With CONCACAF considering a champions league similar to UEFA's, things might change a bit for mls teams. While the champions cup was a nice kind of preseason warmup (although it didn't seem to help us get ready for the mls season that much), it looks like this new tournament will be happening mid season. Depth has always been a problem for many mls teams, even DC. Assuming that maybe we don't have a playoff spot wrapped up by mid season and things are tighter around that time, which prize would you rather see DC go for. Personally I think DC's domestic prowess is well known and proven. But assuming concacaf would send the champions league winner to the club world cup I would rather see us in tokyo playing teams like boca juniors at the club world cup than playing houston in the mls cup. What's everyone else's opinon?
There are two "bread and butter" competitions for United: MLS Cup and the race/walk/crawl for the Supporters' Shield. These are the enablers for international tournaments. So, while it is important to bring one of these home, I'd love to win this Champions thing in either the current format or the proposed format. I'd love to be the first MLS team to win a competitive match in Mexico.
It depends on what type of trophy you want, an international one, or the highest honor in your country. I think you need to plan to make the MLS cup your main goal but it would be nice to get the Champions cup crown as well.
I agree with you almost 100%. Except that Boca is a bunch of pigs who don't deserve to be there. It should be a classy club with a much longer and richer history of winning. Like River.
The Supporters Shield should also be part of this - But I think its the hardest to achieve and do well in anything else - Every match during August and September is a must game and its proven to be a really hard physical and mental grind - Unfortunately thats when the new CONCACAF Champions League will start their group play - MLS Cup goes from late October through mid November - also during group play - I think DC United should concentrate on one of the domestic titles first and then try to do as well as possible in group play with the B squad, esp the away games
champions league. let's win that darn thing again, we had the team that could have done it this past year but we sort of blew it.
The way I see it, the average CONCACAF Champions League group will feature 1 MLS team, one Mexican team, 1 Central American team and one Caribbean team. Theoretically that means we should be favored to finish top two and qualify for knockout stage. IMO only the two games against Mexican opposition and maybe the road game into central america would require a maximum strength squad. The other three games can use a mix of starters and backups which shouldn't be much of a strain. The last group stage match would probably be in the middle of our playoffs, so ideally DC United should try to already be qualified before last matchday and thus only have to use a reserve squad. The key stretch though would come in spring, where we would potentially have to enter a key H/A series with a Mexican team while still in preseason form. That's what I'm more worried about.
MLS Cup. It's our League Championship and as has been said, one of the two ways to qualify for International competitions (The Supporters' Shield is second in what I want to see the team win). It's always going to be the most important trophy United can go for, IMO. The other trophies are very nice to have, and United should want to win them - hell, I hope they want to win every competitive match they play. But if I could choose only one trophy for United to lift next season, I'd pick MLS Cup in a heartbeat.
Definitelly international, not for world cup championship or whatever it's called since noone takes that thing seriously, but because it's continental championship such as it is Same as I'd rather Dinamo win UEFA cup or Champs Cup then 824352th Croatian championship.
Which would you rather hear announced over television? "DC United is the Champion of MLS" or "DC United is the Champion of North America"
You have to be (at least co-) champion of MLS to go for the other. How difficult is that to figure out?
Yes but we've already qualified for next year, which means we could win one, both, or neither. I don't think anybody doesn't care about winning the mls cup, after all it is still the domestic title and the one that makes the most headlines. But it could come down to it that DC is playing in the new champions league in late summer/early fall and is faced with the decision of either resting players for league games or for cup games. This decision would be harder if we're perhaps mid table and a playoff spot isn't as assured.
Champions Cup. Just so that we get international respect. If the Mexican teams start losing against us, they will want to invest in MLS players, which will make MLS money. You dont hear very often how US players are being traded to play in Mexico, and in some cases, players over there make Europe-like salaries. It would be nice and would help eventually increase MLS base salaries.
My two cents... Our roster better get some depth and good depth at that. Oh, No Kpene and things will be fine.
There is no doubt which one is more prestigious, the Champions Cup of course. It is an international tournament with the best MLS teams against the best Central/North American teams. But given the constrains of the MLS salary cap, there isn't enough depth in MLS team's rosters to seriously compete in this tournament. It is not realistic right now (sure there are the rare exceptions). The Supporter's Shield is nice and gives an indication of which team was the best during the regular season. But when the pressure is on and the official MLS Champions title is on the line, the MLS Cup is the ultimate goal. So for me it is the MLS Cup that counts. In a few years, with the raising of the salary cap and roster expansion, my preference will change.
I'll disagree with that. Both Houston and DC came close to making it an all MLS final last year. One of the two will win it next spring.
As much as I would love DC United win it, I am being realistic. DC United has been close on more than one occassion, e.g. 1997 and 1999 where they finished 3rd, 2000 where they finished 4th, AND 2005 and 2006 where they made it to the semifinal series. The 1997 and 2000 semifinals were both lost the LA Galaxy 0-1 and 1-1 (2-4 PK) respectively. The 1999 semifinal was lost to Necaxa 1-3. The 2006 semifinal series was lost to Guadalaja in aggregate 2-3. The only one that was not as close was the 2005 semifinal lost to UNAM Pumas which was tied after the home game (1-1), but the away game was a blowout and thus the aggregate ended as 1-6. However being close is not the same as winning it. pps- DC United also won it in 1998, which was one of the two rare exceptions.
I know our history. The format was different back in the day, played in one location. It's much more difficult now, but we can still win it....or Houston. They took Pachuca to extra time at Pachuca, a city at higher elevation than Mexico City. I'm also a realist and I wouldn't say we can win it if I didn't think we could. We can.
well - The real choice is between the CONCACAF Chamions League and the MLS Cup, although I'd throw the Supporters Shield in there too - In order to win any of those two (or to include advancing past the group stage in the Champions League), DC United and any other MLS team would lots of depth But the Spring is the last CONCACAF Champions Cup - Assuming we have Veron and Moreno and possibly still have Gomez, this is very, very possible - With first round games in lateFeb/earlyMar against a weaker team, we would need to gel quickly but thats very do-able - Then we have more time to gel against a stronger team in the SemiFinal round in lateMar/earlyApril - Its pre-season so there's no conflict or congestion - If we get as far as the Final round, then go all out for it and blood the youngsters in league games
Even if Gomez and Moreno Both leave (I'm convinced that at the very least one will), we have fred waiting in the wings to play either creative mid or withdrawn forward. If we can pick up a solid winger and a creator in jan then we will be in great shape going into this tournament.