Soccer <\/p>\n
Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a>: It\u2019s North American club soccer\u2019s biggest prize, a pathway to facing off against the global elite in the FIFA Club World Cup and the continent\u2019s toughest tournament to win.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Just ask last year\u2019s Columbus Crew<\/a>, who swept aside Mexican giants Tigres UANL and CF Monterrey in historic fashion before tasting gut-punch heartbreak in the tournament finale against Pachuca, who enjoyed the substantial advantage of a rather arbitrary shift to a single-legged, non-neutral final format for 2024 (plus a nasty bout of food poisoning that ravaged the visitors). Or 2011 Real Salt Lake<\/a>, Montr\u00e9al<\/a> 2015, Toronto<\/a> 2018 or LAFC<\/a> in 2020 and 2023, all of whom mounted impressive ConcaChampions runs that fell agonizingly short at the last hurdle.<\/p>\n Three decades into the league\u2019s history, there remain only three MLS sides to win this title, and just one in its modern era: the \u201822 Seattle Sounders<\/a>. Next week, the hunt begins again as the first of MLS\u2019s 10 CCC representatives kick off in the continental competition, which features 27 teams scattered from Canada to Suriname.<\/p>\n So who\u2019s got the best chance? We took a look at the squads and the bracket, then ranked \u2018em from most promising to longest shot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n No prizes for originality or unpredictability here. The Herons<\/a> have collected the most high-end talent in the league, bolstered by a respectable pad of squad depth and a year of experience together in the current project, including an all-too-fleeting taste of last season\u2019s CCC.<\/p>\n Hang on, though. It\u2019s not just their on-paper resources that nudge the Supporters\u2019 Shield holders a nose ahead of the Western Conference counterparts below. Leo Messi<\/a> & Co. also benefit from a friendly draw that keeps them away from the chief dangers in this competition \u2013 LIGA MX\u2019s biggest, baddest heavyweights \u2013 until the semifinal round in late April, by which point they should be a lot closer to peak match fitness and sharpness.<\/p>\n We also factored in Miami\u2019s preseason schedule, a series of out-and-back exhibition visits to spots across the Americas which appears a lot less draining than last year\u2019s round-the-world tour and more or less mirrors ConcaChampions-type itineraries. But wait; a Floridian march to the final would have to surmount one rather significant hurdle before the aforementioned semis\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The MLS-heavy top left corner of the bracket contains not only IMCF but also LAFC and the Columbus Crew, as well as perceived outsiders Sporting KC<\/a> and Colorado<\/a>. If everything goes chalk, LAFC will best the Rapids in Round One and advance to face the Crew. And if you caught their clashes in the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup<\/a> finals, you know that\u2019s must-see TV, with the winner meeting (again, we presuppose chalk, even if this tourney routinely blows that out of the water) Miami in the quarters.<\/p>\n So Steve Cherundolo\u2019s Black & Gold don\u2019t have the easiest road, including Tuesday\u2019s tricky, chilly trip to Mile High country for their opener at Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods Park. Yet this team looks up for the challenge, having stacked up proven talent from within the league like Mark Delgado<\/a>, Jeremy Ebobisse<\/a>, Nkosi Tafari<\/a> and Yaw Yeboah<\/a>, plus imports Igor Jesus<\/a> and Odin Thiago Holm<\/a>, all of which should compensate for the profitable sales of Mateusz Bogusz<\/a> and Omar Campos<\/a> to Cruz Azul.<\/p>\n Several LAFCers, Cherundolo included, carry the memory of their 2023 ConcaChampions final loss to Club Le\u00f3n, and if this week\u2019s lively 2-1 friendly win<\/a> over Club Am\u00e9rica is any indication, they\u2019re shifting through the gears on schedule.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Never underestimate the ones who\u2019ve been there, done that; it\u2019s a truism that applies to our No. 3 spot even more powerfully than No. 2. The Sounders retain the lion\u2019s share of the lineup that beat Pumas UNAM over two legs to make MLS history three years ago, augmented by savvy new acquisitions like Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a>, Paul Arriola<\/a> and Kim Kee-hee<\/a>.<\/p>\n The stingiest defense in MLS last year, Seattle have now bolstered their attack with a range of options for coach Brian Schmetzer, who can pick from multiple formations and personnel combinations as the Rave Green wade into a busy campaign that also features the Club World Cup come summer. Though preseason results aren\u2019t usually all that reflective of what\u2019s ahead, it may be worth noting that they\u2019ve scored multiple goals in all of their scrimmages and friendlies, and lost none of them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve scored a lot of goals this preseason, but now it’s about doing it in Champions Cup and also in the league,\u201d said midfield veteran Cristian Roldan<\/a> after Wednesday\u2019s win over USL Championship club Louisville City, the Sounders\u2019 final tuneup before next week\u2019s visit to Guatemala for a Round One first-leg duel with Antigua GFC.<\/p>\n Should they advance, their road gets a lot steeper. Cruz Azul await in the next round, and if Seattle survive that, it\u2019s the winner of the Am\u00e9rica vs. Chivas Guadalajara series.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Like Miami, FCC<\/a> tossed back their first dose of Concacaf-ery a year ago, and like Miami, they showed some promise before getting overwhelmed by Monterrey\u2019s quality. It\u2019s a comparable path this time, as they tangle with Honduran outfit Motagua in hopes of booking a date with mighty Tigres in the Round of 16. Find a way past one of the region\u2019s true giants, and it\u2019s either LA Galaxy<\/a>, Real Salt Lake or Herediano of Costa Rica in the quarters.<\/p>\n Up until Wednesday, we\u2019d have given the Knifey Lions a puncher\u2019s chance of navigating that gauntlet, making particular note of K\u00e9vin Denkey<\/a>, the elite spearhead they signed from Cercle Brugge for a hefty fee last fall.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019re upgrading their prospects, because they just solved their most pressing offseason problem by sealing the trade of disgruntled star playmaker Lucho Acosta<\/a> to FC Dallas<\/a> for $5 million plus, which will reportedly set into motion their succession plan: paying the Portland Timbers<\/a> more than twice that for THEIR disgruntled star playmaker, Evander<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s now a race against time to get Evander caught up to speed with his new teammates. But we\u2019re thinking the Brazilian No. 10 will be eager to show his abilities on the continental stage.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If only the Gs could defy time, space and MLS roster rules and magically transport the squad that marched through last year\u2019s playoffs to claim their sixth MLS Cup trophy into ConcaChampions \u201825. We\u2019d surely rank them higher on this list.<\/p>\n Alas, in cold, hard reality, maestro Riqui Puig<\/a> is just a couple of months into a lengthy ACL rehab. Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a>, Mark Delgado and Gast\u00f3n Brugman<\/a> are wearing other teams\u2019 colors due to offseason salary-budget maneuvering. And on top of all that, versatile attacker Joseph Paintsil<\/a> is reportedly out for several weeks with a quad injury.<\/p>\n Ample talent remains, starting with Gabriel Pec<\/a>, Marco Reus<\/a> and newly-acquired forward Christian Ram\u00edrez<\/a>, who played a key role in Columbus\u2019 \u201824 run. But charting a course through that probably treacherous lower left corner of the bracket is asking a lot of a team remaking itself on the fly.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Now run back that first sentence about the Galaxy above, just in the context of Columbus\u2019 incredible run of success under coach Wilfried Nancy. Plenty of us would wager a decent stack on the Crew\u2019s peak NancyBall sides led by do-it-all striker Cucho Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> and a couple of other high-end talents.<\/p>\n The Colombian is gone to Real Betis, though. The aforementioned Ram\u00edrez just returned to his hometown. Aidan Morris is at Middlesbrough. And that leaves questions, even with plenty of holdovers plus Nancy\u2019s scintillating game model and \u201cimpossible is nothing\u201d mindset still in place.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s totally normal. So we lost a player that scored many goals and also made a lot of assists. Who is going to say that we have a chance to win something?\u201d the French-born coach acknowledged to MLSsoccer.com at the Crew\u2019s preseason camp in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida last week. \u201cBut what I’m going to tell you is I know that we can be good without [the departures].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A bold punter might label RSL as MLS\u2019s chief ConcaChampions dark horse.<\/p>\n The Utahns are flying under the radar in large part because their best player, attacking tentpole Chicho Arango<\/a>, moved on to the San Jose Earthquakes<\/a> in the offseason, as did dependable English vet Matty Crooks<\/a>, to Hull City. Even at that, Salt Lake didn\u2019t exactly light things up down the stretch after a red-hot start to last season, never quite recovering from dynamic winger Andr\u00e9s G\u00f3mez’s<\/a> profitable transfer to Stade Rennais of Ligue 1.<\/p>\n We rate their summer signings like Diogo Gon\u00e7alves<\/a> and Dominik Marczuk<\/a>, and some of their recent depth pickups may turn out to be quite savvy. But with a roster in flux and tough CCC fixtures right out of the gate, Pablo Mastroeni & Co. have plenty to prove over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n How\u2019s this for an introduction?<\/p>\n \u2018Welcome to CCC, Mile High Club! Your first task is to defeat the 2022 MLS Cup champs\/2023 ConcaChampions finalists. Then you have to find a way past the 2023 MLS Cup winners\/2024 Leagues Cup holders. And if you manage that, the 2024 Shield winners\/all-time MLS points record-holders, aka the GOAT\u2019s squad, await. Survive, and the reward for your troubles is most likely one of the biggest, richest clubs in LIGA MX.\u2019<\/p>\n Rapids boss Chris Armas surely relishes preparing his side for this series of David-and-Goliath scenarios and can reasonably aim for forward progress in his second year at the helm given the gains made in \u201824. Tenacious, hard-running Colorado can aspire to make DSGP a frosty, lung-burning ordeal for visitors. Frankly, though, it\u2019ll take a miracle to mount a deep run in the Rocky Mountains.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The club that finished third-from-bottom in the overall MLS table last season is in Champions Cup thanks to their runners-up finish in the US Open Cup<\/a>, and that sentence tells you most of what you need to know about what a tough task this tournament represents for Peter Vermes\u2019 team.<\/p>\n We like the rebuilding work Vermes and sporting director Mike Burns have achieved, starting with the coup of bringing Jovelji\u0107 from Los Angeles to the Midwest. SKC look to have gotten younger and more athletic and very possibly will evolve into a solid playoff team in the coming months.<\/p>\n Beating Messi & Friends right at the jump, though? That\u2019s a bridge too far.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n VWFC<\/a> have become ConcaChampions regulars of late thanks to their mastery of the Canadian Championship<\/a>, and that in and of itself is an achievement for the British Columbians, who slot in at a modest 27th in the latest Concacaf club rankings<\/a> (that\u2019s lower than nine MLS colleagues who AREN\u2019T taking part in CCC, for what it\u2019s worth).<\/p>\n The bracket didn\u2019t exactly shake out favorably for their latest continental excursion, pitting them against known Tico troublemakers Deportivo Saprissa in the opening round for the right to face Rayados in the Round of 16. Similarly stern tests would loom in subsequent stages if they pulled off a shock there. And with charismatic, chaotic coach Vanni Sartini as well as Designated Player Stuart Armstrong<\/a> gone, it\u2019s a very steep learning curve for Sartini\u2019s Danish successor Jesper S\u00f8rensen, who has approximately 0.0 North American experience, and the rest of the squad.<\/p>\n Have fun storming the castle, \u2018Caps!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n