The CONCACAF club championship is historically nightmarish for American teams, particularly since it was reborn as the CONCACAF Champions League in 2008. In 60 years, an American team has only won twice: DC United in 1998, then the LA Galaxy two years later.
Since 2006, Mexican teams have won every single year. Occasionally, an MLS team makes it to the semifinals; four times, an MLS team has vied for the continental title, only to inevitably fall short. This year is different. In the quarterfinals, MLS teams held the advantage in all four matchups: The prospect of an all-MLS semifinal was tantalizingly close.