Planning to watch some UEFA Champions League footy this week?
You’re not the only one. And as a ‘Caps fan, you have good reason to be interested with the Blue and White in the midst of their own Champions League campaign.
The UEFA version of the Champions League is one of the most prestigious club soccer competitions in the world – certainly in Europe – and the tournament final is the most-watched annual sporting event worldwide.
There are some juicy Round of 16 matches this week, including Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich (11:30 a.m. PT on TSN2) and Napoli vs. Real Madrid on Tuesday, and Borussia Dortmund vs. Benfica (11:30 a.m. PT on TSN2) and Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Decent lineup…
The winners of these matchups will advance to the quarterfinals. Eventually, the UEFA Champions League winner will represent Europe at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
That’s where it gets interesting for supporters of Whitecaps FC.
The ‘Caps, of course, are also vying for a berth in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup. In fact, they are now one of four teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean) still in contention after qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, where they will face reigning Mexican champions Tigres UANL on March 14 in Monterrey and April 5 at BC Place.
An MLS team has never won the CONCACAF Champions League, and has therefore never competed in the Club World Cup. So the odds are still stacked against Vancouver – and fellow MLS side FC Dallas, who face Mexico’s CF Pachuca in the other semifinal.
One can dream, right?
2016-17 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Teams remaining: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Benfica, Bayern Munich, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, Monaco, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Leicester City
Top scorers: Lionel Messi (10 goals), Edinson Cavani (7 goals), Robert Lewandowski (6 goals), Sergio Aguero (5 goals), Karim Benzema (5 goals)
The tournament final will be played on June 3 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League
Teams remaining: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, CF Pachuca, Tigres UANL, FC Dallas
Top scorers: Hirving Lozano (6 goals), Jose Gonzalez (5 goals), Cristian Techera (5 goals), Oscar Guerrero (4 foals)
The two-leg tournament final will be held between April 19-26.
WIN TICKETS!
Keep an eye on the Whitecaps FC Twitter account during this week’s UEFA Champions League matches for a chance to win tickets to the April 5 semifinal vs. Tigres at BC Place!
