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Paul Calixte Blog

CCL 2012-13 Qualifiers: Filling Out the Guest List

Posted on June 19, 2012 5:48 pm

I am hard-pressed to find any comparison in world football: over the next three days, three clubs will get to essentially pick and choose their group in a Champions League.

In a situation largely generated by administrative mismanagement, the last round of the current CFU Club Champions Cup will take place well after the already-completed draw for the subsequent CCL. Fortunately, CONCACAF and the CFU worked together to decrease the level of farce at hand: the latter, now under President (and Antigua Barracuda owner) Gordon Derrick, decided to change the format of the final round from a four-team group to a knockout stage. CONCACAF General Secretary Ted Howard and co. made sure to mete out the incentives accordingly: the four semifinalists will fight for direct qualification to the Champions League. After that, the third-place match participants will face off for the last available spot in the continental championship, while the finalists will play for the Caribbean title…and, let’s face it, to avoid Chivas.

At least, we we will not have to wait any longer to find out who ends up where.

Down in Trinidad and Tobago, the CFU semifinals will begin this evening at 6:00 p.m. (all times EST), as Antigua Barracuda take on local side Caledonia AIA. Whoever wins this match will make its maiden appearance on the continental stage in the next CCL. Both, however, can boast some familiarity with international play: Antigua Barracuda provide the base for the same national team that forced the US to sweat out a 3-1 victory and held Jamaica scoreless, while Caledonia’s head coach Jamaal Shabazz also doubles as manager of Guyana. The clubs do not enjoy the same level of access to England-based players, however, so I would not expect tonight’s victor (or both, should the loser qualify at the second time of asking) to provide as stiff a challenge as the national teams.

The participants in the second semifinal enjoy a different magnitude of continental pedigree: the Puerto Rico Islanders remain the sole Caribbean outfit to reach the knockout round of the CCL, while only Comunicaciones’ home victory over Pumas in the 2009-10 Champions League prevented W Connection from accomplishing the same. Back in the basin, the Trini club has won the most trophies in the CFU Club Champions Cup era, while the Islanders are working on a hat-trick of Caribbean titles. They will cross swords once again at 8:00 p.m. this evening; the winner will then pursue the 2012 championship when they confront the Antigua-Caledonia winner on Thursday, June 21 at 8:00 p.m., two hours after today´s losers contest the final ticket to the Champions League (at 6:00 p.m.).

Finally, a word on where to watch these matches: no. Once again, the only available live updates will be provided through the Puerto Rico Islanders’ Twitter and Facebook accounts. Considering that every match from last year’s CFU Club Champions Cup knockout round went into overtime, it makes perfect sense that the CFU made no appreciable effort whatsoever to extend access to fans across the region this time around.

CCL 2012-13 Qualifiers

1. Seattle Sounders [USA2]
2. LA Galaxy [USA1]
3. Real Salt Lake [USA4]
4. Houston Dynamo [USA3]
5. Chorrillo FC [PAN1]
6. Santos Laguna [MEX2]
7. Tigres UANL [MEX1]
8. Olimpia [HON1]
9. Isidro Metapán [SLV1]
10. Municipal [GUA2]
11. LD Alajuelense [CRC2]
12. Real Estelí [NCA]
13. Águila [SLV2]
14. FAS (SLV) [BLZ]
15. Marathón [HON2]
16. CF Monterrey [MEX4]
17. Herediano [CRC1]
18. Xelajú MC [GUA1]
19. Chivas de Guadalajara [MEX3]
20. Tauro [PAN2]
21. Toronto FC [CAN]
22. Caledonia AIA (TRI) [CFU]
23. W Connection (TRI) [CFU]
24. Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR) [CFU]