Two embarassing results for Majore League Soccer in the CONCACAF Champions League happened yesterday. Last years MLS Cup runners up and the Western Conference champions both dropped out of the regional tournament yesterday.
The New England Revolution lost 0-4 at home to Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago. This was the first time a Caribbean team beat an MLS team in a CONCACAF club competition. Joe Public advanced on a 6-1 aggregate score.
Chivas USA has a slightly closer series with Tauro of Panama, but they came away with a 1-3 aggregate defeat after a 1-1 draw at the Home Depot Center yesterday.
The Montreal Impact of the USL beat out Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps to represent Canada. Our Canadian USL representatives managed to win their series to move on to the group stage. This is rather embarassing for MLS as far as I’m concerned. New England did have a lot of players on the bench due to injury – but they got thrashed by a team from a region that has never beat an MLS side on CONCACAF club competition. San Jose would have done better than that.
What do you think? Is this embarassing for MLS – or is this a competition that they shouldn’t care about?
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10 Comments
If MLS wants to actually win fans in this country (USA) maybe they actually should play with some heart. I mean 6-1 agg. to a club named Joe Public? THey are from where again? Pathetic!
I think this is a very important tournament (the most important tournament for this region for club teams). I think that MLS needs to lift salary caps and bolster teams which compete in this tournament to ensure they have enough depth to compete and win.
I agree for the most part with you guys – but I think our MLS teams already should have the skill and depth to compete with (and beat) clubs from Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.
(I agree for the most part with you guys – but I think our MLS teams already should have the skill and depth to compete with (and beat) clubs from Panama and Trinidad & Tobago.)
What’s on paper doesn’t always equal the performance on the field. Or in other words in Football 2+2 doesn’t always equal 4. NE didn’t play with any heart or fight. In the first game they were outplayed in all aspects of it. In the return leg well you can see for yourself.
(If MLS wants to actually win fans in this country (USA) maybe they actually should play with some heart. I mean 6-1 agg. to a club named Joe Public? THey are from where again? Pathetic!)
What does the team place of Origin have to do with their level of play and why was it pathetic? I am curious enlighten me pls
Do you think the place of origin of a team doesn’t matter? How do most people compare European leagues (England, Spain, Italy) to Major League Soccer? MLS comes out on the short end of that comparison almost all the time. It is a valid comparison. That doesn’t mean that it will always be that way – but right now it does mean that.
I expect in 2008 that MLS teams should be able to beat any team from Trinidad and Tobago and I imagine that is the same thing James was thinking in his comment. Maybe sometime in the future T&T will prove to be a powerhouse for club football in CONCACAF but they aren’t there yet.
That being said, the MLS should compare favorable to Trinidad and Tobago clubs. New England was pathetic in getting whipped like they did no matter who their opponents. There is nothing pathetic about T&T or Joe Public – it is just a team that most MLS teams should beat.
I don’t know if James was thinking differently – but that is how I interpreted – or at least it is what I believe.
The headline is deceiving/incorrect because MLS still has two teams which were seeded directly into the group phase, yet to come next year.
Also, in New England’s defense, they have had to play a lot of matches and travel all over the continent and currently have four injuries to forwards at the same time. They really did not want to play in — or stay in — this tournament. Nichol even said losing was a blessing. So it is hard to tell how much it really says about the league or the Revs, I can’t say how invested Chivas was in the tournament. The USL sides really care, obviously.
a correction – group play is in the fall, during MLS playoff time. Even less reason to want to be in the tournament. The Revs are counting their blessings, really
Let me add a coment to this. That is not an excuse. Take a look at the impact’s calendar (http://montrealimpact.com/News/Calendar.aspx?language=EN).
In a few words, it was really bad. Injuries, they had plenty for a long period. Yet, they managed to climb from last place in Mai-August to 3rd place in september.
I read some post in another blog where it was written how MLS teams simply do not care about anything else but the MLS cup and possibly the superliga competition where $1 million is awareded to the winner. A player was quoted as saying MLS fans would not care or remember anout matches in champions league but would remember who won the MLS cup.
So I would like to ask fans of this website, is this correct? Are MLS teams and fans only interested in the local matches? If so, I find it sad to not have the same ambition as other continental clubs like Barcelaona, Manchester United and others.
I think that would be incorrect to say that MLS fans care only about local matches. Sure some only care about the local matches, but plenty of fans want to see their teams do well in SuperLiga or Champions Cup. A lot of people probably don’t even know those tournaments exist.
I can’t say what the actual teams think. At times it does seem they don’t give a crap about anything other than MLS.
This just shows how pathetic that USA league is. Overrated. They should have 2 slots taken away from them in the next CCL.