The CONCACAF Champions Cup has been rebranded the CONCACAF Champions League and been given a new format, but SI.com’s Luis Bueno wonders how effective those changes will be. While the Champions Cup has produced some good games in recent years, Bueno says the tournament always follows the same pattern: Mexican teams win it, Costa Rican teams nearly win it, and MLS teams whine about it being staged during their preseason.
The tournament’s new schedule, released earlier this week, perpetuates the same scheduling problem. After playing the first round in September and October — in the heart of MLS regular-season races — the knockout phase begins in February. Unlike the more established UEFA Champions League, Bueno says that, “CONCACAF will lose whatever momentum it built up from the group stage following its winter slumber.” Meanwhile, MLS teams will be forced to play the group stages — possibly traveling long distances to remote venues — during the most grueling part of their season. The knockout stages start before the new MLS season even begins — most teams won’t even have their rosters finalized yet.
Then there’s the issue of automatic spots. Who will be Canada’s representative? Will it be Toronto FC every time? Or what about the USL’s Canadian teams? Why does MLS get four U.S. representatives while Costa Rica, whose teams have historically done better in the Champions Cup, only get two? Moreover, Bueno asks whether a competition that was logistically difficult for many teams should have been expanded in the first place.