CONCACAF revamps Champions League format, but MLS scheduling problems remain
The CONCACAF Champions League format got a long overdue revamp on Monday that will ease fixture congestion and bring more teams into the fold. The new format, launching in 2017-18 edition, will split the tournament into two phases and eliminate the group stage.
But the biggest problem with the new format for MLS teams, however, is that it has all the worst problems of the old format.
Although MLS teams will now qualify directly into the knockout stage, which is the second phase of the new format, that competition will still start in February while MLS teams are in preseason. From February to May, five MLS teams (assuming an MLS team wins the Canadian Championship as usual), will compete with the winner of the first phase, four Liga MX teams, and the champions from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and the Caribbean.
The big takeaway is that MLS teams competing for a Champions League title will not be at full-strength, just as in past CCL tournaments. That not only hurts MLS teams' chances of advancing, but also makes for sub-par quality in a competition that should be the confederation's best.
https://twitter.com/CONCACAF/status/823557937977315328
Eliminating the group stage and replacing it with a new playoff phase for teams in smaller countries will help prevent MLS and Liga MX teams from being hit with group games in the latter half of the calendar year. That is a benefit, but it's a small one given that the biggest problem – knockout games during MLS preseason – remains. MLS can't change its own schedule because many of its northeast and midwest markets experience freezing cold weather in the winter.
Apparently, MLS was consulted about the schedule change and preferred MLS teams compete in Champions League during preseason rather than playoffs, which was the other option offered by CONCACAF. Per ESPN, the league was given the option of a knockout stage running from August to October, but with Decision Day and playoffs starting in October, it was deemed the worse option.
An obvious solution, instead, would be to push the CCL schedule back just a bit so the MLS season is underway, but CONCACAF ruled that out. Officials said a start in March, when the MLS season also starts, wouldn't work due to international FIFA dates around that time, so it was either during preseason or playoffs for MLS.
Given the options, MLS's choice does make sense – MLS isn't going to want to add more fixture congestion around the playoffs and potentially harm the league's playing quality at a crucial time. But as long as MLS teams have to compete during their preseason, the Champions League isn't going to be a competition that is treated very serious in the United States.
It's not CONCACAF's job to cater to one league's schedule, of course, but at the same time, MLS takes up the most slots in the competition and a lack of strong representation from MLS teams certainly doesn't help the competition grow. That CONCACAF is looking at the competition at trying to improve it is a good sign, but it looks like the new format is still missing the mark.
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