One of the minor dots on the 2009-2010 soccer calender is the second installment of the Concacaf Champions League. I say minor because with the tournament being in only its second year of existence it has not developed the same tradition of its European rival. Other than a lack of history the CCL faces some other challenges, particularly catching the attention of the American audience. While some critics say that it would be best to scrap the tournament, I am believe the tournament is a good thing for MLS.
However, some changes need to be made in order for the tournament to catch an appeal. The first one is basic: The results!! In the first edition of the tournament the MLS crashed in burned, Chivas USA, and New England being ousted in the Preliminary Round) and DC United looking like a high school team in the group stages. Houston was the only American side (with the exception of the Puerto Rico Islanders) who looked respectable against foreign competition.
One could argue that it was not fair for MLS teams to do well in the first year, since those four sides competed in SuperLiga earlier in the year and the 2009-10 results would be better. However so far that is not true. While DC United made it through the preliminaries New York failed to, and Toronto FC lost to Puerto Rico (then again do American loyalties lie with the Toronto and the League, or the Islanders and the Nation?) also the Red Bulls are not exactly the class of the league and their qualification in the tournament was a miracle.
Still, in the group stage things are not looking too sharp. DC is looking for a repeat of the dud they preformed last year. Columbus got thumped 5-0 by Cruz Azul. Houston still preforms well, showing why they are the class of the league.
With these negative results the nay-sayers will state the the CCL should be dropped from the MLS schedule, due to a lack of interest from both clubs and fans however that is not they way to go. MLS needs to participate in Concacaf's premiere club competition, and needs to showcase what it is capable of doing. What needs to happen is a bigger emphasis on the tournament. Last spring Houston rotated there pre-season around the tournament so they could put there best effort into the competition. Also during this season teams competing in Super Liga reserved 2 weeks of the schedule for Super Liga play only, this resulted in the Chicago Fire advancing to the Final.
Finally, MLS needs to create a culture and incentives for teams to do well. Perhaps increasing a teams salary cap based on results in the tournament, or finally issuing a much needed increase in overall salary-cap and roster size. Juggling 3 completions is a lot easier when you have the man-power to compete and not completely exhaust the players. MLS is doing a good thing by competing in the CCL, they just need to re-modify the teams representing the league, and creating a larger incentive for doing well.
The Champions League is good for MLS, it will help grow the league. Right now it is going through some rough spots, but a fish can only be as big as the pond it lives in, and MLS can only be as big as Concacaf. MLS needs to support it's confederation, and this young tournament. It will create winners in the long run, for both Concacaf and MLS.
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