This is the 25th edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and it is a trophy that has gone to Mexican clubs 20 times. LA Galaxy opened the 21st century with a win over Honduran side Olimpia to bring the United States its first cup. Alajuelense brought the cup to Costa Rica in 2004, and Deportivo Saprissa kept the cup with the Ticos the next year. Then it returned to Mexico until 2022 when the Seattle Sounders beat Pumas. Club America has won the trophy eight times, more than any other club, but they have a nine-year title drought going. We’re in the middle of the first round as several matches from the first leg have already taken place, with the others set for later this week.
We have a CONCACAF Champions Cup betting preview for the remainder of the first leg ready to go for you.
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Top Picks for Leg 1
Read on to get the full schedule for the remainder of Leg 1 as well as our top picks.
Colorado Rapids (+185) vs LAFC (+145) (Draw +260)
When: Tuesday, February 18, 10:00 am ET
Champions Pick: LAFC to win
The Rapids enter with a five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. LAFC rides in on the momentum of their U.S. Open Cup victory. For Colorado, Rafael Navarro was the leading scorer in MLS play last season. The last time the Rapids met LAFC, they were not able to find the back of the net, and Navarro and the rest of the offense will have to make a more concerted run at scoring this time.
Olivier Giroud has shown that he can find space and exploit the back line of opposing teams as part of the French men’s national team. He comes to LAFC looking to take advantage of the comparatively easier defenses in the American first division. LAFC trounced Colorado in the semifinal of the Leagues Cup, 4-0. The two teams have met 13 times previously, while Colorado have only managed victories four times. This is a moneyline that gives Colorado a lot of credit; I see LAFC maintaining control of this rivalry.
LAFC to win.
^CS Herediano (+140) vs Real Salt Lake (+185) (Draw +255)
When: Wednesday, February 19, 6:30 pm ET
Champions Pick: LAFC to win
Real Salt Lake head to Costa Rica’s Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero for this Wednesday affair – a nice trip to take given that the United States appear to be caught in a deep freeze during the middle of this week. This sides have not met since 2012, when the two sides played to a clean sheet in Salt Lake after Herediano eked out a 1-0 win at home. Both sides come in with extended winless streaks; Herediano have won four and drawn two over their last six while Real Salt Lake have drawn four and won two. Herediano won on Sunday, 1-0, over Cartagines in domestic league play; Real Salt Lake drew Minnesota United on the road in their last competitive match back in November. One difference between the two teams’ competition is that Herediano have been back at competitive play for a while now while Real Salt Lake are just wrapping up their preseason schedule.
Home has been a friendly place for Herediano as of late; they have a six-game winning streak going in front of their fans. Real Salt Lake have just one win in their last six road games, a 1-0 nailbiter over the San Jose Earthquakes back in October. Asking a rebuilding team to go on the road and take on such a consistent home side is a difficult chore, to be sure.
Herediano to win.
^Sporting KC (+150) vs Inter Miami (+170) (Draw +260) (8:00 pm ET)
When: Wednesday, February 19, 6:30 pm ET
Champions Pick: Inter to win
This match was originally set for Tuesday night but has been moved to Wednesday because of a snow forecast for Kansas City on Tuesday. The weather forecast has the high temperature of the day at 5 degrees Fahrenheit with the low dropping to -2. The wind chill will make the conditions considerably colder. The field does have a heating system that will keep the surface from freezing, but it won’t do anything for people on the field.
These odds are interesting given the disparity between the two teams. Inter Miami won the 2024 Supporters’ Shield for having the best record in MLS in 2024. Sporting KC got to the final of the U.S. Open Cup, and since the other finalist, LAFC, already had a CONCACAF Champions Cup slot locked up, getting to the final was enough. In that US Open Cup, Sporting only beat one MLS team (FC Dallas). The rest of Sporting’s wins came against lower-division competition. This year, Sporting are in the midst of the rebuild. Elite goalkeeper Tim Melia? Gone. Captain and fan favorite Johnny Russell? Gone. Designated Player Alan Pulido? Sold back to his club. In this off-season, Sporting have seen nine players go and have brought in eight new players as part of a three-window rebuild. They did add their new #9 and #10 in Dejan Joveljic and Manu Garcia as Designated Players, so they could be good, once they mesh together.
We don’t know if Lionel Messi will dress for Inter. He played 75 minutes against Orlando City SC in a preseason match on Friday, so this is a quick turnaround. But do Inter need Messi to beat Sporting? They’ve beaten Sporting before with Messi on the bench. They still have Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Even with the cold coming, it’s hard to see Sporting even managing a draw here. Take advantage of this value.
Inter to win.
^Antigua GFC (+300) vs Seattle Sounders (-115) (Draw +280) (8:00 pm ET)
CD Motagua (+230) vs FC Cincinnati (+105) (Draw +290) (10:00 pm ET)
Thursday, February 20
Deportivo Saprissa vs Vancouver Whitecaps (8:00 pm ET)
^Champions Cup Bets provided by Xbet
CONCACAF Champions Cup Round 1 Bets: Futures and Props for the Week
As with just about every major soccer competition, there is a wide variety of prop bets available on each match. In addition to wagering on the outcome of the match itself, you can also wager on such props as the halftime score, the margin of victory (there is a goal spread, much like the point spread available in other sports). You can also bet on whether a game will go over or stay under a particular goal total. You can even pick whether a player will score the first goal of the game or simply score at all (Olivier Giroud of LAFC is a particularly promising pick as an anytime goal scorer in his side’s first-round matchup with Colorado).
As far as futures are concerned, we have the odds to win the Cup for each team below, and we also have some thoughts about some of the sides if you’re thinking about that as a wager.
Odds to Win the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round 1 Bets
Odds to win this title are still forthcoming on sportsbooks. For the meantime, though, let’s look at some results as some of the first leg is complete.
First Round
Teams with byes: Columbus, Cavalier, Alajuelense, Club America, L.A. Galaxy
Quarterfinals update
Tigres UANL d. Esteli, 3-1 on aggregate, await Cincinnati-Motagua winner
Cruz Azul d. Real Hope, 7-0 on aggregate, await Seattle-Antigua winner
L.A. Galaxy (bye) await RSL-Herediano winner
Guadalajara Chivas d. Cibao, 4-1 on aggregate, face Club America (bye)
UNAM Pumas d. Cavalry, 3-2 on aggregate, face Alajuelense (bye)
Monterrey d. Forge, 5-0 on aggregate, await Deportivo Saprissa-Vancouver winner
Cavalier (bye) await Inter Miami – Sporting KC winner
Columbus Crew (bye) await LAFC-Colorado winner
^Could an MLS Side Win this Time Around? | Do the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round 1 Bets Back it?
Remember, the Columbus Crew knocked off Tigres UANL and Monterrey before falling off the table against Pachuca. Obviously, Inter Miami have the best chance here. They have the most talented roster in MLS, and they have terrific depth and experience together. Their draw also keeps them away from Liga MX’s biggest opponents until the semifinal at least.
There’s LAFC to consider, though. That second-round matchup with the Crew will be a terrific match. While they sold Mateusz Bogusz and Omar Campos to Cruz Azul, they brought in Odin Thiago Holm and Igor Jesus. The Black and Gold got to the final of this tournament in 2023, losing to Club Leon. They just beat Club America in a friendly this week, 2-1, showing that LAFC are not resting on their Leagues Cup laurels.
^¡Dos asistencias clave para asegurar el pase a Octavos! ⚽️
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) February 17, 2025
Gran nivel de Óliver Torres 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Nnd9hlwmvx
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