Pan-Pacific Championship field set [R]

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by newtex, Feb 8, 2008.

  1. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Sydney FC lost to Queensland on Friday in the A-League playoffs and will be the 4th team in the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship.

    Goal.com

    Schedule of Matches

    Wednesday, Feb. 20
    LA Galaxy v. Gamba Osaka, 6 pm HST (11 pm EST)
    Houston Dynamo v. Sydney FC, 8:30 HST (1:30 am EST)

    Saturday, Feb. 23
    Losers, 6 pm HST
    Winners, 8:30 pm HST


    All games at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI.

    Here in Houston we've hear rumors that the games will be on ESPN Classic.
     
  2. number 22

    number 22 New Member

    Oct 22, 2003
    South Side, Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Still. Don't. Care... Much.
     
  3. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't really get the feeling that any of the teams is taking this too seriously, but I hope it's good.

    Has there been any word on TV?

    And why did they change who got in from the A-league. I thought it was going to be the loser of the Preliminary final? That game is on 2/17 which is cutting it close, but would allow for the team to go to Pan-pacific on 2/20.
     
  4. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    I found the reason. Originally the Preliminary Final would have been played on Sunday, Feb. 10, before the Grand Final on Feb.17. That was changed to accommodate the Australia-Qatar World Cup Qualifier on Feb. 6. When they pushed the Preliminary and Grand finals back one week they decided to just send the loser of the Minor SemiFinal.

    The Pan-Pacific Championship people want the teams in Hawaii by no later than Sunday, Feb.17, so waiting for the Preliminary Final was not going to work.
     
  5. FireFanInPackerLand

    Dec 8, 2004
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Carolina Challenge Cup West.
     
  6. anderson

    anderson Member+

    Feb 28, 2002
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Basically. Although you'd expect that Sydney and, to a lesser extent, Gamba Osaka will have a fitness advantage at this point. Anyway, I think the interesting question for Houston is whether our squad looks can fill in some gaps as we get ready for Municipal in the CCC a couple of weeks later. I suppose the interesting question for LAG is how they're generally coming together under a new coach and with some new players. It's hardly a big deal of a tourney, but it'll pose, and maybe even help answer, some questions for the MLS teams beyond the usual February pre-season stuff.
     
  7. number 22

    number 22 New Member

    Oct 22, 2003
    South Side, Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    don't get me wrong. i hope it's competitive and fun. but the whole "championship" thing... whatever.
     
  8. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sombody somewhere said these games might air on ESPN classic which seems unlikely to me but I certainly hope is true.
     
  9. anderson

    anderson Member+

    Feb 28, 2002
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    FWIW, Glenn Davis mentioned in his blog a couple of weeks ago that ESPN Classic would carry these games (I posted the link with quote in the PPC thread in the Houston forum).
     
  10. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    The games will be shown on ESPN Classic. My on-screen menu already has listings for live soccer from 10:00p-12:00a cst and 12:30a-2:30a on 2/20 and 12:30a-2:30a and 2:30a-4:30a on 2/24.
     
  11. DLee

    DLee Member

    Apr 24, 2006
    Chicago
    They probably should have had the MLS teams play each other to assure one makes the final. Only half-kidding.
     
  12. anderson

    anderson Member+

    Feb 28, 2002
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks - these games are now up at the ESPN TV listings site.
     
  13. NebraskaAddick

    Aug 26, 2005
    Omaha, NE
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How did LA Galaxy qualify for that, again? I forgot.
     
  14. CACuzcatlan

    CACuzcatlan Member

    Jun 11, 2007
    San Francisco, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The same way every team did... they were invited. There was no qualification. Don't be fooled by the name of the tournament. Its just an exhibition.
     
  15. socluis90

    socluis90 Member+

    Aug 11, 2004
    So Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    $$$. Houston and LA are owned by AEG. Both teams were "invited."
     
  16. nscs

    nscs New Member

    Sep 10, 2007
    Cant wait to watch Juninho in person he killed the galaxy last time
     
  17. Huwiler's Odoreaters

    Apr 10, 2007
    MLS teams in the 1996 US Open Cup didn't qualify, but were invited, and I don't see anyone handing that trophy back. Same goes for Sudamericana and 2007 Superliga.

    Nearly all competitions involving MLS have some rinky-dink dubious crap going on that doesn't exactly project confidence. At least the Pan-Pacific is at a neutral site, which is a step up from Superliga.
     
  18. number 22

    number 22 New Member

    Oct 22, 2003
    South Side, Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My issue is not theat these teams were invited. the issue, IMHO, is that "champions" should be invited. Dynamo, yes. LA & Sydney, I wouldn't have a problem with if they would have won SOMETHING last season.
     
  19. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Houston qualified by winning the MLS Cup. It was reported before the Cup was played that the MLS Cup winner would participate in the Pan-Pacific. It was incidental that Houston won the Cup.
     
  20. Mstars96

    Mstars96 Member

    Jul 13, 2003
    NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't get the "I don't care" attitude, it's been a long cold winter, I can't wait for the games, it's not about how great that tournament is, it's just about getting some of OUR soccer on TV, no one is comparing it to the EUFA champions cup, it's just a great preseason couple of games.
     
  21. jeffreyc64

    jeffreyc64 Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    Algona, WA
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I read somewhere, maybe the announcement for the tournament, that LA qualified by being the highest MLS finisher in SuperLiga. Guess we will have to wait until next year to see if the same holds or if it is contrived.
     
  22. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That seems to have been reported after the fact. This article from Australia indicates that LA is there as a host and that they will be there in the future as well.
     
  23. triplet1

    triplet1 BigSoccer Supporter

    Jul 25, 2006
    Same way Sydney FC qualified. People will watch them.
     
  24. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Sydney qualified by losing the Minor Semifinal in the A-League playoffs. If they had won that series, then the Queensland Roar would be heading to Hawaii.

    The popularity of Sydney FC had nothing to do with it.
     
  25. triplet1

    triplet1 BigSoccer Supporter

    Jul 25, 2006

    Okay, fine, they "qualified" by meeting the incredibly rigorous standard of being the fourth best team in an 8 team league league, that was the first team eliminated from the playoffs (having failed to score in two games), thus making them available because the better teams had more important games to play.

    A stunning achievement, to be sure. (And yes, I realize they were third in the regular season table, regrettably underachieving from that heady standard to get bounced out of the playoffs.)

    Even the Melbourne paper derisively used quotation marks to acknowledge Sydney's accomplishment in its report:


    At least they have a sense of humor in Melbourne.

    But if it makes some of you fell any better, I'm sure MLS could put out a press release that the Galaxy similarly "qualified" by deftly losing to Chicago in the final game of the regular season, thus knocking them out a playoff spot and freeing them up to focus on Hawaii.

    Whew.

    Link:

    http://www.smh.com.au/news/a-league...p/2007/11/05/1194117959688.html?page=fullpage
     

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