22 cities. 24 teams. 61 games. 5,490 minutes played. 175 goals.
CONCACAF released the video above prior to last night's 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League finale as C.F. Monterrey defeated fellow Liga MX finalists Santos Laguna 4-2 on aggregate. Monterrey lifted the tournament trophy for a third consecutive year and in doing so secured a berth in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco at year's end.
Sporting Kansas City, winners of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, will be one of five MLS clubs participating in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League (tentatively scheduled to begin group play in August) to compete for the region's club championship crown. The tournament has roots dating back to 1962 and has been won by an American team twice: D.C. United (1998) and the LA Galaxy (2000). Last year, Real Salt Lake became the first MLS side to reach the final since LA's victorious 2000 campaign.
KC has twice played in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, reaching the semifinals in 2002 with triumphs over Trinidad & Tobago's W Connection and Mexico's Santos Laguna. Head Coach Bob Gansler returned his team to the tournament in 2005 but fell to eventual champions Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) in extra time during the quarterfinal round.
