Quarterfinal matchup against Club America (Mexico) or Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica).
Tauro FC punched their ticket into the tournament by capturing the 2017 Panamanian Clausura season. Los Toros de Pedregal last appeared in the 2014-15 CCL tournament, where they lost all four of their group stage matches. The 2018 edition marks the club’s sixth appearance overall.
FC Dallas earned its berth after claiming the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the 2016 MLS Supporters’ Shield. Dallas reached the CCL Semifinal in the 2016-17 edition of the tournament, falling to eventual-champion Pachuca in early April. The club’s only previous appearance came back in 2011, making history early on in the tournament as the first MLS team to defeat a Liga MX side on Mexican soil with a win at Pumas. However, FC Dallas struggled late in the season under a heavy load of matches and failed to advance out of group play.
The 16 teams will begin the 2018 edition of the tournament in late February with each round consisting a of two-leg home-and-away series with the winner advancing to the next round on aggregate goal differential. D.C. United is the only MLS club to ever have won the tournament, claiming the title in 1998 before the tournament re-formatted in 2008.
The winner of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League advances to the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in United Arab Emirates. The tournament features the champions from each of the six continental confederations (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CAF, AFC, OFC and CONCACAF), as well as the national league champion from the host country. The 2018 FIFA Club World Cup is slated to begin in December.
