Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports

By MICHAEL PENG

All 24 teams have made their respective 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League debuts after last week and 16 of them will take action again this week in the third matchday of the competition.

Representing MLS this week will be D.C. United and Seattle Sounders, both of which will look to remain perfect in the group stage.

Other prominent clubs such as Tigres UANL, Querétaro and Herediano will also take the pitch hoping to improve their chances of advancing.

Here is a closer look at the CCL matches this week.

TUESDAY

D.C. UNITED VS. MONTEGO BAY, 8 P.M., AT RFK STADIUM

The Eastern Conference-leading D.C. United has taken a bit of stumble in MLS action as of late, dropping back-to-back matches to New York City FC and the San Jose Earthquakes while scoring just one goal in the two losses.

However, D.C. United did pick up a win between those two contests, a 1-0 victory over Arabe Unido in its first match of the CCL last week.

With a match at home against tournament newcomers Montego Bay, who dropped a 3-0 decision to Arabe Unido, Ben Olsen’s club should have a good chance at getting back on track and building some momentum for both the MLS stretch run and the continental tournament.

SAPRISSA VS. SANTOS LAGUNA, 10 P.M., AT ESTADIO RICARDO SAPRISSA

Pako Ayestaran has little time to get accustomed to his new job as Santos Laguna’s head coach.

The Spaniard was hired over the weekend to replace Pedro Caixinha, who resigned after the club’s 2-0 loss on Aug. 15 to Club America in domestic action. Ayestaran was thrown into action right away as his club, the reigning Liga MX champions, picked up a point in a 1-1 result against Monterrey on Sunday.

Ayestaran will lead his side against Costa Rican side Saprissa on Tuesday. Both Santos Laguna and Saprissa picked up a 4-0 win over the other team in Group A, WConnection FC, in their respective CCL openers.

MUNICIPAL VS. SANTA TECLA, 10 P.M., AT ESTADIO MATEO FLORES

The two sides squared off just last Thursday in CCL action and played to a 1-1 draw on goals by home side Santa Tecla’s Giovanni Zavaleta and Municipal’s Johnny Woodly.

Tuesday night will be the return game in Guatemala with both teams looking to take a lead in Group G that also features MLS’ Real Salt Lake.

Municipal will be coming into this contest with slightly more urgency after it dropped a 1-0 decision to RSL on Aug. 4.

WEDNESDAY

SAN FRANCISCO VS. QUERÉTARO, 8 P.M., AT ESTADIO MACARANÁ DE PANAMÁ

Querétaro and San Francisco opened this year’s tournament with Querétaro picking up a 2-0 win at home on goals by Victor Almagro and Emanuel Villa.

Querétaro had a chance to take a commanding lead in Group C in its second CCL match against tournament debutant Verdes FC but was held to a 0-0 draw. Nevertheless, the four points held by the Mexican side are still tops in the groups while Panama’s San Francisco will look to get on the board any way it can at home on Wednesday night.

HEREDIANO VS. TIGRES, 10 P.M., AT ESTADIO ELADIO ROSABAL CORDERO

In one of the better CCL matchups of the week, Costa Rican outfit Herediano and Mexico’s Tigres UANL will face off in Group B action.

Herediano picked up a 3-0 win over Isidro Metápan in the first week of the CCL action on goals by Kenny Cunningham, Randall Azofeifa and Jonathan Hansen.

Tigres, meanwhile, notched a 2-1 victory against the same opponent thanks to a brace by Alonso Zamora.

OLIMPIA VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS, 10 P.M. AT ESTADIO TIBURCIO CARÍAS ANDINO

The Seattle Sounders and Olimpia provided one of the most exciting contests in the CCL so far this season when the two sides squared off at CenturyLink Field last week.

The Sounders fell behind early on Olimpia’s Alberth Elis header in just the fifth minute, but substitute Erik Friberg equalized on a header of his own in the 90th minute before Brad Evans converted a penalty in the 96th to help the Sounders snatch a 2-1 victory at home.

Seattle will look to take a commanding lead in the group with three more points and outlast fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps after the two teams drew 1-1 in their CCL clash. A win for Olimpia on the other hand, will allow the Honduran club to jump right back into the race in Group F.

THURSDAY

COMUNICACIONES VS. CENTRAL FC, 10 P.M., AT ESTADIO CEMENTOS PROGRESO

Both Comunicaciones and Central FC were greeted with a rude welcome to the 2015-16 CCL season by the LA Galaxy last time out.

The two sides were the unfortunate victims of two separate five-goal barrages by the Galaxy, with only Central FC’s Ataulla Guerra managing to get on the other side of the scoresheet in either contests on a penalty-kick goal.

Both sides will get a chance to showcase their skills better in a more competitive matchup Thursday night in Guatemala.

MOTAGUA VS. WALTER FERRETI, 10 P.M., AT ESTADIO TIBURCIO CARÍAS ANDINO

Apart from the Galaxy, reigning CCL champion Club America is the only other club who has picked up six points already in the tournament, and that came at the expenses of Honduras’ Motagua and Nicaragua’s Walter Ferreti.

Motagua was handed a 4-0 defeat by Club America on Aug. 5, while tournament newcomers Walter Ferreti hung in tough against the Mexican outfit last week and conceded only one goal in the 71st minute in an eventual 1-0 loss.

While neither side has a realistic chance of advancing out of Group E, a positive result in the head-to-head matchups can provide some positive takeaways moving forward.