CONCACAF Champions League: MLS Teams Look to Build on Early Success this Week

The CONCACAF Champions League tournament resumes this week after two games played so far by each of the 16 teams involved in the group stage. All five MLS clubs involved in the Champions League have started the group stage well. The LA Galaxy lead Group A after two victories, as does FC Dallas in Group C and the Seattle Sounders in Group D are also perfect so far in the group stage.  The Colorado Rapids lead Group B after a win and a draw, while Toronto FC hold the second berth in Group C with a win and a loss.  Most important for the American MLS teams is that the lengthy winless streak in Mexico has been broken, as first FC Dallas defeated Pumas UNAM then six days later the Seattle Sounders won in Monterrey.

On Tuesday evening the three-week break in Champions League action resumes with the LA Galaxy traveling to Mexico to face Monarcas Morelia at 8:00 pm EDT (FSC, Galavision), while the Colorado Rapids host Santos Laguna (FSC, Galavision) and Real Espana host Isidro Metapan in Honduras at 10:00 pm EDT.  The Galaxy will be looking to be the third American club to win on Mexican soil.  Having already clinched the MLS playoffs and leading the league with 55 points (nine more than runnerup Seattle), the Galaxy also saw the return to last Friday’s lineup of their #1 goalkeeper, Jamaican international Donovan Ricketts. The club is healthy and cruising, while Morelia is off to a mediocre start to the 2011 FMF Apertura.  They defeated Cruz Azul, 1-0, on the road Saturday, raising their season record to 3-2-3, but are winless in their three home FMF matches thus far. Morelia have three points after 2 Group Stage matches, leaving them tied for the second Group A spot with Alajuelense, and will need an inspired performance to get a result at home against the Galaxy.

The Colorado Rapids are having a so-so season after winning the MLS Cup last season, but are doing well in the Champions League.  They lost the chance to be undefeated when they gave up a late goal to Real Espana in Honduras in their last match. The Rapids are winless in their last four matches and haven’t had a particularly strong home record in MLS this year, only losing twice in 14 home games but drawing seven times. Santos Laguna are also struggling a bit, holding the thirteenth spot in the FMF table after only earning 11 points in eight league matches. Although they earned a 1-1 draw Saturday against league-leading Chivas in Torreon, Los Guerreros were without veteran defender Felipe Baloy, the 30-year-old who was so impressive for Panama in the 2011 Gold Cup.  But with veteran Mexican international Oswaldo Sanchez in goal and attackers like Darwin Quintero,  Oribe Peralta, Christian Suarez and Jose Cardenas, Santos Laguna have the squad to give any team fits.

On Wednesday FC Dallas hosts Panamanian side Tauro FC (FSC) while Toronto FC travels to Mexico to face Pumas UNAM in 8:00 pm EDT (Telefutura) contests and the Seattle Sounders visit Costa Rica for their match with Herediano at 10:00 pm EDT (FSC), the same kickoff time as the Communicaciones-Monterrey matchup (Telefutura). FC Dallas are currently third in the very competitive MLS Western Conference, and have struggled in their last few matches, losing to the Revs over the weekend and the Sounders in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup semifinal on August 30th. The club is led in goals by young US international Brek Shea with 10. Shea was recently voted the top MLS player 24 years old or younger by fans on a week-long Facebook campaign, while Andrew Jacobson leads FC Dallas with five assists.  MLS veteran Kevin Hartman has played every league game, with a 1.11 goals against average.  And while the Texans should be expected to get a result at Pizza Hut Park Wednesday, Tauro drew with Pumas and only lost to Toronto FC by a goal so far in the tournament.

Toronto FC will test their luck Wednesday against Pumas in Mexico. Pumas will be looking for all three points after having started the group stage with only a point to show after two matches. Pumas are a midtable team thus far in FMF play, with a 3-2-3 record, and their fans will be demanding a win against Toronto. The Canadian side is coming off a big 4-2 win over the Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew on Saturday, their first ever win over Columbus. Their midseason makeover came about way too late to gain them entry to the MLS playoffs, but they have gotten results in four of their last five matches. This should be a very interesting encounter.

The Seattle Sounders matchup with Herediano is another intriguing match. The Costa Rican club is currently second in their domestic league after nine matches, two points behind Alajuelense, while Seattle had won four straight games before losing 2-1 this weekend to Real Salt Lake. The Sounders are again slated for the US Open Cup final in October, but will be focused on cushioning their Group D lead over reigning Champions League titlists Monterrey with a win in Costa Rica. The evening will also see the champion Rayados trying to move ahead of Communicaciones in Guatemala, with both teams on three points. Monterrey needed a last-second penalty kick this weekend to gain a draw against FMF rivals Puebla and American international DaMarcus Beasley.

Thursday night concludes this week’s Champions League competition with CD Motagua hosting Alajuelense at 10:00pm EDT. Despite the presence of three Honduran internationals on the Motagua squad, they have been uninspired thus far in the group stage, surrendering six goals while scoring none after knocking out Municipal in the preliminary round.

With MLS teams off to a great start following Real Salt Lake’s journey to the CONCACAF Champions League final last season, the time is right for MLS to put its stamp on its major regional club competition. Round Four begins Tuesday September 20 with Round Five beginning September 27, with a break in action until mid-October. Many of the Champions League matches are also streamed live from the CONCACAF site for free, although registration is required.