2020 CL/2021 CCL qualifiers [R]

Semifinales Liga Promerica ⚽️🇨🇷🏆
Clausura 2020 🔥🔥#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Unafut #Semifinales pic.twitter.com/D6FPzTUWle

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 11, 2020

 

Final del partido@Cartagines vs @SaprissaOficial
Estadio José Rafael "Fello" Meza Ivancovich
Semifinal Ida Liga Promerica Clausura 2020#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Unafut #Semifinales pic.twitter.com/OCRzHR8YqN

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 14, 2020

Final del partido@ldacr vs @csherediano1921
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Semifinal Ida Liga Promerica Clausura 2020#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Unafut #Semifinales pic.twitter.com/ZNSbwMvc4d

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 15, 2020

 

Final del partido@SaprissaOficial vs @Cartagines
Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Semifinal Vuelta Liga Promerica Clausura 2020#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Unafut #Semifinales pic.twitter.com/P8w7JL6TQ5

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 18, 2020

With Cartago out of the picture, it is now a guarantee that the Big 3 of Costa Rica will take part in the next Concacaf League (as always, assuming it happens): Saprissa will either earn a spot on their own merits or receive the last hand-me-down berth.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1 or HON2]
3. Tauro [PAN1 or PAN2]
4. Herediano [CRC1 or CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1 or GUA2]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC1, CRC2 or CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1 or CRC3]

 

Fase Final Liga Promerica 🏆⚽️🇨🇷
Programación oficial juego de ida#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #FaseFinal pic.twitter.com/XBZrx2pbWa

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 18, 2020

Based on the full-year table, the Clausura winner will be Costa Rica's top seed in the Concacaf League.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1 or HON2]
3. Tauro [PAN1 or PAN2]
4. Herediano [CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1 or GUA2]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC1 or CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1 or CRC3]

 

Uh...never mind, then

Se suspende final entre Alajuelense y Saprissa https://t.co/qrbJuB7Vy0 pic.twitter.com/e6bOieMluz

— Puro Deporte (@PuroDeporteLN) June 19, 2020

 

The game has been rescheduled:

Fase final ida Liga Promerica 🇨🇷🏆⚽️
Programación oficial #LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Oficial #FaseFinal pic.twitter.com/Kv6sLC0LAH

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 20, 2020

 

Concacaf Statement – 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf League https://t.co/Vkq477oGWe

Declaración de Concacaf - Liga Concacaf Scotiabank 2020https://t.co/oLK8nQvTvZ pic.twitter.com/menhxekES8

— Concacaf (@Concacaf) June 23, 2020

So the Concacaf League hasn't been canceled...but it won't be starting next month either.

 

Nothing so far - but with only 11 games left to play, they can afford to be flexible (e.g. remaining QFs in September, semis and Final in October). If anything, they could do worse than have a Champions League Final Four in LA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Back to the qualifying trail...

Final del partido@ldacr vs @SaprissaOficial
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Fase Final Ida Liga Promerica Clausura 2020#LigaPromerica #Clausura2020 #Unafut #FaseFinal 🇨🇷🏆⚽️ pic.twitter.com/YqsYuIh0KS

— UNAFUT (@UnafutOficial) June 25, 2020

 

Saprissa managed to win the return leg 1-0 in spite of going down to 10 early in the second half, claiming the Round 2 Final 3-0 on aggregate and the Clausura title.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1 or HON2]
3. Tauro [PAN1 or PAN2]
4. Herediano [CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1 or GUA2]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1]

 

Gotta love it when Concacaf preempts me with a straight-up bomb

1280607609373052936 is not a valid tweet id

At this point, I'll go with the comments in the linked article to infer what the seeding is.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1]
3. Tauro [PAN1]
4. Herediano [CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1]
14. Motagua [HON3]
15. CA Independiente [PAN3]
16. Comunicaciones [GUA2]
17. Antigua GFC [GUA3]
18. Marathón [HON2]
19. San Francisco [PAN2]

 

The MLS is Back tournament is now at the semifinal stage, and here are the matchups - I swear, if I didn't watch the games, I'd think I was making them up too.

Philadelphia Union vs. Portland Timbers
Orlando City vs. Minnesota United

These will happen today and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. US Eastern (respectively)...and it is worth noting that a Philly win tonight guarantees a US debutant in next year's CCL.

 

Portland and Orlando won this week, setting up Tuesday's MLS is Back final (8:30 p.m.).

Meanwhile, Concacaf has confirmed that it will look to wrap up the Caribbean club tournaments in September, ahead of playing the Concacaf League from October through January (single-game playoffs hosted by higher seed in the 1st round and R16, home-and-away from the QFs on).

 

Alas, it wasn't meant to be



...yet

Portland made full use of their actually having experience with cup finals to outlast Orlando 2-1, claiming the first US berth in next year's Champions League.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]
5. Portland Timbers [USA1, USA2, USA3 or USA4]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1]
3. Tauro [PAN1]
4. Herediano [CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1]
14. Motagua [HON3]
15. CA Independiente [PAN3]
16. Comunicaciones [GUA2]
17. Antigua GFC [GUA3]
18. Marathón [HON2]
19. San Francisco [PAN2]

 

Yoooooooo

Everyone who's ever argued/dreamed of Canada having all its clubs to itself must be...um, quite pleased (to put it in SFW terms ).

 

No such luck on the other side of the 49th parallel...

🙁https://t.co/yJlFlEPoHA

— Brian Straus (@BrianStraus) August 14, 2020

 

Hey @Robert Borden I have a bone to pick with you:

...how come you didn't tell me the CanPL's on TV here in the States as well?

Just randomly found out that FOX Sports 2's showing a 1:00 p.m. (US Eastern) CanPL match today, tomorrow and next Saturday

 

Update on Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield and Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championshiphttps://t.co/aa5Y51Rl32

Actualización sobre el Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield y Campeonato de Clubes del Caribe Concacaf Flow https://t.co/qj1JXGVkAk pic.twitter.com/qGuV6ZoVTG

— Concacaf (@Concacaf) August 25, 2020

The tl;dr version is that Concacaf has punted on the Caribbean tournaments, handing out the continental berths to the Caribbean Club Championship semifinalists based on their performance in the group stage.

And with that, the Concacaf League field is set! We now await the draw on September 21, and (Montagliani's fingers crossed) the tournament itself beginning on October 20.

2021 CCL Qualifiers

1. CF Monterrey [MEX1]
2. Club América [MEX3]
3. Cruz Azul [MEX2]
4. Club León [MEX4]
5. Portland Timbers [USA1, USA2, USA3 or USA4]
6. Atlético Pantoja (DOM) [CFU1]

2020 CL Qualifiers

1. Forge [CAN2]
2. Olimpia [HON1]
3. Tauro [PAN1]
4. Herediano [CRC2]
5. Real Estelí [NCA1]
6. Alianza [SLV1]
7. Municipal [GUA1]
8. Managua FC [NCA2]
9. Verdes FC [BLZ]
10. FAS [SLV2]
11. Municipal Limeño [SLV3]
12. LD Alajuelense [CRC3]
13. Deportivo Saprissa [CRC1]
14. Motagua [HON3]
15. CA Independiente [PAN3]
16. Comunicaciones [GUA2]
17. Antigua GFC [GUA3]
18. Marathón [HON2]
19. San Francisco [PAN2]
20. Waterhouse FC (JAM) [CFU2]
21. Arcahaie FC (HAI) [CFU3]
22. Cibao FC (DOM) [CFU4]

 

Big week up in Canada:

On Tuesday, the Canadian Premier League will play out the last matchday in the second round, with everyone except the already-eliminated Pacific having a shot at making the top two and reaching the Final.

Then on Wednesday, the all-Canadian MLS fixtures finish up with Vancouver hosting Montreal again, after having lost 2-4 this evening. The tiebreakers being what they are, any Impact win sends them through to the Final, while a draw or Whitecap victory eliminates the defending Canadian champs and lets Toronto advance.

Finally, on Saturday, the CanPL Final will determine the league's representative in the 2021 Concacaf League, as well as who will face off against Montreal or Toronto for the Voyageurs' Cup.

 

It all comes down to Wednesday.#CanChamp | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/RTKtHxpLPW

— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 14, 2020

 

Rudy Camacho receives a red card for retaliating. The Whitecaps were awarded a penalty kick given the placement of the infraction, and they converted to take the lead. pic.twitter.com/HtB3tPTu5V

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 17, 2020

1306561795583344641 is not a valid tweet id

x - Never in doubt 😅#CanChamp | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/vLZV4orQmm

— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 17, 2020

Go @ForgeFCHamilton @HFXWanderersFC https://t.co/SfvVVSYwPF

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 17, 2020

Next up is the CanPL Final on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (on FS2 here in the States).