And then there were two.
LAFC and Nashville SC are the last MLS teams standing in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, progressing past LIGA MX foes into the semifinals.
They're now three games away from potentially becoming CCC champions, a title only the 2022 Seattle Sounders own from the MLS ranks (modern iteration).
LIGA MX opponents await during the next round, in a competition that has proven decisively difficult for MLS teams over the years.
But with what LAFC and Nashville showed in the quarterfinals, especially in Mexico, there's hope that one can go the distance and raise the CCC trophy on May 30.
Quarterfinals
LAFC advanced 4-1 on aggregate past Cruz Azul, eliminating the defending CCC winners.
It all started with a resounding 3-0 home victory in Leg 1, when Son Heung-Min opened the scoring and David Martínez bagged a must-see brace.
The rising Venezuelan international drew plaudits from head coach Marc Dos Santos postgame at BMO Stadium, who said his style "reminds me of UEFA Champions League."
"If you guys would see training, for me it’s normal," Dos Santos said of the 20-year-old winger. "I see these plays in training.
"I see sometimes when we’re doing a certain exercise … in these plays when he has space in front of him, he goes and it's fantastic to watch. He has this quality. David is strong. He seems little, but he’s really strong when he has the courage behind him and he puts his body."
Facing a desperate Cruz Azul in Leg 2, LAFC got an eight-save performance from Hugo Lloris and a late Denis Bouanga penalty kick in the 1-1 draw at Estadio Cuauhtémoc.
The Black & Gold were outshot 32-6 and withstood wave after wave of pressure from La Maquina. But from Lloris' calm presence to Son's pressing, their defense showed why it's elite.
"[Son's] not only a humble player, today he defended as if his life depended on it," Dos Santos said. "He has no ego, he works very hard for the team, and, of course, for a team like LAFC to have a player like Son attracts lots of fans. He has a strong image, and he’s an important player.
"But today, if we talk about 'cracks' - we spoke about the crack David Martínez last week. Today, the crack was French. Today, the crack was Hugo. He was huge today; he was important for us as well."
Up next
Things won't get any easier for LAFC in the semifinals, with Toluca FC also advancing.
The back-to-back LIGA MX champions have eliminated MLS teams in consecutive rounds – starting with San Diego FC (6-3 on aggregate) in the Round of 16 before ousting the LA Galaxy (7-2 on aggregate) in the quarterfinals.
Led by Portuguese international and CCC joint-top scorer Paulinho (six goals), Toluca entered the tournament among the favorites. They've proven deserving of that take and scored in bunches in the altitude of Estadio Nemesio Díez.
Tournament results
- Round One: 7-1 aggregate vs. Real España (Honduras)
- Round of 16: 3-2 aggregate vs. LD Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
- Quarterfinals: 4-1 aggregate vs. Cruz Azul (Mexico)
Quarterfinals
Let this sink in: Nashville SC are the first MLS team to win at Estadio Azteca.
That's a massive accomplishment from B.J. Callaghan's side, which earned a 1-0 victory at LIGA MX giants Club América in Leg 2 on Tuesday evening.
The Mexico City venue has been a house of horrors for countless MLS teams over the years. But Nashville made history with Hany Mukhtar's 51st-minute strike, the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP stunning Las Águilas.
"A lot of big players, big teams played here and Nashville SC we made history for our club in this stadium," Mukhtar said postgame.
"I can't give more credit to the guys. It's hard, altitude, all these excuses. But we don't want excuses. We fight, and today we fought."
Nashville used a similar formula in the Round of 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, drawing 0-0 at home in Leg 1 before getting an all-crucial away goal in Leg 2.
Cristian Espinoza was the hero against Lionel Messi-led Miami, then Mukhtar stepped up vs. the seven-time CCC champions.
Callaghan framed things through a big-picture lens, recognizing Nashville only entered MLS in 2020.
“Any time you play against a team that's historical, with the history of Club América, a team that's elite in this region, these are the teams that we want to measure ourselves against," said Callaghan.
"We are a young club, we're an ambitious club, and we're writing our chapter 7 here. This will be one part of that story as we continue to advance through this tournament and continue to try and build our own legacy as a club, being a young club, but not shying away from being ambitious."
Up next
After slaying one LIGA MX giant, Nashville will face another in Tigres UANL.
The Mexican side has defeated MLS teams in the last two rounds, first completing an epic comeback against FC Cincinnati (5-4 aggregate) in the Round of 16. Then, they scored an away goal in Leg 2 of the quarterfinals vs. Seattle Sounders FC to advance on tiebreakers (3-3 aggregate).
Will Nashville and their star trio of Mukhtar, Espinoza and Sam Surridge stop Tigres in their tracks? The likes of Juan Brunetta, Ángel Correa and Ozziel Herrera are on the other side.
Tournament results
- Round One: 7-0 aggregate vs. Atlético Ottawa (Canada)
- Round of 16: 1-1 aggregate vs. Inter Miami CF
- Quarterfinals: 1-0 aggregate vs. Club América (Mexico)
