The Red Bulls may be struggling in MLS, but they’re still headed to the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League. Wednesday night they found out the teams they will be facing in Group 3, drawn against Honduras’ CD FAS and the winner of the Canadian Championship between Toronto FC and Montreal.
The Champions League will feature two dozen teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The draw was held Wednesday night in Miami.
The slumping Red Bulls, mired in a four-game winless skid in league play — qualified for the first time since 2009-10 by winning last year’s MLS Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the MLS. They will play each team home-and-away, with the winner in each of the eight groups advancing to the knockout stages, playing for a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Montreal and Toronto FC will contend for the Canadian title in a two-leg series. They faced off in the first leg Wednesday night at BMO Field in Toronto (a 1-1 draw), with the second leg on Saturday night at the Impact’s Stade Saputo. Toronto is led by New Jersey-born former MetroStar Michael Bradley, the U.S. captain.
The Red Bulls also discovered their U.S. Open Cup foe. They will face the NASL New York Cosmos, who earned a fourth-round date with the Red Bulls by beating the NPSL Brooklyn Italians 2-0 Wednesday night at St. John’s University.
The Cosmos will play host to the Red Bulls at 8:30 p.m. on June 14 in Hempstead. The Cosmos re-joined the NASL last year and won the Fall Season championship at 9-1-4.