Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern/USA TODAY Sports
By SBI SOCCER
Major League Soccer has made strides in years past to win the CONCACAF Champions League, and a possible rescheduling of the annual tournament could help the league reach that goal sooner.
D.C. United and head coach Ben Olsen advanced to the playoff rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League after a 2-0 win against Arabe Unido Tuesday, but that may not have been the biggest news from the night.
After the game, he told reporters that he wasn’t only excited about his team’s performance because he also had heard the tournament is about to experience a major change.
“I’m thrilled that they’re moving (the Champions League) to, however I say that, a seasonal way,” Olsen told reporters. “They’re changing things. You guys know that right? Was that just me? Was that just an email? Oops.”
Olsen was apparently not joking with the press, as a source confirmed to Goal USA that the Champions League is considering rescheduling the tournament so that it begins in the spring and ends in the fall. The implementation would reportedly start in 2017.
Currently, the CCL runs from fall to spring, with the knockout stage beginning before the MLS season starts. Under the current structure, all seven CCL winners have been from Liga MX.
Moving the knockout rounds to the fall would mean MLS teams being in the heart of their season, while also allowing teams from other CONCACAF leagues to be in-season as well.
What do you think of this development? Think it makes sense? See an MLS team finally winning the CCL if this change is made?
Share your thoughts below.
MLS has always had a disadvantage in CCL but sticking it to ALL the other countries who follow the FIFA calendar seems incredibly unfair. Is this a case of American $ driving the bus?
Good, good.
I’d rather the scheduling change they make be that CCL games not be on the same days as the European Champions League matches. When I come home after a long day at work and can only watch one match, if I have to choose between Barcelona-Roma and Real Esteli-Joe Public, the CCL version is not going to win many of those battles. There’s no reason they can’t be on a different week.
There’s also no reason why you are limited to watching one match a day, especially since they aren’t on at the same time.
So people still think scheduling is the magic bullet that’s going to compensate for the talent (and especially depth) disparity? LOL
I think it will help in a few ways. In addition to being in mid-season form, MLS teams won’t have to contend with losing players who would move on at the end of the MLS season or during the winter transfer window. It will also allow MLS teams still involved to intergrate eligible summer transfers.
Nice slip by Olsen!
Personally more of a fan of having the championship in the spring/early summer but not really opposed to it this way.
Lines up better with the Club WC and Libertadores (maybe they are planning anything with them?)
Wait, I thought everyone had to be on the Euro schedule or they weren’t a real league?
Hah! Olsen letting the cat out of the bag!
Not sure if it will make a huge difference in the end. In the current format, by the time the semi finals roll around aren’t MLS team a month or so into their seasons? Fresher legs may outweigh more ‘season form’ at some point. Also MLS teams may have to choose more directly btw playoff success and CCL success if both end in the fall. Now they can throw the full force (like MTL did) if they make it to the latter stages.
Excellent this should help level the playing field with Liga MX sides somewhat and quiet the complaints about MLS not being on a fall-spring schedule notwithstanding that it’s impossible anyway.