Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo and Toronto FC fans: Take out your calendars.
The schedule for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League was released on Friday, with the completion of the Caribbean qualifying tournament this week putting Puerto Rico Islanders in the same group as the Galaxy again, Trinidadian side Caledonia AIA in the same group as the Sounders and Trinidadian side W Connection in the same group as Chivas de Guadalajara and Guatemalan side Xelaju. The rest of the other groups were determined in a draw earlier in the month.
RSL begin their quest to return to the final on the opening matchday, July 31, at Costa Rican side Herediano. 2011-12 semifinalists TFC meet Salvadoran side Aguila at home the following day, while the Sounders open up at home against Caledonia on Aug. 2.
The Galaxy and Dynamo begin their four-game group stage in Week 2, with Houston playing at CD FAS on Aug. 22 and Los Angeles hosting Isidro Metapan on Aug. 23.
With the shift in format this year, the winners of each of the eight three-team groups will advance to the quarterfinals, where they'll be seeded based on group-stage performance.
Here is the complete list of match fixtures for the 2012-13 CCL group stage:
CCL GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Tuesday, July 31
CF Monterrey (MEX) vs. Chorrillo FC (PAN), 8 p.m.
CS Herediano (CRC) vs. Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, August 1
Toronto FC (CAN) vs. CD Aguila (SLV), 8 p.m.
Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR), 10 p.m.
Tigres UANL (MEX) vs. Real Esteli (NCA), 10 p.m.
Thursday, August 2
W Connection (TRI) vs. Xelaju (GUA), 8 p.m.
CD Olimpia (HON) vs. CD FAS (SLV), 10 p.m.
Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. Caledonia AIA (TRI), 10 p.m.
Week 2
Tuesday, August 21
Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. CD Aguila (SLV), 8 p.m.
Real Salt Lake (USA) vs. Tauro FC (PAN), 10 p.m.
Xelaju MC (GUA) vs. CD Guadalajara (MEX), 10 p.m.
Wednesday, August 22
Caledonia AIA (TRI) vs. CD Marathon (HON), 8 p.m.
LD Alajuelense (CRC) vs. Tigres UANL (MEX), 10 p.m.
CD FAS (SLV) vs. Houston Dynamo (USA), 10 p.m.
Thursday, August 23
Chorrillo (PAN) vs. CSD Municipal (GUA), 8 p.m.
LA Galaxy (USA) vs. Isidro Metapan (SLV), 10 p.m.
Week 3
Tuesday, August 28
Toronto FC (CAN) vs. Santos Laguna (MEX), 8 p.m.
Real Esteli (NCA) vs. LD Alajuelense (CRC), 10 p.m.
Wednesday, August 29
CD Guadalajara (MEX) vs. W Connection (TRI), 8 p.m.
LA Galaxy (USA) vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR), 10 p.m.
CSD Municipal (GUA) v Monterrey (MEX), 10 p.m.
Thursday, August 30
Tauro FC (PAN) vs. CS Herediano (CRC), 8 p.m.
Caledonia AIA (TRI) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA), 8 p.m.
CD Olimpia (HON) vs. Houston Dynamo (USA), 10 p.m.
Week 4
Tuesday, September 18
Tauro FC (PAN) vs. Real Salt Lake (USA), 8 p.m.
Xelaju MC (GUA) vs. W Connection (TRI), 10 p.m.
Real Esteli (NCA) vs. Tigres UANL (MEX), 10 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19
Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR) vs. LA Galaxy (USA), 8 p.m.
CD Aguila (SLV) vs. Santos Laguna (MEX), 10 p.m.
CD Marathon (HON) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA), 10 p.m.
Thursday, September 20
Houston Dynamo (USA) vs. CD FAS (SLV), 8 p.m.
CSD Municipal (GUA) vs. Chorrillo FC (PAN), 10 p.m.
Week 5
Tuesday, September 25
CF Monterrey (MEX) vs. CSD Municipal (GUA), 8 p.m.
CD Aguila (SLV) vs. Toronto FC (CAN), 10 p.m.
CS Herediano (CRC) vs. Tauro FC (PAN), 10 p.m.
Wednesday, September 26
W Connection (TRI) vs. CD Guadalajara (MEX), 8 p.m.
CD Marathon (HON) vs. Caledonia AIA (TRI), 10 p.m.
LD Alajuelense (CRC) vs. Real Esteli (NCA), 10 p.m.
Thursday, September 27
Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR) vs. Isidro Metapan (SLV), 8 p.m.
CD FAS (SLV) vs. CD Olimpia (HON), 10 p.m.
Week 6
Tuesday, October 23
Houston Dynamo (USA) vs. CD Olimpia (HON), 8 p.m.
Real Salt Lake (USA) vs. CS Herediano (CRC), 10 p.m.
Chorrillo FC (PAN) vs. CF Monterrey (MEX), 10 p.m.
Wednesday, October 24
Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. Toronto FC (CAN), 8 p.m.
Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. CD Marathon (HON), 10 p.m.
Tigres UANL (MEX) vs. LD Alajuelense (CRC), 10 p.m.
Thursday, October 25
CD Guadalajara (MEX) vs. Xelaju MC (GUA), 8 p.m.
Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs. LA Galaxy (USA), 10 p.m.
No, it is not the schedule. It is the teams. MLS has not shown they can even consistently beat C.American teams, much less Mexican teams. I think they just don’t have the depth for these type of tournaments.
Lets be realistic.
Try not to be so pathetic in the future.
As long as this tournament/MLS schedule is as it is an MLS team will never win it. The later rounds are held in the MLS’s off season or in the first week or two of the MLS season so the teams are never in game shape. Ultimately the MLS will need their schedule to align with the rest of the world other than the Scandinavian countries. I understand why they haven’t done it yet but it will happen eventually.
Dynamo bench will need to come up big,
8/19 Columbus at BBVA
8/22 FAS at El Salvador
8/25 Toronto at BBVA
8/30 Olimipa at Honduras
Yeah the refs are the reason the MLS has never won this
Hopefully an MLS team can win this tournament sometime in the near future. However, it is unlikely. When it comes to the semifinal or the final what we’ve seen repeatedly is the ref cheating for the Mexican teams. Whether the ref wants the Mexican team to win or he’s afraid of the hostile atmosphere, either way the MLS team gets bad calls. Is there anyway MLS can request a European ref for the later stages?
they should do like s. america and have it just over half of a year… leaving open perhaps the other half for pan pacific or mls invites to copa sudamericana. anyway, this is all hardcore, and my panties are in a bunch. i just hope the moth**effing people show up to watch. c’mon peeps, lets make this all exciting.
Puerto Rico Islanders: the bain of LA’s existence.
because the rest of the world, and concacaf is on a fall-spring schedule.
My Dynamo start with 2 road games… I sure hope they can leave with a few points!
Yeah the scheduling needs to change in my opinion. The Group stage should be in April while the final should be in October.
can someone tell me why the champions league final happens April 18th? is it because concacaf are all on different schedules?