Puerto Rico FC Misses Out on CONCACAF Champions League 3/19/2017 http://www.empireofsoccer.com/puerto-rico-fc-misses-out-on-concacaf-champions-league-59412/
It also guarantees us two CCL debutants from the Caribbean: it looks like Portmore United have played continental ball before (they won the 2005 CFU club championship), but they've never been in the Champions League.
They just finished up the draw for the CFU finals, which will have two groups: Group A Central FC (TRI) Cibao FC (DOM) Grenades (ATG) Group B San Juan Jabloteh (TRI) Portmore United (JAM) Racing des Gonaïves (HAI) Top two in each group guarantee Play-In participation at the least, winner goes straight to the CCL proper.
Btw, I completely glossed over this: they livestreamed a CFU draw!!! Looks like CONCACAF taking over has had some positive effects (although they have yet to give the Gold Cup the same treatment, cough cough...).
Does the third place game matter? Will the CCL Fall Tournament seed the CFU second, third, and fourth place clubs the same or different?
Good question. This is what CONCACAF stated back in Jan of 23... "Places in the two phases will be based on the performances of member associations’ clubs over the nine-year history of the current CONCACAF Champions League. The ranking results will be revealed in the coming weeks." I have yet to see the ranking results posted yet.
I was referring to if the first Fall Tournament would put the CFU second, third, and fourth place clubs in the same pot in the draw for its First Round/Round of 16, not if the CFU's allocation would change over time.
I'm overdue for a CentAm round-up...but for now, let me just mention that Saprissa is one point (or Herediano slip-up) away from qualifying directly to the CCL proper.
I didn't realize Costa Rican clubs played 44 regular season games per year for the Invierno and Verano combined.
They have not a national cup, and have time to play 44 games in the league. A team can play 52 matches in a season (if will qualify in both finals - verano and invierno or apertura/clausura)
According to SI's Brian Straus, USSoccer has resolved to send all four teams from the 2016 season to the 2018 CCL. The transition will take place for the 2019 CCL: the MLS Cup and US Open Cup winners from 2017 and 2018 will qualify, leaving the Supporters' Shield winners and opposite-conference regular season winners from both years in the cold. Then, things will go back to normal for 2020, with all four US qualifiers coming from the 2019 season.
Ouch, not cool for SS supporters. But it does give integrity and respect to the century old Cup. So it's understandable. Has Mexico implemented a way to avoid a year long wait for CCL. They better get on the case here. Have only the next 2 league champs join America and Tig in the 2018 CCL. I like Canada's solution, the playoff at BMO should be lit if it happens. I propose labeling the "conference regular season champion that didn't win the SS" to something shorter. How about SS Jr.
I'm just glad that the Open Cup is going to retain some measure of importance through this transition. I figured that would be the first spot to go.
We have our first "graduation": Herediano choked at home against Cartaginés yesterday, meaning that Torneo de Invierno winners Saprissa have won the full-year table and Costa Rica's direct berth in the next CCL proper. 2018 CCL Qualifiers 1. FC Dallas [USA] 2. Colorado Rapids [USA] 3. New York Red Bulls [USA] 4. Tigres UANL [MEX] 5. Club América [MEX] 6. Seattle Sounders [USA] 7. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1] 2017 Play-In Qualifiers 1. Árabe Unido [PAN1, PAN2 or PAN3] 2. Real Estelí [NCA] 3. Antigua GFC [GUA1, GUA2 or GUA3] * 4. Santa Tecla [SLV1, SLV2 or SLV3] 5. Motagua [HON1, HON2 or HON3] * Assuming FIFA suspension lifted in time
Elsewhere in Central America... Guatemala: With 5 games to go in the Clausura, defending champions Antigua are in 2nd place in the full-year table, but 12 points off of 1st-place Municipal. If they can hold on to their current position, they'll win the GUA1 berth as soon as the rojos bow out of the Clausura playoffs. Belize: Wouldn't you know it, it's all said and done here! The Belmopan Bandits rode their foreign legion up front (the Honduran Jairo Róchez and the Brazilian Aloísio Teixeira) to the Opening Season title and have a 23-point lead at the top of the full-year table. Their closest competitors (the Belize Defence Force) have only seven games left in the Closing regular season, so the Bandits made off with the full-year table and their first-ever continental berth...if we ignore the time they qualified and then got the door shut in their face at the last minute over stadium issues. El Salvador: With 4-6 games left in the Clausura regular season, Santa Tecla are one point off pace in the full-year table. Then again, the top four teams in the full-year table are only five points apart, so there's still all to play for here. Honduras: Looks like Motagua will have to reach HON1 the hard way, as they are well behind Olimpia and Real España in the full-year table. Btw, for anyone keeping score at home: Olimpia's the only team left in CONCACAF with a perfect attendance record in the Champions League, but they haven't secured a berth yet... Nicaragua: Nothing to report here yet, since Nicaragua doesn't have a direct CCL berth to speak of. Panama: Árabe Unido's fall from grace didn't stop with their abrupt exit from the current Champions League - they're 20 points off pace in the full-year table and they're not even in position to reach the Clausura playoffs! 2018 CCL Qualifiers 1. FC Dallas [USA] 2. Colorado Rapids [USA] 3. New York Red Bulls [USA] 4. Tigres UANL [MEX] 5. Club América [MEX] 6. Seattle Sounders [USA] 7. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1] 2017 Play-In Qualifiers 1. Árabe Unido [PAN1, PAN2 or PAN3] 2. Real Estelí [NCA] 3. Antigua GFC [GUA1, GUA2 or GUA3] * 4. Santa Tecla [SLV1, SLV2 or SLV3] 5. Motagua [HON1, HON2 or HON3] 6. Belmopan Bandits [BLZ] * Assuming FIFA suspension lifted in time
Keep in mind, the year-long wait would only be for the Apertura finalists; and that may be to their advantage, as the gap would allow them to participate in the following Copa Libertadores if they qualify. I imagine it's entirely up to the FMF if they want to send their most recent qualifiers to the CCL like the rest of North America; but if they do it, that closes the door on Apertura winners playing in CONMEBOL tournaments.
The Torneo de Verano regular season has finished up in Costa Rica, with Saprissa, Herediano, Santos de Guápiles and Limón FC moving on to Round 2. More importantly for us... Saprissa's full-year table conquest means that Herediano are guaranteed at least a hand-me-down berth in next fall's play-in tournament. As far as Costa Rica's last ticket: if Saprissa or Herediano win the Torneo de Verano, it will fall to Alajuelense. The Caribbean sides (Limón and Santos), OTOH, have to snatch the title themselves in order to reach the continental stage. 2018 CCL Qualifiers 1. FC Dallas [USA] 2. Colorado Rapids [USA] 3. New York Red Bulls [USA] 4. Tigres UANL [MEX] 5. Club América [MEX] 6. Seattle Sounders [USA] 7. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1] 2017 Play-In Qualifiers 1. Árabe Unido [PAN1, PAN2 or PAN3] 2. Real Estelí [NCA] 3. Antigua GFC [GUA1, GUA2 or GUA3] * 4. Santa Tecla [SLV1, SLV2 or SLV3] 5. Motagua [HON1, HON2 or HON3] 6. Belmopan Bandits [BLZ] 7. Herediano [CRC2 or CRC3] * Assuming FIFA suspension lifted in time
I have no problem with that. Let the next 3 teams in the table not qualified for CCL go to the Lib Cup. Along with the MX Supercup champ.
I just came across this thread as I was searching for something else... I was hoping to read that this format change for the upcoming CCL tournament would somehow include NYCFC in the mix but no such luck. I know, I know... it's wishful thinking and this probably has nothing to do what this thread was mainly about, but I'm still upset at how close NYC was at qualifying for the CCL (Toronto needed to win the MLS cup instead lost in penalties)... how awesome would it have been too see New York City, Yankees Stadium host CCL matches and possibly CCL matches against Mexican clubs?! Pirlo and Villa once again playing CL matches but this time across the pond?! I guess I gotta wait a whole other year. And yeah, either MLS needs to move around their league's season or CCL needs to do so (or maybe even both) because having MLS clubs' play the 2nd portion of the Knockout Rounds in preseason mode is definitely not fair to MLS and actually not fair to the tournament as well because the CCL like other CLs are about having clubs playing at their highest potential level and about half of the clubs during the 2nd half of the Knockout Rounds don't.... and even if this new CCL format will push the Knockout Rounds to May, it still starts in February. I don't know; I'd say have it start towards the end of March so that at least, technically, all clubs would be in regular season mode. That's just my two cents anyway. And as far as Mexican clubs returning to the Copa Libertadores in 2019, with this new format by the CCL, it may open up scheduling space for them to participate in it but again it may still be very difficult since the Copa Libertadores is now year-long (Jan to November) and has 10 clubs from it (that were eliminated) entering the Copa Sudamericana in June, which would last till December. That along with Mexican clubs participating in Copa MX in both Apertura as well as Clausura would probably still create scheduling conflicts, I'd assume. The only way around it would probably be for the clubs next in line that didn't qualify for CCL and decide not to participate in the 1st or both Copa MX tournaments of that year, which I could see them doing since.the winner of the Copa MX is currently no longer qualifying for any international tournament, although I'd assume they revert back to having the overall champion of both Copa MX tournaments qualify to the Copa Libertadores and thus making the Copa more meaningful in a way. Yeah, with all this format changes, I can see how it can provide growth among smaller clubs as well as provide more opportunities for international matches across all regions and thus have more parity in both North, Central, and South America. In the end, the more soccer, the better!
The new CCL now has to fit 4 rounds (R16, Quarters, Semis and Final) into one semester; if it starts in March, it almost certainly would have to continue into May, smack dab in the middle of Liga MX playoffs. February through April works best for the majority of CONCACAF; mind you, they consulted with MLS whether they'd prefer the CCL proper to take place in the spring or fall and MLS chose spring (to avoid scheduling overload with the end of the regular season/beginning of playoffs), so they'll just have to deal with it. As for Copa Libertadores and Copa MX: up until last year, Liga MX teams participating in continental tournaments (CCL or Libertadores) were exempt from the Copa MX, and I imagine that will continue to be the case.