Everyone knows that Champions League is back today — yes, that's right, CONCACAF Champions League!
It's the first competitive games of 2020 for anyone in MLS. The format continues to be a 16-club knockout tournament. The MLS-related first legs are as follows:
Tuesday
León (MEX) vs. LAFC
Motagua (HON) vs. Atlanta
Wednesday
Saprissa (CRC) vs. Montreal
Thursday
San Carlos (CRC) vs. NYCFC
Olimpia (HON) vs. Seattle
Mexican clubs have won the CONCACAF title in every season dating back to 2006. DC United (1998) and LA Galaxy (2000) won titles back in the day, but they basically hosted mini-tournaments and played all games at home, which IMO significantly discounts their accomplishments.
MLS clubs have reached the final on three occasions since the tournament abandoned a single-site format. RSL (2011), Montreal (2015), and Toronto (2018) all fell at the final hurdle. RSL (who pulled out a first-leg draw in Monterrey, then lost at home) and TFC (who reversed a 2-1 home leg loss, then missed a golden chance to win, then lost in PKs) were particularly hard to swallow.
MLS clubs have been making progress in this tournament, IMO. In the last three seasons in particular, as MLS has provided ways for clubs to increase spending on their rosters, our teams actually have a winning CCL record against many* (all but two specific) Mexican clubs: 8-2-6 (W-D-L) with 23-18 GF-GA.
*The trouble is that Liga MX clubs aren't standing still. The Monterrey giants of CF Monterrey and Tigres UANL have been mostly clobbering MLS clubs. The collective league record against those two in the same time period is 2-1-7 (W-D-L) with 8-24 GF-GA.
Some thoughts:
I have the lowest expectations for Montreal. Canada gets one entry via the Canadian Championship, so often the entry is weak. Montreal weren't that good last year, have a new manager, and haven't reinforced their team all that impressively.
Seattle is in a solid position. They have a lot of continuity in their roster and a relatively soft bracket. They can't face any Mexican teams until the SF in April, so if they get that far they'll be in more of a rhythm. CB is a concern; it's not necessarily a talent issue, but there will be a partnership that's never played together before.
LAFC have so much depth in general, but like Seattle they have CB questions after just selling Walker Zimmerman to Nashville. They still have a ton of talent on the roster, but minor early-season hiccups can be devastating in this tournament. They also face LMX opposition right off the bat. León isn't normally a powerhouse, but they are having a very good season in Mexico right now.
NYCFC: lots of continuity, except they have a new manager. They'd also face Tigres in the QF, which is always scary.
Atlanta: They still feel a little discombobulated. Miles Robinson is injured, so CB is a concern. At least one of their foreign signings won't be cleared to play in time. I think Atlanta will have a good season, but the way their preseason has gone makes it feel like they won't necessarily be close to their best right out of the gate. I'm skeptical of their CCL chances.