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Paul Calixte Blog

CCL 2011-12 Qualifiers: Canadian, Honduran Semis Begin Tomorrow

Posted on April 26, 2011 8:22 pm

The current CONCACAF Champions League is set to come to close tomorrow night, and you’re anxious because

a) you’re a fan of one of the teams and you can’t wait to see your guys write a glorious new chapter in the club’s history
b) you’re a fan of MLS in general, and want to see RSL stick it to doubters at home and abroad
c) you’re a fan of the Mexican league and want to see if Monterrey could really blow this, or if Suazo will go into beast mode and confirm that Mexico still runs things in CONCACAF
d) none of the above – you just want to see a good final

If any of the above applies to you, then may I suggest the Nutrilite Canadian Championship to calm the nerves?

Tomorrow at 8 p.m. EST, the first legs of both semifinal series (home-and-away) will take place simultaneously between the following pairs – the second team listed hosts the first leg:

Toronto FC vs. FC Edmonton
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. L’Impact de Montréal

If you’re in Canada, the games can be found on Rogers Sportsnet’s regional networks; as for an online stream, I have heard nothing on the topic up to now, but Rogers Sportsnet did stream the games on their own website last year, so here’s hoping…

And I was not expecting this, but the Canadian Soccer Association has decided to apply the away goals rule in these ties, and even have away goals count should the second game go into overtime:

I know what I said in my entry on the topic of away goals, but here I actually disagree with the CSA’s applying it to a competition with seeded teams. Think of it from Toronto’s perspective: if their series with Edmonton goes into overtime, then TFC will have spent more time in the series (120 minutes to Edmonton’s 90) concerned about conceding the away goal. It seems like harsh treatment for the higher seed to me.

Further south, the Honduran semifinals will begin tomorrow with Vida hosting Motagua at 9:30 p.m. EST and Marathon hosting Olimpia on Thursday at the same time. Here, just as in almost all of the leagues in Central America (as well as Mexico) up to the Final, a tie goes to the higher seed. If anyone knows of a legal online stream of these games, please let us know. As for alternative options, if you don’t know where to find them I’m not helping you.