CONCACAF's top ten as of 26-Nov-2008
For those who haven't or won't download the spreadsheets in the previous post, here is a list of the top 10 leagues and clubs that have participated in the CONCACAF's premier club competition over the past four and a half years. That period covers the 2004-05 Champions Cup through the group stage of this year's Champions League.
For an explanation of the coefficient formulae, consult this post.
Top ten national leagues in CONCACAF Champions' Cup/Champions League:
| Country | Coefficient | % Coef Chg | Rank Chg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico |
12.425 | +8.04 | -- |
| Costa Rica |
6.383 | -26.70 | -- |
| USA |
5.675 | -11.33 | -- |
| Honduras | 4.200 | +71.43 | +3 |
| Guatemala | 2.758 | +9.97 |
+1 |
| Jamaica |
2.750 | -9.09 | -2 |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
2.650 | +0.95 | -3 |
| Puerto Rico | 2.650 | N/A |
N/A |
| Canada | 2.350 | N/A | N/A |
| Panama | 1.400 | +100.00 | +3 |
So the top three leagues in the region are unchanged, but there is plenty of movement outside the top three. El Salvador and Suriname move out of the top 10 and are replaced by Canada and Panama. Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago have been dislodged from their positions by Honduras and Guatemala, respectively, while Puerto Rico's "league" has moved into the top ten. I put league in quotes because at this time only one club has the chance to represent Puerto Rico in regional competition, although that might change in the future. Canada's professional teams play in different leagues and can only enter CONCACAF through the Canadian Championship, which you could consider as a league of its own.
Upon looking at these stats, it appears that Mexican teams have widened their advantage over their counterparts for the region, while the performance of teams from Costa Rica and the USA have declined significantly. Honduran clubs have made a big impression in the Champions League, especially Marathón, and their success accounts for Honduras' rise in the league rankings. The big surprises have been the representatives from Puerto Rico and Canada -- the two USL sides.
Top ten clubs in participating in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup/Champions League:
| Club | Country | Total | % Coef Chg | Rank Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNAM |
Mexico |
48.063 | +30.78 | +4 |
| CF Pachuca |
Mexico |
47.063 | +0.67 | -1 |
| CF Atlante |
Mexico |
41.063 | +33.54 | +7 |
| Club América |
Mexico |
41.063 | +5.97 | -1 |
| Deportivo Saprissa |
Costa Rica |
40.958 | -8.52 | -3 |
| Santos Laguna |
Mexico |
38.063 | N/A | N/A |
| Cruz Azul | Mexico | 38.063 | N/A | N/A |
| Chivas Guadalajara | Mexico | 38.063 | +6.47 | -1 |
| Toluca FC | Mexico | 38.063 | +6.47 | -3 |
| CF Monterrey | Mexico | 36.063 | -4.47 | -6 |
The club ranking shows a lot more movement than the national league ranking, which is to be expected. Alajuelense and DC United have moved out of the top 10, to be replaced by Santos and Cruz Azul, both of which have not participated in the Champions' Cup within the last five years. Here the widening of the Mexican league's advantage is more apparent. They comprise nine of the top ten clubs in the ranking, and only Saprissa is the non-Mexican team in this group. However, the 2005 Champions' Cup victory by Saprissa is becoming a distant memory and another lackluster performance (or worse, a non-appearance) will likely see the Purple Monsters exit the top 10. Alajuelense's exit from the top ten is due to two factors: the 2004 Champions' Cup victory moving out of the five-year window, and their failure to advance to the group stage this year. DCU's exit was due to their poor group stage performance and previous Champions' Cup performances falling out of the five-year window.
There will likely be some additional movement by the time the Champions' League concludes in April, but it's clear that this is a competition in which the Mexican clubs are dominant. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
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