The group stages are a bore and guarantee that the big sides can't face each other. The costs in travel are also immense. Should CONCACAF go to a straight-knockout tournament with 24 teams, letting the 4 American and 4 Mexican sides get a bye to the Round of 16? The tournament could be unseeded so that Mexican and American teams could face each other in the Round of 16, but teams from the same country couldn't meet until the quarterfinals.
Big no! Group stage is a must. But current format is desperate for a change. 24 teams in main round is way too much, even 16 seems to be much.
Nope! The CCL was good with the Group of 4 format that existed in 2008 until 2012 Not going to lie though preliminary was a drag but certain countries clubs like Nicaragua, Jamaica has improved Just look at Saprissa who took a 6-1 historic ass whooping @ the hands of Santos Laguna
As I've said before, I prefer going to 32 teams (8 Mex, 6 USA, 2 Can, 16 rest) , but have the first round as eight mini-groups (one Mex and one USA / Can team in each group) played at eight home sites. Other than that, I would also go for 32 teams in a straight knockout, thereby going back to the old "Cup" (not "League") format. The tournament is losing steam year-by-year. This year's knockouts might be interesting with all Mex -v- USA matchups, but the group stages are getting harder and harder to follow.
Would anybody like an 8 club Group Stage like Africa does? There could be a Round of 24 (with the Top 8 getting byes) and a Round of 16 each having two legs followed by two groups of four (6 games per club), and two leg Semifinals and Final. The problem is that the CCL would need to be in a different time of year or there would be a big gap during the Group Stage with it going from September to February or something close to it. The last two Group Stage matchdays could be when the Quarterfinals are now since there would be no Quarterfinals with that format.
Possible, but I would say not in the end. To go back to my previous statement, unless you add more North teams, you end up like the original format of this tournament, where the first round (and now, your second) was barely followed. (I'm glad that we're having a valid discussion of formats for this tournament.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_CAF_Champions_League The 2015 CAF Champions League had 57 clubs and 6 rounds. 7 clubs got byes in the Round of 64 (called the Preliminary Round), and one club advanced when their opponent withdrew. The Round of 64 winners and clubs who had byes had to win two more two leg series to get to the 8 club Group Stage.
In terms of travel, the current format is actually much better than the previous format, since teams are traveling for a maximum of two games before the QFs instead of three or four traveling games. It's also just four games before the QFs instead of six or eight, so it helps schedule congestion as well. As for "protecting" the MLS teams... Hollow argument. US teams haven't gotten to the QFs any more (or less) frequently than they did before the format change, especially when you divide by group stage appearances instead of total CCL qualifications. Now, the format change has hurt LMX teams, though, since one minor trip-up against a Canadian or Costa Rican team hurts much more in the three-team-group format than it did in the previous format. The format change also hasn't really changed the frequency of MLS-LMX matchups... just when they occur. Previous format had some (but not all group) include a MLS-LMX home-and-away; current format has some (but not all) knockout matches. I don't know which timing is better to have those. Should the format change? I don't know. Logistically, it's probably the best format it can be that still uses groups. Competitively, it hasn't helped US teams but it has hurt LMX teams versus the previous format. I kinda like the idea of straight knock-outs, but then it's not much of CL and more just a Cup competition. Maybe have the group as last-8 instead of last-16 is the better idea after all.
If your goal is to maximize the number of matches between MX/MLS/CRC clubs, this would be the way to do it. It would come at the expense of the bottom 16 though. In the current system, they're guaranteed two home games, one of which will be against an MX or MLS opponent; this new system would give them only one, likely against another minnow.
Well, they could arrange another competition then, where teams eliminated from CL qualify to, let's say, CONCACAF Cup, to get another shot at continental title. And it could be straight knock-out tournament only, e.g. former UEFA Cup. For example: CL stays 24-team competition 1st round: 16 teams, 8 winners progress, 8 losers qualify to CC. 2nd round: 16 teams (8 from 1st and 8 byes), 8 winners progress to group stage, 8 losers qualify to CC. Group stage is played in CL, while CC starts with 1st round matches where 16 eliminated CL teams take part, and so (2nd round, semifinal, final). 1st and 2nd round of CC are played simultaneously with CL group stage, semifinal and final played on same weeks (CC matches one day before CL matches). Each team gets at least two home matches during continental campaing. Competition (CL) gets much more competitive (no dead rubbers) and way more serious (no Bayamons in elite stage unless they earn it), smaller teams get chance to win a game and to go far in continental competition. Of course, there is some prize money too. I think that might work.
It's better for the minnows to weed themselves out and allow a chance of some success. Right now they expect to get bounced straight away and it's no coincidence only MLS and liga MX teams made it to the ko stages since the new format
I think the same, but I'd like to see it tested. It's easy to stop it if it isn't interesting or viable.
No it wasn't, but it still goes to show how there wasn't enough "space" in the region to support a second major tournament, whoever was running it.
I have revised my idea of the tournament: 1) Straight knock-out tournament 2) Showpiece, one-off final 3) 32 teams enter (Mexico and US gain two teams; Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize, and Nicaragua each gain one team). Teams from the same country (or same league) cannot meet in the Round of 32. Beginning in the Round of 16, teams from the same country can meet (unseeded draw from this point forward).