MIAMI, Fla. (December 18, 2017) – The New York Red Bulls will face Club Deportivo Olimpia from Honduras in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16, as determined by a live draw on Monday night in Miami. New York will travel to Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, for the first leg before hosting at Red Bull Arena.
Club Deportivo Olimpia was the regular season leaders of both the Clausura and Apertura in 2016-17. The Honduran side won the Clausura back in 2015-16 but failed to replicate that success in 2016-17 after getting ousted in the playoffs of both the Clausura and Apertura.
Olimpia are CONCACAF Champions League veterans. The side won the tournament back in 1972 and 1988, while they also made an appearance in the tournament last year only to be eliminated in the group stage. Also, the Honduran powerhouse won the inaugural 2017 CONCACAF League last year to earn themselves a spot in the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
“The New York Red Bulls are proud to represent Major League Soccer in the CONCACAF Champions League once again, and we look forward to an exciting and competitive series against Club Deportivo Olimpia. I know Jesse and our staff will have our team ready to compete, and we know our fans will be ready for the home leg at Red Bull Arena.”
The 2018 edition of the tournament features a new format, with MLS and Liga MX teams advancing directly to the two-legged knockout round stages.
New York will be competing in CONCACAF Champions League for the fourth time in club history. The Red Bulls have accrued an overall record of 3-3-6 and gone as far as the CCL Quarterfinals in 2017. New York advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in club history after defeating both Alianza Futbol Club and Antigua Guatemala Futbol Club in the Group Stage of the tournament.
Red Bulls goalkeepers Ryan Meara and Luis Robles both have extensive experience in the tournament. Meara owns a 2-2-1 mark and three shutouts while Robles is 1-1-3 and has two cleansheets in CCL matches. As a club, New York has tallied 12 total goals in the CCL matches. Ten different Red Bulls have scored in this competition with Sacha Kljestan owning the team lead of two goals.
