Tigres UANL vs. Real Salt Lake | CONCACAF Champions League Match Preview

Feb. 24, 8 pm ET (FS2)
Tigres UANL vs. Real Salt Lake
Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico
2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, first leg

Real Salt Lake can take the first step in erasing the memory of their most disappointing MLS season in nearly a decade when they take on Liga MX’s Tigres UANL in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. Last year, RSL missed out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, failing to post more than 50 points for the first time in that span, but still have the 2015-16 CCL to hang their hats on thanks to their group-stage championship secured late last year.

To get back on track, RSL brought striker Yura Movsisyan back to the team after a several-year European journey, hoping to spark an attack that frequently sputtered in 2015. Movsisyan didn’t score in one of RSL’s final tune-ups to the Tigres matchup, but the team certainly found a goalscoring touch in a 3-3 draw with New England on Wednesday in Arizona thanks to goals from Javier Morales, Jamison Olave and Olmes Garcia, despite going down a man in the first half.

Tigres, the current Liga MX champions thanks to a spending spree in 2015 that brought in Javier Aquino, Jurgen Damm and Andre-Pierre Gignac, currently sit in fifth place six games into the current Clausura, having posted a 3-1-2 record going into their Friday matchup with fellow CCL participant Queretaro. 

Team Guides

• Real Salt Lake:Can RSL recapture magic from historic 2010-11 CCL run?
• Tigres UANL: Are Tigres CCL favorites?

Pick 'Em

"As lovely as it would be for Real Salt Lake to overcome the other Monterrey side, this Tigres is probably one of the best North American teams I’ve seen in the last three years." -- Diego Pinzon

"Yes, Tigres are stacked. But in a two-game series against attackers like RSL’s, this will turn into a shootout decided at Rio Tinto." -- Simon Borg

CCL News & Analysis

• MLS solidarity in CCL? Not so fast, say some supporters
• Got #CCLFever? Take our Champions League quiz
• CCL Opponent Watch: No winners in Liga MX in leadup to quarters
• Trophy wars: Which continental trophy would you like to lift?
• How much to MLS and Liga MX styles of play differ?
• Who are the best players to play in both MLS and Liga MX?
• #MLS4RSL: Re-living RSL's historic 2010-11 CCL run
• Is a third series win for MLS teams vs. Liga MX in the cards?
• How to watch and follow the CCL quarterfinals
• Should we expect MLS teams to get results in Mexico?
• What is the CCL and why does it matter?