CONCACAF Champions League

I don't want to take too long with this post, but I think it is important to point out the absurdity that is going on in the CONCACAF Champions League. At this point, 3 (of a total of 8) teams have already qualified for the knockout stages:


Atlante (Mexico)
UNAM Pumas (Mexico) and
Montreal Impact (of USL-1).


You tell me which team doesn't fit.

Consider this: Montreal plays in the division of US Soccer directly below MLS. As in, MLS teams are supposed to be a lot better than they are. But then we get to a tournament like this, and... well, Montreal has already gotten further than 3 MLS teams (DC United, Chivas USA and New England Revolution have all been eliminated already), and with Houston still battling for survival in Group B, Montreal could have bragging rights over the entire top flight in America.

It is also worth mentioning that Puerto Rico Islanders, another USL-1 team, are in very good shape to qualify through to the knockout stages.

Now, for me these facts bring up a lot of questions. The first is obvious: "Are USL teams actually better than MLS teams?" No, I don't think so. When you look at the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a competition in which MLS and USL-1 both compete, MLS has dominated that tournament since the inception of MLS in 1996 (MLS teams have won 12 of the 13 Cups, with 11 runners up; only three non-MLS teams have even competed in the final).

OK, so now that I spent way too much time making that point, this brings me back to the original conundrum- why are USL teams doing better in the CC League than MLS teams? I can tell you that it is not because USL teams are getting better luck in terms of drawing easier opposition; Montreal are 2-0 against the same T and T Joe Public side that knocked out New England, while Puerto Rico are 1-0 so far vs Tauro, the club from Panama that saw off Chivas USA.

OK, so USL teams are not better than MLS teams, but at the same time they are progressing further than MLS teams against similar or identicle opposition. So why, oh why?

I brought this point up with Steven Cohen and Kenny Hassan about a month ago when I called in to World Soccer Daily. They suggested that the reason for this phenomenon is that the USL teams "are more up for it" than MLS sides, in other words it matters more to the USL teams.

Well, now that we've got the only plausible reason pinned down, I think that another question is raised- why aren't MLS teams "up for it"? Why don't MLS teams care about the Champions League of our corner of the world? This is a competition that will annually decide the greatest team in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and this competition will also grant the winner entry into the FIFA Club World Cup. This competition is the "biggest deal" that MLS teams can get themselves into, and they aren't up for it?

Well obviously that's got to change if MLS is going to continue to progress. Solutions to the problem? How do we get MLS teams "up for it"? I am not really sure. Here's a few ideas off the top of my head- feel free to suggest some more:

1. Pay MLS players for succeeding in the CC League
2. Don't employ players who think that MLS Cup is their main goal (I don't want to discredit MLS Cup's importance at all, I think it says a lot about a team if they can win it, but CC League should be seen as MUCH more important)
3. Try to start some rivalries with teams from Mexico, Costa Rica, or anywhere really. Talk some trash about them or something; slander their crappy leagues! Get the players' egos involved, then they'll have something to fight for.


If MLS teams can start competing for the CC League, I think that MLS will gain a lot more respect worldwide; the Mexican league is well respected, so consitently competing with them would be a big piece of evidence to suggest that MLS is legit.