CONCACAF Seattle Sounders vs. NYCFC

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Two of the top clubs in Major League Soccer begin a 180-minute quest to become just the fifth MLS representative to advance to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League.

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The semifinal series survivor between NYCFC and the Seattle Sounders will then attempt to become the first MLS club to win the competition in its revamped format.

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The 2022 Champions League knockout bracket has produced an MLS vs. Liga MX final with two MLS semifinalists on one side of the bracket, and two from Liga MX on the other.

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Mexico City clubs Pumas UNAM and Cruz Azul are tangling in the opposite semifinal (Pumas has a 2-1 first-leg advantage).

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Heading into the semifinal first leg between the MLS sides, it's Seattle looking like the side that's thriving at the moment,

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with an increasingly healthy squad and three positive league results in a row that have helped put two opening 1-0 league losses in the rearview mirror.

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On the other hand, it's been a grueling start to the season for NYCFC, which has had to travel to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Toronto in the first six weeks of the campaign.

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The defending MLS Cup champions have struggled to duplicate last season's consistently fearsome attack, and a battered defense hasn't been able to hold up.

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NYCFC have lost their last three matches in a row, including two in MLS play.

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That streak includes the 4-2 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal second-leg defeat to Comunicaciones that saw the Pigeons barely squeak into the tournament semis.

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Now, with another west coast trip, the team must pick itself up to avoid falling behind early in the two-legged series.

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