With their shutout 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Union for the U.S. Open Cup at the close of September, the Houston Dynamo punched their ticket to Champions League competition.
The CONCACAF Champions League makes MLS teams better as they work to close the competition gap between their best and Liga MX, not to mention the strong competition from throughout Central America and the Caribbean.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber has recognized this challenge and how a developing MLS meets it. MLS teams have made runners-up in the league. For 2018, Toronto FC came in second to Guadalajara.