Third Time's the Charm? | Canada's history in Concacaf Champions Cup finals
Could it be third time's the charm for Canadian teams in the Concacaf Champions Cup Final?
Twice, Canadian teams have reached the continental final in the 60 editions of the tournament: CF Montréal in 2015, and Toronto FC in 2018. Twice, they lost to Liga MX teams in painful fashion.
The Vancouver Whitecaps will look to change that history and become the first-ever Canadian side to hoist the trophy when they face Cruz Azul at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City on Sunday, June 1 (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET), live on OneSoccer.
Here is the story of the two other Canadian teams that reached Concacaf club finals:
CF Montréal come within a half of beating Club América in 2014-2015 final
CF Montréal celebrate a goal during the 2015 Concacaf Champions League final against Club América (Photo: USA Today)
The name of both the club and the tournament, as well as its format, may have since changed.
But when the Montréal Impact (now CF Montréal) reached the 2014-15 Concacaf Champions League (now Concacaf Champions Cup) final as the first Canadian team to do so, it was a significant accomplishment.
This was just the second time an MLS side had reached the tournament final since 2000, and in the Concacaf Champions League era of the tournament, which was dominated by Liga MX sides.
Back in those days, Montréal had to qualify for the knockout stages by playing a group stage in 2014. They went undefeated in group action, beating Salvadoran side FAS twice, and with a win and a draw against the New York Red Bulls. Italian international Marco Di Vaio scored four times during that group stage for the Impact.
The most iconic moment of Montréal’s run came in the quarter-final against Pachuca. They drew the LigaMX side 2-2 down in Mexico in the first leg, courtesy of a brace from Dilly Duka. But in the home leg at Olympic Stadium in Montréal, an 80th-minute penalty from Pachuca’s Germán Cano had them on the verge of elimination.
Enter an unlikely hero. In the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Cameron Porter took down a ball over the top, and poked it past the goalkeeper to tie the match 1-1 and win Montréal the matchup on away goals. It remained the American’s only professional goal, and he later retired from the sport at age 24, but still has cult hero status in Montréal as a result.
Il y a 1️⃣0️⃣ ans aujourd'hui et on ressent encore des frissons! 90+3', Calum Mallace trouve Cameron Porter qui marque CE but.
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 3, 2025
The rest is history 💙#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/8WcScnto2f
After surviving against Costa Rican side Alajuelense, again advancing on away goals (4-4) in the semi-final, Montréal came up against another LigaMX giant in the final, Club América. Once again, Montreal handled business down in Mexico, although would have been disappointed not to escape Estadio Azteca with a victory after Oribe Peralta’s 88th-minute equalizer cancelled out Ignacio Piatti’s opener.
In the second leg, in front of a crowd of 61,004 at Olympic Stadium in Montréal, the Impact took the lead in just the eighth minute through Andrés Romero. They held that lead until half-time, and were just 45 minutes away from a continental title. But Argentine international Dario Benedetto had other ideas. His second-half hat-trick, plus another goal from Peralta, secured a 4-2 victory for Club América on the day, and 5-2 on aggregate.
While Montréal wasn’t able to see the result over the line, it was still a historic run, and an early sign of what Canadian clubs were capable of in continental football.
Toronto FC’s 2018 penalty shootout heartbreak in Guadalajara
Sebastian Giovinco in the 2018 Concacaf Champions League Final against Chivas Guadalajara (Photo: USA Today / Orlando Ramirez)
Just 73 days after Toronto FC completed a historic treble by winning the 2017 MLS Cup against the Seattle Sounders, after also winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield and Voyageurs Cup – they were back in action kicking off the 2018 Concacaf Champions League against the Colorado Rapids in the round of 16.
Toronto FC’s journey began with one of the coldest games an MLS club has competed in, with temperatures in Colorado measured at -16 Celsius, and -27 with the wind chill. Toronto FC, however, braved the cold and won 2-0 before holding the Rapids to a scoreless draw back in Toronto.
In the quarter-final, they came up against Tigres UANL and that is truly where the magic started for TFC. Few in attendance at BMO Field on a cold night in March of that year will forget Jonathan Osorio’s 89th-minute backheel winner in a 2-1 first leg victory. That was when this team started to believe they could do something special.
Six days later, they went down to Mexico, and a spectacular Sebastian Giovinco free kick was the dagger as Toronto FC would lose that match 3-2, but win the series on away goals.
Next up was another Liga MX giant, Club América in the semi-final. Once again, Toronto FC delivered a magical night at BMO Field in the first leg. Giovinico, Jozy Altidore and club legend Ashtone Morgan scored to give Toronto a 3-1 victory. In the second leg, Osorio continued his brilliant campaign, scoring early as the Reds drew 1-1.
The final saw Toronto FC come up against historic Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara. In the first leg, at BMO Field, they fell behind early, only for Osorio to again equalize with his fourth goal of the tournament. But Chivas added a critical winner in the 72nd minute on a free kick from Alan Pulido.
Chivas again took the lead early in the second leg at the Estadio Akron, this time through Orbelín Pineda. But both Altidore and Giovinco scored before half-time to tie the series on aggregate. From there, they had many moments to win it, not the least of which a great chance from Mark Delgado in extra time.
But after 195 minutes over two legs had solved nothing between the two sides, they went to penalties. From the spot, Chivas went perfect, while both Osorio and Toronto captain Michael Bradley missed their efforts, handing the Mexican side victory.
That second leg remains the only game that a Canadian side has ever won against LigaMX opposition in Mexico in Concacaf club action – something the Vancouver Whitecaps will look to change on Saturday.
At the time, this was the closest any MLS team had come to winning the competition in the Concacaf Champions League era, before the Seattle Sounders went on to do it in 2022. It is unquestionably the closest a Canadian team has come to winning it all.
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