Just a few months after crowning Mexican side Atlante the winner of the first edition of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) – we once again have some great regional club action to look forward to.
For all effects and purposes, the first edition of the CCL was a success. As many expected, the Mexican clubs make it deep into the tournament with 3 out of the 4 semi-finalists clubs being from the Mexican First Division. The only non-Mexican side, and Cinderella story of the tournament, was the Puerto Rico Islanders. But that tournament is done with – Atlante will represent CONCACAF in December for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates – so now it’s time to focus on the 2009-2010 CCL edition.
24 teams from 11 countries make up the participants in this CCL. Some familiar faces like D.C. United, Cruz Azul, Marathon, and Saprissa are included with some first timers like Canadian MLS side Toronto FC. Just like last year, certain teams are seeded directly into the group stages while others have to battle it out in the preliminary stage. Last year saw the Islanders eliminate Costa Rican LD Alajuelense – this time around, the opponent will be Canadian MLS club Toronto FC.
Other preliminary match-ups:
- San Francisco (Panama) vs San Juan Jabloteh (T&T)
- Pachuca (Mexico) vs Jalapa (Guatemala)
- W Connection(T&T) vs New York RedBulls (USA)
- Olimpia (Honduras) vs Arabe Unido (Panama)
- Herediano (Costa Rica) vs Cruz Azul (Mexico)
- D.C. United (USA) vs Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador)
- Municipal Liberia (Costa Rica) vs Real España (Honduras)
In general, this round should be quite interesting with some clear favorites but also with the clear possibility of a couple of upsets and surprises.
You can find the schedule here: Wikipedia article
Also, stay tuned for my picks on this week’s matches and a detailed match-preview of the Islanders vs Toronto game.
All the clubs that qualified for this year's CCL
