Sounders FC to Face Mexico's Santos Laguna in CONCACAF Champions League

Sounders FC will host the first leg of the Quarterfinal Round, between March 6-8, on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

RENTON, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC will face Mexico's Santos Laguna in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League. The pairings were determined by a draw held Tuesday at the CONCACAF offices in New York.

Sounders FC will host the first leg of the Quarterfinal Round, between March 6-8, on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field. Santos will host the second leg, between March 13-15, at Estadio Corona in Torreon, Mexico. Competition dates and ticket information will be announced soon.

The Quarterfinal Round winners advance to the two-leg Semifinal Round, which will begin March 27-29 and conclude April 3-5. The final is set to begin April 17-19 and conclude April 24-26.

The Sounders FC-Santos winner will advance to the Semifinal Round to face the winner of L.A. Galaxy-Toronto FC, the only other MLS sides in the tournament.

"We are looking forward to the quarterfinal matchup," said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. "At this stage of the competition it's never going to be an easy draw. Santos will be a difficult opponent but we're looking forward to the challenge and excited we're in this round."

Seattle earned a berth in the Champions League Preliminary Round by virtue of winning the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Seattle advanced to the Group Stage with a 2-1 aggregate win over Panama's San Francisco FC. Sounders FC (3-2-1) finished second in Group D behind reigning Champions League winner CF Monterrey.

Sounders FC have already qualified for the 2012-13 tournament by virtue of winning the 2011 U.S. Open Cup.

Santos is currently fourth in the Mexican Primera Division and advanced to the quarterfinals last year before losing to Cruz Azul, 5-1 on aggregate.

The CONCACAF Champions League is open to the leading teams from federations throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

CONCACAF Champions League
(Home teams listed first)

Quarterfinals

First Leg
March 6-8, 2012
Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. Santos (MEX)
Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs. Pumas (MEX)
Toronto FC (CAN) vs. LA Galaxy (USA)
Morelia (MEX) vs. Monterrey (MEX)

Second Leg
March 13-15, 2012
Santos (MEX) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA)
Pumas (MEX) vs. Isidro Metapan (SLV)
LA Galaxy (USA) vs. Toronto FC (CAN)
Monterrey (MEX) vs. Morelia (MEX)

Semifinals

First Leg
March 27-29, 2012
LA Galaxy-Toronto FC winner vs. Santos-Seattle Sounders winner
Monterrey-Morelia winner vs. Pumas-Isidro Metapan winner

Second Leg
April 3-5, 2012
Santos-Seattle Sounders winner vs. LA Galaxy-Toronto FC winner
Pumas-Isidro Metapan winner vs. Monterrey-Morelia winner

Finals
First Leg
April 17-19, 2012
Monterrey-Morelia/Pumas-Metapan winner vs. LA Galaxy-Toronto FC/Santos-Seattle Sounders winner

Second Leg
April 24-26, 2012
LA Galaxy-Toronto FC/Santos-Seattle Sounders winner vs. Monterrey-Morelia/Pumas-Metapan winner