The midweek action in Americas football was fantastic, as the Copa Libertadores finalized its group stage spots and the CONCACAF Champions Cup continued to deliver dynamic matchups. Here is your look at all the excitement.
Barcelona SC’s Upset of Botafogo Highlights Copa Libertadores Third Stage
The Copa Libertadores third-stage ties wrapped up, with every game finished within a single-goal margin. The highlight of the round was Barcelona SC’s stunning 2-1 aggregate win over Botafogo. After managing only a draw at home, Barcelona traveled to Brazil and took an early lead, holding on for dear life from there. The stat line was shocking after Milton Celiz scored in the 8th minute. Barcelona parked the bus as Botafogo controlled 81% of possession and fired 21 shots, though most were ineffective.
Barcelona’s Venezuelan manager, Cesar Farias, said of the result: “I don’t know what chances we have (in the Libertadores), but we’re going to keep fighting now.” While Ecuador’s Liga Pro is a financial minnow compared to Brazil’s, the country has produced top performances from multiple teams, including LDU Quito last year and Independiente Del Valle.
Joining Barcelona in the group stage are two Colombian sides: Independiente Medellin and Deportes Tolima. Medellin, a team struggling in the Liga Betplay Dimayor, got a late winner from Francisco Fydriszewski in the 82nd minute at home, as El Poderoso slipped past Juventud from Uruguay 3-2 on aggregate.
Tolima overturned O’Higgins’ first-leg lead in Chile, prevailing 2-1 on aggregate at home thanks to a late winner from Juan Torres. While not as famous as other Colombian teams, the Pijao from Ibague have consistently been a strong force in Colombia’s Ligabetplay Dimayor in recent seasons.
The final team to reach the group stage is Peru’s Sporting Cristal, arguably the third biggest team in Peru historically. Cristal needed a penalty shootout to defeat Venezuela’s Carabobo, winning 3-2 on penalties after the teams tied 2-2 on aggregate. Cristal’s progression came the hard way, as both teams lost at home, but Cristal was a bit better from the spot.
A Look at the Libertadores Group Stage
With Argentina and Brazil both failing to add an extra team to the field, there will be six Argentine teams—including Boca Juniors, Rosario Central, and Lanus—in the Libertadores group stage. Brazil will send seven teams, and they are heavy favorites to win the title again (with Flamengo and Palmeiras leading the charge).
Colombia now ranks third in terms of most teams in the Libertadores, with all four of their qualified teams—including Junior de Barranquilla—reaching the group stage. Ecuador will send three teams, including Barcelona. Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela will send two each, while Peru is the other nation sending three. This may not completely define the relative strength of each CONMEBOL league, but it is a point of pride for Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador to be competitive in the “best of the rest” category.
The draw for the 2026 Copa Libertadores will take place on March 19th. The group stage begins on April 8th.
Sao Paulo FC Sacks Hernan Crespo
Sao Paulo FC, a team currently enduring financial challenges, sacked manager Hernan Crespo, the former Argentine great. Crespo’s team was not considered elite in Brazilian football, but with a large fanbase and a demanding board, the club still believes it can return to that level. Roger Machado will replace Crespo; his last job was at Internacional. Surprisingly, Sao Paulo has started strong in the Brasileiro, and they will compete in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. A number of Brazilian clubs have already changed managers, including Flamengo.
MLS Looks Impressive in CONCACAF Champions Cup R16
San Diego FC, playing with 10 men for almost the entire game, were brave and prevailed 3-2 at home over Liga MX champions Toluca. SDFC scored three times after going 1-0 down, but a late handball allowed Toluca to grab one more goal in the dying minutes. While a 3-2 lead is not enough to feel confident heading to Mexico, it’s clear that this young MLS side is one of the best on the continent and has the firepower to defeat a Toluca team that just lost star midfielder Marcel Ruiz to a serious ACL injury.
While SDFC’s 3-2 triumph was historic, other MLS clubs also looked strong.
The LA Galaxy thumped Mount Pleasant from Jamaica 3-0. The Jamaican team had 10 players fail to obtain U.S. visas, and they were missing from the game. LAFC were made to battle against Alajuelense; a 1-1 draw at home, despite dominating the run of play, means they will have to fight to prevail in Costa Rica.
In an MLS vs. MLS matchup, the Seattle Sounders romped to a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps with a great second half. The away goals rule means the Whitecaps need to score at least three goals in Seattle without conceding. Lionel Messi and Co. were neutralized in Nashville, as that game ended scoreless between Inter Miami and Nashville SC.
FC Cincinnati benefited from Tigres UANL’s travel issues. Coming off a Clasico Regio triumph, Tigres had high hopes, but veteran goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman had a poor night, and FC Cincinnati won 3-0 at home. Tigres was unable to travel until the day of the game, and the veteran team arrived in poor condition in Ohio.
While Club America will be happy with their 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union in the United States, Monterrey Rayados continue to crash out under new manager Nico Sanchez. Leading 2-1 at home for most of the game, Rayados goalkeeper Santiago Mele was red-carded in the 80th minute for striking a Cruz Azul player. With Rayados out of substitutes, long-serving Colombian defender Stefan Medina had to don the goalkeeper’s kit and stand in goal. He couldn’t save the ensuing penalty, and then Nico Ibanez scored the dagger in the 90th minute against a 10-man Rayados side with no goalkeeper. Cruz Azul won 3-2 at Estadio BBVA and are confident they will reach the quarterfinals.
Cruz Azul are currently top of the Liga MX table, while Rayados, Club America, and Tigres are arguably competing for the final spots in the liguilla playoffs. America will be without the services of Mexico international Luis Angel Malagon in goal, as Malagon tore his Achilles.
Call-Ups Loom for CONMEBOL National Teams
The March international window in two weeks features plenty of CONMEBOL action. Brazil will face France and Croatia in the United States. Uruguay takes on England at Wembley and Algeria in Italy. Paraguay will play Greece in Piraeus and Morocco in France. Ecuador will travel to the Netherlands to play the Dutch and Spain (facing Morocco in Spain). Argentina’s plans were upended by the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, with their “Finalissima” against Spain unsettled in terms of location and whether it will happen at all.
Peru will take on Senegal in France and Honduras in Spain. Chile travels to New Zealand to take on OFC’s top team, as well as Cape Verde. Venezuela will travel to Uzbekistan to face the World Cup-qualified nation and Trinidad and Tobago.
Many of these clashes look like some of the best international football has to offer. While Colombia will enjoy significant home support in their U.S. friendly matches, Brazil facing two European giants, Uruguay taking on a top England team, and the two battles Ecuador has lined up in Europe are must-watch games. Brazil just lost Rodrygo for the World Cup qualifiers, meaning manager Carlo Ancelotti will have to look for new options.
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
