Dangers in CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Draw
by Dave Clark on May 17, 2011 6:00 AM PDT
in Sounders: CONCACAF Champions League
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On Wednesday the Seattle Sounders FC will get a decent idea of who they are to face in the next version of the CONCANCAF Champions League. The draw on Wednesday the 18th will how Seattle fans what will be their most exotic ensured away trip of the year. Three of four Caribbean teams would in some ways be ideal. Well, except that few would want to travel to Haiti, and the Puerto Rico Islanders would be the most difficult team in Pot B.
Though the draw will set-up opponents for teams like the Sounders, and FC Dallas, not all of the opponents will be known at the time of the draw. The Caribbean championship is still a couple weeks from being complete. Nicaragua also has a championship to determine their single slot. Both Walter Feretti and Real Esteli are competing for the nations sole slot. Neither Nicaragua nor Belize have met non-sporting qualification (Stadium issues) for the 2010/2011 CCL and were replaced by Honduras and Costa Rica.
For chances of advancing Seattle fans should hope for neither Nicaragua nor Belize being eliminated as neither nation has performed well in their rare appearances. Any of the CFU qualifiers not named the Islanders would be good news, and facing Alianza of El Salvador or San Fransisco of Panama should mean qualification as well.
Here is the complete Pot B
 Municipal |
 San Francisco |
 Alianza |
 Nicaragua 1 |
|
 Defence Force |
 Caribbean 1 |
Caribbean 2 |
Caribbean 3 |
The Sounders can not face another MLS team until after the Group Stages, except for one of Vancouver Whitecaps or Toronoto FC.
Now, if I get my prefernce would be for Defence Force FC of Trinidad. I'd love a trip to Trinidad. Yes, this probably means the Islanders, who continue to add MLS quality talent to their front office and staff. This to a team that already dominated the Los Angeles Galaxy, well and this tourney since its league format.
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Any idea when the draw will be held?
I can’t seem to find any information on the always wonderful Concacaf website.
Tomorrow
It’s on Wednesday:
http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2336496,00.html
If I remember correctly from last year, it wasn’t made public till later in the day.
There's a Defence Force FC in Belize and Trinidad?
I think any team we draw in the prelims should mean we qualify. I would prefer not to draw Vancouver or Toronto (although I think we could beat either of them) so that at least more MLS teams are in the competition’s group stage.
We will play a team from Pot B
So we definitely won’t play Vancouver or Toronto in the prelims. Since Puerto Rico smoked LA last year, and generally have a solid record in this tournament, I wouldn’t be so sure about getting past them if that’s who we draw.
I think they beat TFC once as well
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Right
PR has done extremely well in this tournament. They’ve always been stuck in Pot B and they’ve gone through to the group stage each of the last three years (beating a CR team, TFC, and LAG.) In ‘08-’09, they advanced to the quarterfinals. Last year they were only two points from making the quarterfinals and it was a Mexican team and a Honduran team ahead of them.
Not to undermine Puerto Rico...
But the LA Galaxy clearly didn’t give a crap about CCL last year and Toronto is Toronto. They’ve certainly fielded better teams than the one this year, but they’ve never been top class in MLS. Puerto Rico is a tough draw, but I still like the Sounders chances.
DQ
Last year the draw was on the 19th and the Belize and Nicaragua DQs were announced on the 18th, so those might come down today. Give them to the end to meet standards.
To me Belize is the dream draw. They are the weakest league and one of the easiest to travel to. They speak English there and you don’t have to change currencies. There’s no way I could make it this year but I’d love to make it down there some year. I spent a summer there back in 2000 and I’d love to get back.
Coeffecients
Remember that PR Islanders have been as effective as ANY MLS team in this competition.
Honduras and Costa Rica would present challenges, and are likely replacements if Nic/Bel are kicked out again.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Also, I think adding Honduran and Costa Rican teams increases the chance that we face a Honduran or Costa Rican team
Given that no teams from the same country have faced each other in the prelims before (and that having teams within the same country face each other in the prelims would be lame), there are some teams in Pot B that some teams in Pot A can’t draw, and the teams in Pot A with no restrictions wind up slightly more likely to draw the teams in Pot B with restricted matchups. The more teams in Pot B with restrictions, the more likely we are to draw those teams.
Belize OUT
Olimpia of Honduras in, as noted above this increases Seattle’s chances of facing a Honduran team again.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Nicaragua
I suppose we can assume that Nicaragua didn’t lose their spot this year? I guess that’s good news at least.
http://boxscorenews.com/concacaf-champions-league-draw-set-for-wednesday-p20057-68.htm
I wish they would at least make it so you could listen to the draw
A sky of blue, a sea of green...(or claret)
Estadio Independiente, home of Real Estelí has been approved by CONCACAF and will hold the home match for either the winner of the Nicaragua Clausura Final, Real Estelí or Walter Ferreti. The 1st leg ended 1-0 to Ferreti, 2nd leg is on Saturday.
Ferretí is from Managua, Estelí is located 92 miles North of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
by Fútbol En Seattle on May 18, 2011 1:34 AM PDT reply actions
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