CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Champions League?

[FlashEP]

What if the leagues in the Americas combined together for a Champions League instead of a Champions Cup and Copa Libertadores? Who knows, in time maybe the difficulty level of the tournament could be as challenging as the champions league over in Europe, What's your comment on the subject?

[MoRado]

Sounds nice but it will never happen

[galaxyfan03]

Agree with MoRado!!

It would be AWESOME but the "powers that be" will NEVER go for it, despite the $$$ that would come in!!

Unfortunate but true!!

[Onionsack]

It would suck.

Why do we have to be the only federation in FIFA that can't have their own club championship???!!!??

I would hate it and so would many many south american fans. the only reason it would happen is because COMNEBOL is desparate for Meico and US funding.

[Eric B]

I would hate it and so would many many south american fans. the only reason it would happen is because COMNEBOL is desparate for Meico and US funding.That is the one thing that needs to happen for the oft-proposed CONCACAF/CONMEBOL merger to take place: the US market has to be so lucrative for South American soccer, that the CSF has no choice. Right now, they're getting plenty out of Mexico without having to risk a WC place for one of their 10 members, while there isn't THAT much in the way of"soccer dollars" in the US yet. Yet.

Another thing, is would a merger really benefit the rest of CONCACAF that much? Sure it would give nations like Costa Rica and Honduras a little more competition, but most of the Caribbean nations would become third-class citizens, a la the minnows of Asia, so I doubt that mafia, err voting bloc, would really go for it, especially of the Warner/Blazer Cartel is broken up by then...

[leg_breaker]

Definitely a good idea to merge the two confederations. It could help the smaller concacaf nations if there was a fairer qualifying system where they got more games, and against teams like Brazil and Argentina, rather than being screwed by the current concacaf system which gives them two competitive games every four years.

I mean if the gold cup and copa america are inviting each others' teams, you may as well just have one cup for the whole continent.

[Eric B]

Currently most CONCACAF nations play plenty of games to qualify for the WC, more than almost any other confederation. Trinidad played 18 matches, which is the most of any team going to Germany.

The smaller nations would most likely see less action (a la Asia and Africa's first round match-ups) and it's highly unlikely that they'd get a sniff at the likes of Brazil or Argentina. Personally a united Americas Confed would do a lot for the US and Mexico, but most of the island nations would lose a lot of power and influence unless they maintained their solidarity (thanks to the Warner mafia), and if that were the case, why would the CONMEBOL nations want to give up power to people like that?

[Jay00]

I highly doubt the Mexican and US FA's would want this because they would then lose there guaranteed qualifacations. Playing Uruguay and Peru instead of Canada and Panama would not be something the Confacrap NT's would like. The Central American NT would be finished You really think Costa Rica would qualify over Peru or Chile.

[Eric B]

Problably not CHile this year, but Peru (or was it Bolivia?) was pretty bad this past cycle, so a hot Central American side could surpass some of the more inconsistant South American nations, depending on the qualifying format...

[ty webb]

Combining for qualification would be a TERRIBLE IDEA..... Only the US or Mexico would have a chance to qualify. And, playing in Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Peru would not be easy for Mexico or US either.

Having a EURO type championship every four years would be good for NA and SA.

[galaxyfan03]

Combining for qualification would be a TERRIBLE IDEA..... Only the US or Mexico would have a chance to qualify. And, playing in Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Peru would not be easy for Mexico or US either.

Having a EURO type championship every four years would be good for NA and SA.

Agreed!!

It would be awesome to have a "true" Copa America tournament involving BOTH CONCACAF & CONMEBOL nations. And a "Champions League-style" torunament for club teams from both confederations would be cool, too.

But a "combined" WCQ cycle would not be cool. The WCQ tournaments MUST be kept separate!!

[Onionsack]

I dont see Asia combining with Africa or Europe combining with Asia for their "Champions Leagues".

Why is there this persistant noise about CONCACAF and COMNEBOL uniting for one? I'll tell you why, its because as of yet CONCACAF doesn't have a legitimate and well funded tournement. If we already did it wouldnt be discussed.

CONCACAF needs to build its own tournment. It can be as lucrative and prestigous as any South American copa, it just needs commitment and a stronger US club base.

I would only support a merger of the club compotition if and only if there was no chance or hope of them committing to a reputable CONCACAF club championship.

[Edgar]

Here's an article by Luis Bueno (Sports Illustrated) -> link (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/luis_bueno/03/03/concacaf.champions/index.html)

Crown without a king

Champions Cup is a poor excuse for a tournament

When the European Champions League plays its matches, the world takes notice: A reported 73 million tuned in to the AC Milan-Liverpool final last May. Similarly, South America's Copa Libertadores games grip much of the Western Hemisphere during its five months of action.

But when the top clubs from North, Central America and the Caribbean get together, one key ingredient is nowhere to be found: drama. The annual gathering of the top CONCACAF clubs is laughingly awful and seemingly disrespected by its own participating teams.

Mexican sides don't seem to care about the tournament; reserves commonly battle for supposed regional supremacy. MLS clubs are woken from their months-long slumber and sleepwalk through their matches -- even when they do come around, American clubs still have problems competing. As a result, Costa Rican clubs have become tournament powers simply because the rest of the region is dreadful.

That the tournament winner gets a trip to Japan late in the year is inconsequential. Few, if any, CONCACAF clubs actually deserve to play for the title of the world's top club. The timing of the Club World Championship also disrupts the end of the Mexican league season and would force an American side to continue playing weeks after the season's culmination.

Still, the games painfully continue. On Wednesday, the return legs of the quarterfinal series will be played in Mexico and Costa Rica, respectively. The Los Angeles Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup champions, and runner-up New England Revolution head to Deportivo Saprissa and Alajuelense, respectively. Meanwhile, Mexico's Club América hosts Jamaican side Portmore United and Honduran power Olimpia travels to certain elimination at Toluca.

What will happen, however, will not necessarily be an accurate reflection of the region's power. If Mexican clubs took this tournament seriously, they would win the Champions Cup nine out of 10 times. As it is, Toluca shut down Olimpia in the first leg despite starting seven players who have yet to see first-team action during their domestic campaign. Toluca could enter that particular starting lineup in the Honduran league and walk away with the championship.

A year ago, Pumas tore apart D.C. United 5-0 in a semifinal match at the same time the Mexico City club was suffering through a domestic crisis.

In fact, the tournament means so little to Mexico that in 2002, when Pachuca and Morelia reached the finals, the two clubs decided to scrap the two-leg format in favor of a one-off match. Why suffer through 180 minutes when 90 will suffice? Even then, the match drew scant media attention and was played at a neutral site before 15,000 fans.

Clearly Mexican clubs' priority remains the Mexican league season. Toluca is mired in a month-long slump, not having won a league game since Feb. 1. Yet even the prospect of success in at least one tournament did not entice the Red Devils, and winning down in Honduras didn't turn the team's fortunes, either. Toluca lost 3-2 to Morelia days after its win in San Pedro Sula.

América, meanwhile, also lost after winning its Champions Cup opener, a result that forced the club to strip Victor Manuel Aguado of his coaching duties. The Eagles, however, didn't resort to fielding a second-string side. Eight first-teamers had also started at least once during this regular season. However, key players such as Pavel Pardo and Guillermo Ochoa were healthy and available but didn't play.

Still, without maximum effort over the years, Mexican teams have still won five of the last nine tournaments. In the last four editions, two of the final four clubs were from Mexico. Historically, Mexican teams have combined for 21 CONCACAF Champions Cup titles, more than three times as much as any other nation.

On the international level, Mexico has seen the gap between El Tri and the U.S. national team close. At the club level, however, that gap is as wide as ever. Pumas' handling of D.C. United last year was just the latest example of MLS clubs' shortcomings against Mexican clubs. In the last 11 Champions Cup matchups between Mexican and MLS clubs, Mexican teams have won 10 times. Kansas City's '02 win over Santos is the lone exception to Mexico's dominance.

Whether an MLS club can reach the semifinals and face a potential matchup with a Mexican team remains to be seen. However, the clubs must start scoring goals first -- neither the Revolution nor the Galaxy scored a goal in their home legs.

Costa Rica's Saprissa finished third in last December's Club World Championship, but had to defeat Australian and Saudi Arabian clubs for such an honor. Still, because of winning this same tournament a year ago, Saprissa is the favorite to win this year. Saprissa's home stadium, Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, is a tough venue to get a result from. Last year, Kansas City had the Purple Monster on the ropes, up 1-0 in the 90th minute. But Saprissa scored a goal in stoppage time and another shortly into extra time to advance past the '04 MLS Cup runners-up.

Perhaps Saprissa will walk away with its second consecutive title. Maybe a Mexican team will reclaim the championship. Whoever wins this tournament, though, will certainly not count the title as the highlight of its year.

[Edgar]

There's noise about 2 mergers actually: AFC - OFC and CONMEBOL - CONCACAF.

Confederation - Members - Members with a population > 1 M


AFC 46 40
CAF 53 47
CONCACAF 35 15
CONMEBOL 10 10
OFC 11 2
UEFA 52 44

I won't talk about the AFC-OFC merger, as we're in the CONCACAF forum.

There are several reasons why some people (including myself) fancy a so-called 'Americas' confederation:

1. CONEMBOL has only ten nations and when they ask for more WC spots everyone else says "More places - you already send half your members to the WC!". What's quantity got to do with quality? A merger would allow CONMEBOL to send more of its members to the WC.
2. Mexico and USA always qualify for the WC without breaking a sweat, so the rest of the world always plays down their performance. Qualifying in a confederation with Brazil and Argentina would change all this.
3. CONCACAF has a laughable club competition. No wonder Mexican clubs prefer the Copa Libertadores. More money, more prestige, higher quality of play. Football (or soccer :) ) would get a huge boost in North America.
4. The CONMEBOL club competitions could surely use the money from the US and Mexico markets.
5. The Copa America and the Gold Cup are 2nd and 3rd tier competitions, with many countries sending their 2nd teams or worse not competing at all. And don't get me started on guest teams. :rolleyes: A merged Copa America would be a real treat for football fans and would get a lot of TV and sponsor money. It would be a true rival to the EURO championships. A 16-team tournament with Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, USA, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Colombia, Uruguay etc would be amazing! :cool:

[Soccerprep]

it would be nicer if the gold cup and copa america combined into a sixteen team tournmanet could rival the european championships

Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hondurus, Guatemala, Canada, Jamaica, TandT

or something along those lines. They could set up qualifying stages based on a ranking system

[El Dude Malacopa]

It would suck.

Why do we have to be the only federation in FIFA that can't have their own club championship???!!!??

Because we suck. Concacaf is NOT competitive! Atleast not right now...

Allying with Conmebol for a tournament would only benefit Concacaf, not them. So it's impossible this would happen.

I would hate it and so would many many south american fans. the only reason it would happen is because COMNEBOL is desparate for Meico and US funding.

US funding? When were Conmebol "so desperate" for MLS money?