The qualifying teams and group stage teams still have to be sorted, but the field is nearly set. Draw will be June 11th. Just waiting on Canada (starts today) and Nicaragua. (*) -Teams that have qualified for the group stage.
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=3190 ------- The Nutrilite Canadian Championship kicks off 27 May at the new Stade Saputo in Montréal as the Impact host Toronto FC. On 17 June, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC will visit Montréal and on 25 June the Impact will play the return match at Swangard Stadium. The last three matches then take place in July: the Canada Day tilt between the Whitecaps at Toronto FC at BMO Field (1 July), the return match with Toronto FC visiting Vancouver (9 July), and the final match featuring the Impact at Toronto FC (22 July). -------- so the CCL draw will take place before the "Canadian Representative" is determined. wonder what the chances are that TFC can't come out victorious in this competition against the Canadian USL sides. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Canadian_Championship
That's kinda weird. Any idea when the Nicaraguan rep will be determined? I dunno...I'd give them a good chance 'cause they are playing well at the moment (though not solid IMHO). In the long term, they may dominate this if MLS does indeed pick off the best of the USL teams, thereby weakening the USL league (and assuming those USL sides stay USL). I'd expect TFC to get in this year, but I don't think they'll dominate this lil tournament.
I don't think it's that weird. A lot of times draws are set before specific teams are set. They'll just draw a generic "Canadian team" lot rather than a specific team name. In fact, it's quite possible that a bunch of the teams won't be set as some leagues still need to have playoffs to determine which rep goes to the group stage and which goes to the prelim round. It's not really any different from saying that the USMNT will play against the "winner of the Barbados-Dominica winner" in the Wold Cup Qualifying.
FAS of El Salvador is not yet qualified, so there are still 3 spots up for grabs. http://concacaf.com/view_article.aspx?id=4181
Does anybody know the format for this competition? Will it be six groups of four teams playing home and home? Does that mean four 3rd-place finishers advance to the next round? Or two second-place finishers?
Never mind. I found the answer myself: Eight clubs (MEX1, MEX2, USA1, USA2, CRC1, GUA1, HON1, SLV1) will be seeded directly to the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Champions League™. The sixteen remaining teams will be paired in eight home-and-away match-ups in the Preliminary Stage which will take place on 26-28 August 2008 and 2-4 September 2008. The Preliminary Stage winners will join the eight seeded teams in the Group Stage that consists of four groups of four teams each. The teams in each group will play each other in a round-robin system during six match dates (three home games, three away games) from 16 September 2008 – 30 October 2008. The top two clubs from each of the four groups will advance to the Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. These eight teams will be drawn into four Quarterfinal pairings to play home-and-away match-ups in February 2009. The four Quarterfinal winners will then play in two Semifinal home-and-away match-ups in March and April 2009 with the two Semifinal winners squaring-off in the home-and-away 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League™ Final in late April 2009. The CONCACAF Champions League™ winner will qualify as the CONCACAF representative to the 2009 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup.
8 teams go right to the group stage. 16 teams will play a home-and-away preliminary round with the winners advancing to the group stage. That will make four groups of four with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals in 2009. The eight team knockout phase will be just like the current CONCACAF Champions' Cup but start a little earlier.
I have to admit to being very excited for this tournament, even if the Whitecaps don't make it. I am hoping that - whomever may qualify from Canada - the increased TV presence in Canadian soccer will mean that one of the "Cable 4" will carry the games of the Canadian club who qualifies. And here's hoping that the final is televised on ESPN & TSN so we can actually watch the game without having to go somewhere with a satellite feed.
wow!! i never realized this tournament would take so long. It starts near the end of of our current MLS season (august, yes i know the championship isnt until the fall but by august the reg season is almost near its end) and wont be over till the start of the next MLS season. That's a lot of soccer that will have to be played....
I'm sure this has been answered thousands of times but I wasn't paying attention. Wasn't there some deal between MLS and the players union that didn't allow the players to even officially practice in the offseason? I remember DC had to get a dispensation to bring in players early to train for CCC. So now they'll potentially be playing over much of the offseason? How's that gonna work?
there are no games during the MLS off-season in the 2008-09 CL. (MLS teams usually are back together and training by Feb. -- and DC and HOU had CCC games by March 12 this season while HOU and LA did the Pan-Pacific event in Feb.) As for the new CCL, seems like the MLS players still get their same "off-season": Group stage ends on Oct 30th. Knock-out stage doesn't start until Feb 24. http://concacaf.com/view_article.aspx?id=4171 2008-09 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ – Calendar of Events 2008 11 June: 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League™ Draw 26-28 August: Preliminary Round – Game 1 2-4 September: Preliminary Round – Game 2 16-18 September: Group Stage – Game 1 23-25 September: Group Stage – Game 2 30 September – 2 October: Group Stage – Game 3 7-9 October: Group Stage – Game 4 21-23 October: Group Stage – Game 5 28-30 October: Group Stage – Game 6 November: Draw for Stage 3 – Elimination Round 2009 24-26 February: Quarterfinal, Game 1 3-5 March: Quarterfinal, Game 2 17-19 March: Semifinal, Game 1 7-9 April: Semifinal, Game 2 21-23 April: Final, Game 1 28-30 April: Final, Game 2 December: FIFA Club World Cup
Man it's going to be tough for pre-season MLS teams in the knockout stages. Then again isn't Mexico in between their Apertura/Clausura seasons in that period? Hmmm
Only slightly harder in that MLS teams that advance won't have as much time to prepare (the knockout stages are roughly 1 month earlier) FMF is in season, just starting, actually, right around then
I don't see any reason that multiple MLS teams won't advance. You onlt have to finish in the top 2 of a group -- even assuming that each group has one Mexican team that will advance, that just means that the (American) MLS team has to beat out 2 teams from Central America/Caribbean/Canada. Considering that MLS teams have fared plenty well against such teams -- except for Costa Rican ones -- in the CCC when games have been in the off-season, I think they'll do okay. There is, after all, only 2 Costa Rican teams in the competition. I'd guess 2-3 MLS teams (between the American teams and the potential for TFC) will advance out of the group stage. I disagree. IT's goign to be much harder. In addition to the fact that the knockouts are going to start earlier -- leaving the MLS teams even less cohesive and more out of shape -- you also have the issue that the first round opinion (when the odds are the worse) is very likely to be a tough team like one from Mexico. There very likely won't be any weak Caribbean sides to draw. We haven't been able to win in Mexico in the CCC despite not playing there until the second round (when at least MLS teams has a few games under their belt) -- it's not going to be better when we have to go to Mexico in February.
True, but it could be just as likely that we play another MLS team, too (be it Canada or not). We don't know how the knock-out will work yet...will it be traditional 1Av2B style or random draw? That could change things a bit.
Getting through will be no sure thing. There will likely be one MLS team and one Mexican team in each of the four groups. However, there will also likely be tough Toronto FC team and two Costa Rican teams. I don't think too highly of any of the other teams from Guat, El Sal or Panama. But I could easily see two US MLS teams getting knocked out in group play.
Something to mention from the Canadian Championship match between the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC on May 27. During the Broadcast it was stated that for the preliminary round draw, the 16 teams will be places into two pots for the draw. Pot A: Mexico3, MExico4, USA3, USA4, Canada, Honduras2, Costa rica2, Panama1 Pot B: Guatamala2, El Salvador 2, Panama 2, Belize, Nicaragua, CFU 1, 2, 3,
I'm a little surprised that Guatamala2 and Canada aren't switched between Pot A & B, but otherwise, that seems right. That gives the MLS (and Canadian) teams a pretty good shot at advancing to the group stage.