CONCACAF League Round Up for April 20 - 27

We’re back from the international break and the league action is hot as ever. The clausura seasons are wrapping up across Central America. NWSL had a big week 6, and welcome to the new season, Canada! The Northern Super League kicked off their 2026 campaign. Let’s review.

Week 6 saw last season’s NWSL Cup finalists ‘wake up’ and have the kind of dominant matches they’re capable of. Both the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC finally scored goals. Neither team has looked particularly bereft of the ability in these opening weeks, but the goals weren’t coming. They did this weekend.

Gotham were in control of their match from the get go, and Bay FC never produced attacking threat until the match was long gone. The Spirit were similarly the dominant side in their win over KC, but an early save from Sandy McIver on a Croix Bethune shot played a key role in setting the stage for the Spirit. A lot can happen over the course of a match, but an early deficit may have swung the direction of the match away from the Spirit. Importantly for the Spirit, Leicy Santos, Trinity Rodman, and Claudia Martínez all got on the scoresheet; three players Washington want to see involved in goal production.

The Spirit’s win over Kansas City also puts the spotlight on KC’s poor start to 2026. If I can highlight some notes from Expected Own goals (here & here), KC’s scorelines and record disguise that the fact that the team is probably playing better than it seems, but they’re still not playing well. This puts a lot of attention on Chris Armas, who was always going to look a step down having to take over after the team set the record for the best season in NWSL history. It would be unfair to expect the team to repeat that, but the side still has much of that talent, and it can presumably be molded into a competitive team. Early season performances suggest Armas may not be the one to do that.

Both of the rookies teams had difficult results on the weekend. Denver took a 2-0 lead over San Diego into halftime, only to see that result flipped before the 70’ minute, as the Wave stormed back to win 3-2. It’s a tough loss for the Summit, and a reminder of the pure offensive threat posed by San Diego.

Boston lost to Chicago 2-0 in a match that the xG suggested they should have won 3-1. The Legacy have a good amount of talent on their roster, but a lot of that talent has had little experience in the NWSL. They feel like a team of players getting their footing in the league. This goes for Filipa Patão, the manager, as well. Where I do have concerns is defensively. Patão sets Boston up in a way that can concede a lot of space wide and create gaps centrally when that wide space is exploited. In other leagues, individual talent in defense may be able to handle the risk this creates, but in the NWSL, even the poor teams have solid talent of their own. There are no easy matches as regards the talent on the field in the NWSL.

In the Sunday matches, two late goals from the Portland Thorns ensured a victory over Angel City. The match winner came from Sophia Wilson, her first goal since returning from maternity leave. In the weekend capper, Utah Royals stormed to an early lead, with goals in the 1’ and 7’. Seattle would create some half chances, but Utah continued to be the more threatening team, putting a shot off the post before scoring a third just before half. Seattle’s night went from bad to worse when captain and team legend, Jess Fishlock, had to be stretchered off with an apparent ankle injury. The highlights have the moment in view from the broadcast angle. It’s not fun to watch but difficult to measure seriousness. (Update: early signs say no break but injury could still be serious). The Sunday wins kept Portland in second place and moved Utah Royals up to third.

Highlight of the Week: There were two big goals for individuals this week- Claudia Martínez’s first in the league and Sophia Wilson’s first since 2024. Instead of trying to pick between them, let’s highlight them both.

Perhaps the two most high-profile coaching changes -in Portland and Kansas City- get very different grades in this early stage of the season. Portland sit in second place. KC in fourteenth. Neither team has a firm identity yet, but Portland is producing goals and defensive performances while KC is looking like a group of talented players bereft of a way to approach games.

Aside from San Diego, the teams in top eleven places all have moments where they look capable of being genuine competitors and moments where they struggle. Determining where they’ll land feels difficult to predict. Portland have genuine bona fides from their results. They have wins or draws over Seattle, Angel City, the Spirit, and North Carolina. The Washington Spirit, for their part, have looked a team very unlucky, as they’ve dropped points in matches they’ve dominated. That should turn around.

The final week of the clausura, appropriately, featured the top four in action with each other. I’ve long worried that Monterrey were not as good as they’ve been playing, but after 16 weeks of unproven worry, it was hard to doubt their quality. Well, here we are after week 17, and I have the doubts again. Dropping a 3-0 home loss to your rivals does not inspire confidence, but it’s also not fair of me to dismiss the previous results. Also, Tigres are team that can run up goals, even in an match they don’t otherwise dominate.

Rayadas’s loss was América’s gain, as they moved into first place after a solid 3-2 win over Pachuca. Club América and Tigres probably enter the playoffs as favorites based on experience, as much as anything, but there are a lot of teams in the liguilla that can score goals, and that’s hugely important in a knockout run. Yes, defense sets the stage for victories (yes, I’m looking at you, Toluca), but being able to consistently score goals keeps you turning that defensive foundation into progression.

Despite the finalizing of the liguilla playoffs, the story of the week was the final match of Mazatlán. The franchise will be ceasing operations of it’s men’s and women’s sides with the end of the 2026 Clausura seasons. For a quick primer on what they may mean, Eugene Rupiński has an excellent overview of what we know and what we can glean from similar circumstances with previous teams. It is a sad, and all too common experience for women’s teams to fold

Highlight of the Week: For the highlight of the week, we’ll go with Saldivar’s sliding touch that would ultimately prove the winner and goal that put América on top at the end of the clausura regular season.

Juarez confirming their playoff spot aside, the two top-four encounters saw the winners move up a place and the losers drop a place. All remained in the top four, but seeding changed and could be important in the playoffs.

The Pachuca vs Chivas matchup is probably the most difficult to predict. As always, if Toluca can get their defense to play half-way consistently, they can outscore anyone in the league, but it’s difficult to see them suddenly finding their stability against Tigres.

Quarterfinal first legs kick off April 29 & 30. Return legs May 2 & 3.

The rematch of the league final highlighted the Northern Super League’s opening week of the 2026 season. Toronto started the match strongly, creating a number of dangerous chances, though they were only able to score on one of them. Vancouver would work their way back into the match, and the Rises new Colombian signing, Camila Reyes, would equalize on a blast from the top of Toronto’s box. Vancouver would complete their comeback minutes before the halftime whistle on a goal that should have been saved by Toronto keeper, Cote-Yarde. But Toronto would turn the tables, again, in the second half with two goals from set pieces to snag the 3-2 win. The match winner was scored by Esther Okoronkwo, who was easily the most dangerous player throughout, finding runs in the half-spaces and getting to the end line, cutting back for teammates. Okoronkwo getting the match winner was well deserved.

Halifax and Montreal got off to good starts with wins in their respective matches. Halifax were the stronger side a good match against Ottawa, and Montreal withstood some early pressure from Calgary before finding a lead in the first half that they put to bed in the second half.

Highlight of the Week: Although it may not have been the most amazing of goals, we’re gonna highlights Okoronkwo’s winner since she was arguably the player of the week in the NSL.

After one week, it is difficult to say much, but Toronto will be happy to open the 2026 season with a win over the team that beat in the 2025 final. Similarly, Halifax will enjoy sitting at the top of the table to start the season.

Alajuelense continue to dominate the league, remaining perfect on the season with their 1-0 over Herediano. The visitors were coming off a surprise victory over Dimas Escazú, but they couldn’t keep that win streak going. In the second match of the week, Alajuelense jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, only to see that lead overturned from two goals in quick succession by Sporting FC, but the league leaders found a winner in the 79’ to maintain their perfect record for the clausura. The two victories also mean Alajuelense are mathematically certain to reach the playoffs as a top-4 finisher.

Sporting FC’s fightback might inspire confidence in the rest of the teams that Alajuelense are human, but turning that into an actual victory is yet to be seen. Saprissa are another team that had a good stretch of matches, getting two road wins over Dimas Escazú and Moravia. Saprissa have solidified their hold on second place and are all but mathematically assured a playoff spot.

Dimas Escazú and Municipal Pococí have the biggest fight with the final two matches, as they are both on 15 points and have near similar goal differentials. Their battle for 4th (into which Sporting FC can be dragged if not careful) is the main storyline remaining for the final three match weeks of the clausura.

Highlight of the Week: Sadly, I can’t find highlights of the Sporting v Alajuelense match, so I’ll go with Alajuelense’s winner over Herediano. The rivalry may not be as competitive in the women’s game, but it’s a rivalry nonetheless.

Municipal Pococí, Dimas Escazú, and Sporting all have tricky matches in their final three fixtures, including matches amongst themselves, against Saprissa, and against Alajuelense. None of the teams can be thought of has a shoe in for the final playoff spots, but Sporting is definitely in the driver’s seat for a third or forth place finish.

The big match for week 13 saw league leaders, Rayadas host second-placed Santa Fe. Despite playing at home, Santa Fe had the better of the chances and were able to snag the win with a goal just before half time. Rayadas pushed for an equalizer late, but they couldn’t find a goal. Rayadas de Chiriquí have a rough return from the international break, hosting Santa Fe mid-week then travelling to Chorrillo at the weekend. This was only the second loss of the season for the league leaders, and they can quickly rebound against the defending champs, but that’s easier said than done. With one week remaining in the regular season and the top two teams getting byes to the semifinals, Rayadas have a goal difference that will likely ensure they finish in the top two, but dropping to second could produce a more difficult path in the playoffs.

The other two matches of note involve the two teams battling for sixth place and the final spot for the playoffs. Fifth-placed UMECIT traveled to sixth-placed Tevi Coclé and handled business. Inter CF travelled to seventh-placed Atlético Nacional and put up five unanswered goals. In the end, Tevi Coclé continue to hold the last playoff spot, and they’ve got the easier matchup for the final match day, so they’re the favorites to hold their lead over Atlético Nacional, but they will have to be

Highlight of the Week: Travelling to the league leaders and snagging a big win deserves recognition, so we’ll highlight Vanesa Santana’s winner for Santa Fe over Rayadas de Chiriquí.

Week 14 wrapped the regular season. At the top of the table, seeding was the primary prize up for grabs. The other prize was the sixth, and final, playoff spot.

At the top, the key fixture saw first-placed Rayadas travel to Chorrillo. The league leaders twice took the lead and twice got pegged back. Then, in the 78’, Kayra Pérez was played through on goal, and she calmly slotted home the winner for the hosts.

With a 16-0 drubbing of EFRE by Santa Fe, this meant Rayadas de Chiriquí slipped to second place in the standings, replaced at the top by Santa Fe. Rayadas still get a bye to semifinal round of the playoffs, but their inability to beat any of the other top-four teams should raise concern.

In the battle for sixth place, Tevi Coclé gave up an early lead to Panamá Norte, but they quickly equalized and tacked on 3 more goals to take a 4-1 lead into half. They would end the match 6-3 winners, solidifying their place in the playoffs. This left Atlético Nacional’s visit to UMECIT moot, as the visitors could no longer make the playoffs, but they lost the match 4-0 for good measure.

Highlight of the Week: With a lot wrapped up heading into week 14, will highlight the Kayra Pérez winner for Chorrillo in their comeback win over Rayadas de Chiriquí. Both teams go into the playoffs with the belief that they win it all, but the Pérez goal sends Chorrillo on riding a victory.

The top four have done little to separate themselves from each other, and all four have a good shot at winning the clausura title. Rayadas de Chiriquí should definitely have some concerns coming into the playoffs, as they lost back-to-back matches to Santa Fe and Chorrillo. Both were tight matches, so they could go differently on another day, but

For Santa Fe, they’ll be happy the finished the league in first place, but it puts them in a likely semifinal match with Chorrillo, who have beaten them in the final of the last two tournaments. This may be a chance to redeem themselves, or it could see them ousted once more.

The exact days/times of the playoffs have not been finalized, but the action should be fun. It’s hard to see Inter CF and Chorrillo failing to reach the semis, but once the semifinal action starts, the results get far less predictable.

Quarterfinals kick off April 28.

The higher-seeded teams won out in all four quarterfinals. Cacahuatique’s first-leg draw with Municipal Limeño gave hope of an upset, but the return leg was dominated by Limeño and went as expected. The fixture with the most uncertainty feature CD FAS and Zacatecoluca. FAS, in the end, were able to snag 3-1 win a home. The winning goal, harsh on Zacatecolua, came from an overhit long ball that took an awkward bounce and soared over Zacate’s keeper and into the net.

The return leg also proves to be Zacatecoluca’s final match for the foreseeable future. Their men’s team have been relegated, so they are no longer required to field a women’s team and there isn’t a second division for the women’s team to move to. The future of the Zacatecoluca women’s team is unknown, and the players will be looking for new opportunities with other squads.

Highlight of the Week: Since it may prove the side’s last goal, we’re going to highlight Gabriela Mejía’s goal for Zacatecoluca to even the score in first-half stoppage time.

With the top seeds all advancing, we get a showdown between Municipal Limeño and Inter FA in the semifinal stage. Inter FA lost twice to Municipal Limeño in the regular season, so Inter FA will have to finally break that trend to reach the final. Alianza are likely to have a smoother run to the final, facing CD FAS. FAS generally have a stout defense, but it’s not likely stout enough to hold out over two legs.

Semifinals kickoff on April 29, and the return legs are are May 2.

The final round of the regular season in Guatemala had little to play for, as all of the playoff teams were already solidified, and most of the positions were known as well. The big fixture of the week saw Cremas beat Xelajú to ensure they finished in 5th place. This gives them an easier quarterfinal matchup, but it also means they’ll face Cuilco sooner. Of course, if we’re being honest, anyone seeking to win the title will likely have to go through Cuilco, so maybe it’s better to get it over with sooner than later.

Highlight of the Week: Cremas were a danger down the left flank the entire match. It started early, as we’ll highlight the opening goal a minute into the match, but this wasn’t even the side’s first dangerous attack down the left flank.

Cuilco enter the playoffs on a perfect record, and they could easily see that through to the final and the title. Huehuetecas and Municipal can provide genuine competition for Cuilco, but it’s still hard to see Cuilco losing over two legs at any stage. Unifut have the most history in this department, having won the most championships (20), but their last title was the 2024 Clausura, so relying on old glory may not get them very far.

The playoffs kickoff with first-leg action of the quarterfinals on April 29th and April 30th.