The CONCACAF Champions League draw was held on Thursday to determine Preliminary Round pairings as well as Group Stage pairings. The New York Red Bulls will face Trinidadian squad W Connection while D.C. United will take on El Salvador outfit Chalatenango in the preliminary round, which kicks off in late July.
If the Red Bulls win their preliminary round series, they will then play in a group including UNAM Pumas, the winner between Guatamalan clubs Communicaciones and Municipal, and the winner of Liberia (Costa Rica) and Real Espana (Honduras).
If D.C. United wins its preliminary round series, it will face a group including Toluca, Marathon and the winner of San Juan Jabloteh's preliminary round series vs. Panama's qualifier.
Another one of the more intriguing match-ups in the preliminary round will pit the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders vs. the Canadian Champions League qualifier (either Toronto FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps).
Here is the full draw:
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Arabe Unido-San Francisco (PAN) vs. San Juan Jabloteh (TRI)
Pachuca (MEX) vs. Comunicaciones-Jalapa (GUA)
New York Red Bulls (USA) vs. W Connection (TRI)
Olimpia (HON) vs. Arabe Unido/Chorrillo (PAN)
Cruz Azul (MEX) vs. Herediano (CRC)
D.C. United (USA) vs. Chalatenango (SLV)
Liberia (CRC) vs. Real Espana (HON)
Vancouver Whitecaps/Toronto FC (CAN) vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR)
GROUP STAGE
Group A
Houston Dynamo (USA), Metepan (SLV), Pachuca (MEX)-Guatemala No. 2 ( Comunicaciones or Jalapa), Olimpia-Panama No. 2 (Arabe Unido or Chorrillo)
Group B
Toluca (MEX), Marathon (HON), D.C. United- (USA)-Chalatenango (SLV) winner, San Juan Jabloteh (TRI)-Panama No. 1 (Arabe Unido or San Francisco FC)
Group C
Columbus Crew (USA), Saprissa (CRC), Cruz Azul (MEX)-Herediano (CRC) winner, Canada No. 1 (Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps)-Puerto Rico Islanders winner.
Group D
Pumas UNAM (MEX), Comunicaciones/Municipal (GUA), New York Red Bulls (USA)-W Connection (TRI) winner, Liberia (CRC)-Real Espana (HON)
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What do you think of the draw? Excited to potentially see another Dynamo-Pachuca showdown? How about the possibility of a Columbus Crew/Toronto FC group match-up? Have some hope that the Red Bulls can make a run? Like D.C. United's chances of advancing?
Share your thoughts below.
Yankiboy,
The video of the draw is on the CONCACAF Champions League home website. You could probably google it. I wondered what was going through the two people’s heads when they realized one of the ball in Pot B came open in the fishbowl.
One more thing, shouldn’t there be an accounting firm representative present during the draw…how do I know that wasn’t the 3rd time they did this?
@ManU Fan: I didn’t even know that you could wacth footage of the draw…
Hope a and RBNY . . two ships passing in the night.
So, now we know who RBNY will lose to…
Did anyone watch the draw? One of the balls (PR Islanders) came open causing it to be drawn last. That made the Islanders to play Cananda 1. Shouldn’t this cause the draw invalid? Should they re-draw the balls again.
I’m not saying it’s a fixed draw I’m just saying the Houston-Pachuca mathcup is creating a bit of an international rivalry the creators of this tournament dreamed about.
Wait, is this guy (another) DMid?
Jermaine Jones story in German
(translation anyone?)
http://www.sportbild.de/sportbild/generated/article/fussball/2009/06/12/12916400000.html
NYRB out in the preliminary round.
I just read Jones on FoxSoccer too. If this is true, what a break, a skilled player that actually wants to play for us! Say it’s so Ives.
Jermaine Jones, the Schalke midfielder, has announced that he will play for the USA. Ives, do you know anything about this?
As far as my clubs go, no complaints.
DC got a good draw wtih Chalatenango. Chalatenango is a very scrappy sort of team and the DC “home” leg may once again have a lot of supporters for the away side (but nowhere near as many if DC had drawn FAS or Aguila or Firpo). DC will have less excuses this year (about the number of games to be played).
Puerto Rico will either face Vancouver or TFC. Vancouver we know really well and now that we are competetive with them, I almost consider them a “rival”. I already saw the two clubs play once down in Puerto Rico this year. Vancouver always has talent and they are always very organized.
If we get TFC then it will be a wierd scene just because there has never been an Puerto Rico Islander loved like TFC defender Marco Velez. He is the pride of Puerto Rican soccer. Not only is he the ex-captain of Islanders FC but he is also the current capitain of the Puerto Rico National team. Heck, his parents, brother and other relatives still attend all of the Islanders’ home matches even though he went North a year ago. Some Islanders fans have adopted TFC as their MLS club because of Marco and we follow the club closely.
Jermaine Jones will play for US per Soccernet! This is big.
Are we sure someone didn’t accidentally schedule the semi-finals as Group C?
WTF? Columbus got sqrood. Damn.
…and all four would come in the last 10 minutes.
Itll be Vancouver tha tgoes through sadly.
That being said group C is definitely the group of death and it would have been amazing to see TFC play against those teams.
It’s kind of unfortunate that one of the draws will be USL v. USL*, meaning only one USL club max will make it through to the group stage. The performances of Montreal and PR were one of the big stories of the last CCL, and now it seems that won’t happen again.
* – Barring a 4-goal TFC win in Montreal on Thursday, of course. (TFC would have a real shot at 4 goals if they could move that tie to Mexico…)
We got screwed! No more draws in secret!
Still, we’ll just have to beat Saprissa.
DC!!
On paper the Red Bulls draw looks great, but as bad as they’ve been I have no confidence they can advance.
I really do hope they advance as it’ll be fun to see some different opponents.
I think Columbus got the toughest draw of all the MLS teams, at least on paper. You can never tell with this kind of tournament, though. I’m looking forward to it.
Dena, keep in mind it was a T and T club (Joe Public) that destroyed the Revs in their play-in series last year.
Sorry Columbus….
Houston and DC will make it out of the group stages though.
YESSSS!!!! PACHUCA! Can’t wait (assuming they don’t botch it).
I’m taking Vancouver over Puerto Rico, and DCU and the Red Bulls both got good draws.
Thank god we got a Trini club
oh god…..i forgot about the champions league……more games for us red bulls to loose.yay..
My dad answered this questions for me… Comunicaciones won the clasura, and this sunday is today and this sunday is the beginning of the 2-leg series for the arpetura championchip between Municipal and Jalapa.
So if municipal wins this series then Municipal is in Group D and Comunicaciones is in Group A
If Jalapa wins then Jalapa will be in group A and Comunicaciones in group D
Vamos Rojos!
I don’t get how Communicationes from guatemala can be in either group D and Group A? can someone explain? I’m a municpal fan from guatemala so i really want them in it!
Watch Red Bull lose to W Connection.
yeah, the Crew got the Group of Death here, no doubt. I hope both DCU and NYRB win the preliminary stages, would be great to see potentially five MLS teams in the tournament
Group C has to be the hardest one.
I’m hoping the team can somehow bust out a seasons’ worth of good performance in these two legs. Just get me to the group stage – that’s all I’m asking.
can the red bulls treat the remainder of the mls season like prem teams treat their first match of the fa cup and just focus on the champions league? at least then rbny would still have a shot at something.
I would like to see a TFC and Puerto Rico Islanders match-up. And I think D.C. United and/or Houston will go the furthest for the MLS squads.
Also isn’t the winner of CAN1/Islanders get the place in Group C? So the Crew may not play any Canadian side. Unless I’m missing something.
with dc’s depth coupled with how they’ve been playing, i’m really looking forward to see if they can make a run.
i hope mls is taking this a bit more seriously this year.