The 2021 MLS regular season has become a bit more meaningful, as it will now furnish three of the four clubs that will compete in next season’s Concacaf Champions League.
Faced with the cancellation of the U.S. Open Cup for the second consecutive year, the U.S. Soccer Federation will announce Tuesday that the CCL berth that would’ve been awarded to the winner of the federation’s knockout tournament will go instead to an MLS team based on its regular season performance.
So the U.S.’s 2022 CCL bids will be awarded as follows:
— MLS Cup champion
— MLS Supporters' Shield winner
— First place team in MLS conference opposite the Shield winner
— Next-best MLS regular season record (instead of U.