The New England Revolution of Major League Soccer will advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League without playing a match.
CONCACAF announced Tuesday evening that the Revs’ opponent — AS Cavaly of Haiti — was “unable to obtain the necessary visas required to travel to the United States” for its matches in the tournament. As a result, AS Cavaly is withdrawing from the Champions League, allowing the Revs to move on.
In the quarterfinals of Champions League, New England will face the winner of Pumas UNAM, of Mexico, and Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa. The first leg of that quarterfinal fixture will happen between March 8-10.
The first game in the two-leg matchup between the Revs and AS Cavaly was scheduled for Friday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., followed by the second leg Feb. 22. Both matches are being played in Foxborough due to safety and security concerns in Haiti.
The Revs’ matches against AS Cavaly were supposed to have been the club’s first competitive matches of 2022. Instead, New England will take the pitch for a meaningful game for the first time in its MLS opener on Feb. 26 against the Portland Timbers.
New England, coached by Bruce Arena, won the MLS Supporters’ Shield last season and set a league-record for points with 73.
–Field Level Media