HexagonalBlog

Review of 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League: The Competition

[This is the start of a three-part review of this season's CONCACAF Champions League.  The first part will deal with the competition itself.  The second part will give my impressions of the tournament organization and execution.  The third will be my attempt at a Best XI for this year's competition.]

This year, CONCACAF became the last of the worldwide football confederations to transform its regional club championship into a league-type competition.  There were a lot of questions about the Champions League, both on and off the field.  Were CONCACAF capable of organizing in a competent manner a long and complex tournament like the Champions League?  Would the matches be competitive?  Who would dominate?  Would the public care?

CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10: The Group Stage Draw

The group stage draw was conducted at the same time as the preliminary round, and those results are shown below.  The 'PR#" tag refers to the match in my post on the preliminary round draw.

Group A
Houston Dynamo (USA)
Metapán (El Salvador)
PR2
PR4

Group B
Toluca (Mexico)
Marathón (Honduras)
PR6
PR1

Group C
Columbus Crew (USA)
Saprissa (Costa Rica)
PR5
PR8

Group D
Pumas UNAM (Mexico)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
PR3
PR7

I'll have more to say about the groups when the preliminary round is completed. 

CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10: The Preliminary Round Draw

Below is the draw for the Preliminary Round of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League.  Three of the slots are incomplete because of the league competitions still in progress, but they will be filled in over the next two weeks.

PR1:  San Francisco (Panama) vs. San Juan Jabloteh (T&T)
PR2:  Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Jalapa (Guatemala)
PR3:  New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. W Connection (T&T)
PR4:  Olimpia (Honduras) vs. Árabe Unido (Panama)
PR5:  Cruz Azul (Mexico) vs. Herediano (Costa Rica)
PR6:  D.C. United (USA) vs. Chalatenango (El Salvador)
PR7:  Liberia (Costa Rica) vs. Real España (Honduras)
PR8:  Toronto FC (Canada) vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (Puerto Rico)

So there are a couple of all-Central American ties, and the Mexican clubs in the preliminary round will have somewhat more difficult trips this time around.  Once again MLS teams will play rivals from the Caribbean and Central America; will they be successful this time?  The pick of the round looks like whoever emerges from the Canadian championship against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

The first leg matches will be played the week of 28 July, with return legs during the week of 4 August.

Real Estelí turned down for 2009-10 CCL

Real Estelí's stadium did not pass inspection by CONCACAF officials last week, so no Nicaraguan team will participate in next season's edition of the Champions League.  Nicaragua's spot was supposed to go to Panama, as they had the second-best record of the Central American countries in last season's competition, but Panama only has one stadium that meets Champions League requirements.  Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala had similar performance, but economic considerations won out and Costa Rica was awarded a third place in the CCL.  According to my coefficients, Costa Rica did have a higher league coefficient during 2008-09, and Costa Rica and Honduras had the higher league coefficents of the Central American countries over the past five seasons.  So CONCACAF has indeed acknowledged this record of performance with extra slots -- sort of.

Costa Rica's third slot will now go to Herediano, who beat out Alajuelense in the overall season record.

But with regard to Real Estelí, this announcement comes as a shock and a setback to Nicaraguan football.  I don't think CONCACAF comes across looking good either; the renovations to Estadio Independencia were supposedly made under CONCACAF's consulation and supervision.  Was the advice given and instructions not followed?  Did the requirements change?  Someone seriously dropped the ball here. 

It's good that CONCACAF are enforcing their own regulations, but they should remember where they are.  Stadiums should be safe and the presentation should be professional, but this isn't Europe, and the officials should recognize that.

Correction on El Salvador playoff

In a previous post, I had stated that Águila and Isidro Metapán had qualified for next season's CONCACAF Champions League.  It turns out that I was incorrect; in case the same team wins both tournaments in the season, the second Champions League place goes to the runner-up in the Apertura and Clausura finals with the better overall record.  In that case, the second spot goes to Chalatenango, who scored 53 points compared to Luís Ángel Firpo (51).

Two remaining places for group stage

The field for next season's CONCACAF Champions League is almost complete.  There are three open slots for the league champions of Guatemala, Panama, and Canada.  (Nicaragua's slot is pending a visit of CONCACAF officials to Real Estelí's ground.)  There is some uncertainty about which teams will go into which pot for the draw, but that just concerns the two Panamanian representatives.

There are two remaining places for the group stage.  One slot is straightforward -- the winner of the Pachuca/Pumas final will go to the group stage.  The second, reserved for league champion in Guatemala with the higher point total over both tournaments, is a bit more complicated.

If Municipal or Xelajú win the Clausura playoff, either team will enter the Champions League at the group stage. 

If Heredia, Suchitepéquez or Jalapa win the Clausura, then Comunicaciones will go to the group stage because they as Apertura champion would have more overall points than the Clausura champion. 

If Comunicaciones sweeps the two championships (a long shot given their #6 seed, but not impossible), then they go to the group stage of the Champions League and Municipal goes to the preliminary round.

It's all a bit confusing, but it will get sorted out over the coming weeks.

Real Esteli confirmed for 2009-10 Champions League?

CONCACAF's website is saying that Real Estelí have secured Nicaragua's lone slot for next season's Champions League as the team with the highest point total in the Nicaraguan domestic season.  Their appearance is pending a visit an inspection of Estelí's stadium by CONCACAF officials for Champions League matches.  This article on PinoleroSports.com reports on the renovations to the Estadio Independencia that have been conducted over the past six months.  The construction work is focusing on three areas: illumination of the field, upgrades to the stands and dressing rooms, and a higher-quality playing surface. 

It seems that Estelí officials are holding out hope that their preliminary round match could be played during the day, but CCL regulations clearly state that all matches will be played at night. 

MORE: CONCACAF's website is not quite correct -- not yet, anyway.  Real Estelí haven't won the Nicaraguan season title officially, but after Wednesday's 3-0 win over Walter Ferreti in the first leg of the final their league title is almost secured.  (They also have a large lead in total points over the season.)  It should be mentioned that Estelí had to play their home tie against Montreal in Honduras last season, and CONCACAF is taking a very firm posture on clubs playing their home matches in their home countries.  

Jabloteh completes the Caribbean field for CCL

San Juan Jabloteh won third place in the CFU Club Championship after defeating Tempête 2-1.  I would have liked to have seen another team from another part of the Caribbean advance to the Champions League, but the semifinal round was the limit of the Haitian side's capabilities.  All three goals were scored by the T&T club, including an own goal.

In the final, W Connection defeated Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 to win their third regional club title.

All of the Caribbean representatives enter next season's Champions League at the preliminary round stage.

Coefficients updated

I updated the CONCACAF club coefficients a few days ago and uploaded a new file, but I've had a really tough time revising my original post to reflect that.  I think the link works, but I'm not sure if the filename is case-sensitive.  If you can't get to the database from the original post on this site, you can get it from the post on my other site, Soccermetrics. 

Two Caribbean places in CCL decided

The Puerto Rico Islanders and W Connection have secured their places in next season's CONCACAF Champions League by advancing to the final of the CFU Club Championship.  In the first semifinal, the Islanders were taken to overtime by Haiti's Tempête before two goals by Jagdeosingh and Villegas ensured victory.  In the second semifinal, which was an all-T&T affair, W Connection defeated Jabloteh 2-1.

Tempête and Jabloteh meet tomorrow to decide the final Caribbean place in the Champions League.  All three teams will enter the competition in the preliminary round.