Hi everyone, The next edition of our continental championship will kick off tomorrow with the draw, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern - and for once, it shows up on Univisión Deportes Network's TV schedule! We are taking bets as to whether they will actually televise the draw Before we get to the pots, it is worth noting that according to the Regulations, the format updates implemented for this year's Concacaf League will be in place here as well. Namely, the away goals rule is no longer in effect for the Final; and if the Final is tied after 180 minutes, there will be extra time before going to penalties (if necessary). Everything else stays the same: away goals, then penalties for the other rounds in this tournament, with second-leg hosting duties going to the higher seeds in the R16, the winners of the odd-numbered series in the quarterfinals, and the team with the better record in previous rounds in the semifinals and Final. Now then, @ArsenalMetro and the other nerds can pore over the Club Index here. For the rest, here are the pots: Pot 1 Tigres UANL (MEX) Santos Laguna (MEX) CF Monterrey (MEX) Toluca FC (MEX) Toronto FC (CAN) Houston Dynamo (USA) Pot 2 Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) CA Independiente (PAN) Marathón (HON) Alianza (SLV) CD Guastatoya (GUA) Atlético Pantoja (DOM) Herediano (CRC) Yes, the pots are incomplete. Concacaf will be using USA* paper slips for tomorrow, but we're still waiting on the MLS Cup Final to determine who will be the last Stateside qualifier. Based on this, we know for certain who are USA2 and USA3. The big question is the fact that the Club Index has USA2 in Pot 2. Tomorrow, Concacaf will finally have to clarify if the US team in Pot 2 will be the lowest seeded qualifier (Pot 4) or if Sporting KC are straight out of luck.
Well, damn Just one day left until the draw 😱 #LoveForOurGame #SCCL #SCCL2019 pic.twitter.com/RDLxkIL3rx— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) December 2, 2018 So SKC did get screwed over - and by extension, every U.S.-based Supporters' Shield winner for the near future until USA2's coefficient gets back in the Top 8.
The full draw: The first team listed hosts the first leg in the Round of 16. Alianza (SLV) v. Monterrey (MEX) Herediano (CRC) v. Atlanta (USA) ------------------------------------------- Independiente (PAN) v. Toronto (CAN) Kansas City (USA) v. Toluca (MEX) ------------------------------------------- Guastatoya (GUA) v. Houston (USA) Saprissa (CRC) v. Tigres (MEX) -------------------------------------------- Atletico Pantoja (DOM/CFU) v. New York/Portland (USA) Marathon (HON) v. Santos (MEX) Schedule: Round of 16, First Leg: February 19-21 Round of 16, Second Leg: February 26-28 Quarterfinals, First Leg: March 5-7 Quarterfinals, Second Leg: March 12-14 Semifinals, First Leg: April 2-4 Semifinals, Second Leg: April 9-11 Finals, First Leg: April 16-18 Finals, Second Leg: April 23-25
If the Red Bulls qualify, they get an easier opponent than Atlanta. According to Wikipedia's table for the CCL era, Herediano has more points and goals than any MLS club. The Red Bulls first CCL opponent was from the Caribbean when they lost the Qualifying Round to W Connection. Portland's first CCL opponent was from the Caribbean when they played Alpha United in the 2014-2015 Group Stage.
Saprissa's always a tricky match-up. Now you'll laugh at that, and rightfully so, 'cause América Hulk-smashed Saprissa the last two times they faced off. But Tigres don't have that history to fall back on, struggling against Central American opposition when they least expect it. They and Toluca will actually have to put in an effort to advance, while Santos and Monterrey should go through without getting out of first gear.
Atlanta United will go into their first continental campaign as league champions...and the Red Bulls will be off to the DR in February.
The schedule information is out: https://www.concacafchampionsleague...the-2019-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league 2019 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 Home team first, times are ET First Leg Tuesday, February 19 Saprissa (CRC) v. Tigres UANL (MEX) 8:00 pm Club Atletico Independiente (PAN) v. Toronto FC (CAN) 8:00 pm CD Guastatoya (GUA) v. Houston Dynamo (USA) 10:00 pm Wednesday, February 20 CD Marathon (HON) v. Santos Laguna (MEX) 8:00 pm Club Atletico Pantoja (DOM) v. NY Red Bulls (USA) 10:00 pm Alianza FC (SLV) v. CF Monterrey (MEX) 10:00 pm Thursday, February 21 Sporting Kansas City (USA) v. Toluca FC (MEX) 8:00 pm CS Herediano (CRC) v. Atlanta United (USA) 10:00 pm Second Leg Tuesday, February 26 Houston Dynamo (USA) v. CD Guastatoya (GUA) 8:00 pm Toronto FC (CAN) v. Club Atletico Independiente (PAN) 8:00 pm Tigres UANL (MEX) v. Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) 10:00 pm Wednesday, February 27 NY Red Bulls (USA) v. Club Atletico Pantoja (DOM) 8:00 pm Santos Laguna (MEX) v. CD Marathon (HON) 8:00 pm CF Monterrey (MEX) v. Alianza FC (SLV) 10:00 pm Thursday, February 28 Atlanta United (USA) v. CS Herediano (CRC) 8:00 pm Toluca FC (MEX) v. Sporting Kansas City (USA) 10:00 pm The Quarterfinals start on March 5.
Remind me how Houston Dynamo qualified for this? Looking forward to the spring. This was really fun last year.
I wonder if Univisión Deportes Network will show any of the games not featuring Mexican teams in this round...last year, they passed on the R16 games with MLS sides in favor of Copa MX.
Every pair will have both legs the same day of the week, which wasn't the case in the 2018 Round of 16. The article says the games will be on Yahoo! Sports in the USA, so I'm hoping that means they will be online for free.
Always special (at least at the outset) when a club legend returns as a coach: 📝 Comunicado Oficial: Wálter Centeno es el nuevo director técnico Morado: https://t.co/zs15X5BACI #BienvenidoReyPaté👉 Saprissa agradece a Vladimir Quesada, quien formará parte de divisiones menores #GraciasVladimir pic.twitter.com/oWmAByKKbK— Deportivo Saprissa 💜 (@SaprissaOficial) February 4, 2019
Cabrera has done a hell of a job all considered. Houston doesn't have an academy system as sophisticated and productive as Dallas or Red Bull; they don't spend a whole lot of money and Cubo didn't seem to care until Cabrera came on board before leaving after coming back to form. He's led them to a Western Conference Final and a US Open Cup which is the first time the side has won that particular trophy. He's dealt with never having signed the play-making CAM that he said he really needed to make his system truly work. Something tells me that, like Montreal a few years back, Houston will possibly make a dark horse run in this competition as a prelude to making the playoffs and having a decent run there as well. Cabrera has been cognizant to the limitations in investment available to him and has been wise to maximize resources to the most viable competition when the opportunity is presented. Last year it was US Open Cup. He'll prioritize CONCACAF over MLS this year, at least in the opening months up until they point that they either win or get eliminated. I could see the Dynamo surprising a team or two this season. And they won't be taken as seriously by Mexican opposition as Atlanta, with all of their South American talent, might.
We're not likely to see an English language network deal for this thing until after MLS finally wins this thing and even then they'll probably need to show at least last season's competitiveness with Liga MX teams in years that they lose to make a tv deal viable. If Atlanta wins this season and the next two or three years we at least have tournaments similar to last year but lose, then I can see CONCACAF finally being able to sell this tournament to Fox or NBC for a moderate amount of money which would allow them to up the paltry sum of prize money on offer for the winners. Spanish language deals focus heavily only on the Mexican sides and I can't imagine that they pay much for them until the semis and the finals. Mexican interest will increase if it becomes an interest of fighting off the advance of MLS clubs rather than just a bonus prize for the Apertura or Clausura champs and runners-up. The tournament's prize money trails, by far, all other confederations outside of Oceania and only increased competitiveness will change that. I also like seeing that some of the Costa Rican sides are starting to spend money buying players out of MLS instead of just selling them to MLS. They're not as deep as Argentina or Brazil who can sell players season after season and still be formidable enough to compete with any club around the world not part of the Big 5 European leagues. It would be nice to see wealthy investment in Saprissa, Alajuelense, Herediano, and even the Honduran Olimpia or Motagua. Having those 5 clubs become viable competitors for titles will also be necessary to have this tournament be truly viable. Otherwise, we're just biding time until CONMEBOL and CONCACAF figure out their relationship going forward and just merge top CONCACAF clubs into the Libertadores. I think we're going to go in that direction eventually, but it could take a decade or so before it actually happens. In the meantime, increased tv revenue and prize money could end up aiding the top clubs in the two countries that I mentioned and even smaller Central American nations. Caribbean nations could also very much use the expanded visibility and money to improve their leagues and overall football business structure to be more productive and allow them to reinvest and become sides that can offer a more balanced competition overall. There is no reason why a country with the historical pedigree of Jamaica is so uncompetitive league-wise in CONCACAF. Even their national team has been falling behind and it isn't a country with a bad economy in comparison to other mid-range CONCACAF nations. Tourism is big contributor, but there are other aspects which are good there as well so one would think that a club based in Kingston, for example, could receive investment and carry water for Jamaican football overall...
Hold your roll there: two straight Gold Cup finals tells me the Reggae Boys are actually in a moment of resurgence. Hell, if Infantino has his way and Qatar(-UAE?) 2022 gets expanded to 48 teams, you could do a lot worse than put money on Jamaica making it back to the biggest stage.
True, but they used to be better than they currently are relative to the rest of CONCACAF and they are practically non-existent at the club level.
Here are 2019 CCL odds from https://www.canadasportsbetting.ca/online-betting/soccer/concacaf-champions-league.html 1. Tigres +300 2. Atlanta United +400 3. Monterrey +450 4. Santos Laguna +550 5. New York Red Bulls +750 6. Toronto FC +1600 7. Sporting Kansas City +1800 7. Toluca +1800 9. Houston Dynamo +2500 10. Deportivo Saprissa +4000 11. Herediano +5000 12. Alianza +6600 12. Guastatoya + 6600 14. Marathón +10000 15. Atlético Pantoja +12500 15. Independiente +12500
No can do - I'm just a Concacaf guru (emphasis on "a" ), not a mod here. Paging @IASocFan @Wiso @edcalvi
Check http://www.livesoccertv.com Some (all?) games should be streamed via Yahoo Sports as well. Edit: announced today, apparently https://www.concacafchampionsleague...rts?sf207774996=1&sf207775408=1&sf207775813=1