HOUSTON, TX - By winning the 2006 MLS Cup, the Houston Dynamo will be one of two two teams representing the United States in the 2007 edition of CONCACAF's Champions Cup.
The Dynamo join the 2006 MLS Regular Season Champion, D.C. United as US representatives to the Cup, which will also include the 2006 Mexican League Torneo de Apertura (TBD) and Clausura (Pachuca CF) winners; three Central American teams (CD Olimpia of Honduras, Puntarenas FC of Costa Rica, TBD); and the Caribbean Champion, which is still to be determined.
In addition, the Dynamo becomes the first Texas team to participate in this tournament since 1992. In that year, it was the Dallas Rockets who represented the Lone Star State.
"Perhaps the most important benefit of winning the MLS Cup is that it puts us in one of the most important competitions in global soccer", said Houston Dynamo President and General Manager Oliver Luck. "This is a great opportunity for the Dynamo to increase its stature among the top clubs in CONCACAF and the World."
In addition to becoming the CONCACAF Champion, the winner will also have the chance to play as the CONCACAF representative against the world's best teams in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, while the Champions Cup runner-up will be one of the three CONCACAF invitees to the 2007 Copa Nissan Sudamericana.
The final group drawing for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup will take place on Friday, November 24, at 10:00 a.m. CT, during the CONCACAF Executive Committee Meeting at the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The draw will determine the brackets, the Quarter-Final Round pairings and which leg in each round teams will host throughout the tournament.
Club América of Mexico won their fifth CONCACAF Champions Cup after defeating CD Toluca 2-1 in an all-Mexican final in 2006. Among U.S. teams, only two have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup: D.C. United in 1998 and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is the longest running international club competition in the region, and has crowned the champion club of the Confederation since its inception in 1962.
The dates for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup are:
Quarter-Finals: 1st Leg - February 20-22; 2nd Leg - February 27-March 1
Semi-Finals: 1st Leg - March 13-15; 2nd Leg - April 3-5
Finals: 1st Leg - April 17-19; 2nd Leg - April 24-26
Below, a list of U.S. teams that have participated in past editions of the CONCACAF Champions Cup:
USA clubs at CONCACAF Champions' Cup
1962 - none
1963 - New York Hungaria
1967 - Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals
1968 - New York Greek-American
1969 - none
1970 - New York Greek-American
1971 - Rochester Lancers, SC Elizabeth
1972 - none
1973 - none
1974 - Los Angeles Maccabbee
1975 - none
1976 - New York Inter-Guiliana
1977 - New York Inter-Guiliana
1978 - Los Angeles Maccabbee
1979 - Soccer Universidad AC
1980 - Brooklyn Dodgers, Sacramento Gold
1981 - none
1982 - Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Pancyprian-Freedoms
1983 - Detroit Express, New York Pancyprian-Freedoms
1984 - New York Pancyprian-Freedoms
1985 - Chicago Croatian
1986 - New York Greek-American
1987 - St. Louis Kutis SC, San Pedro Yugoslavs
1988 - Seattle Mitre Eagles, Washington Diplomats
1989 - St. Louis Busch SC, San Francisco Greek Americans
1990 - New York Greek-American, St. Petersburg Kickers
1991 - A.A.C. Eagles-Chicago, Brooklyn Italians SC
1992 - Dallas Rockets, San Francisco Bay Blackhawks
1993 - Hercules
1994 - Los Angeles Salsa
1995 - none
1996 - Seattle Sounders
1997 - D.C. United, Los Angeles Galaxy
1998 - D.C. United, Colorado Rapids
1999 - Chicago Fire, D.C. United, Los Angeles Galaxy
2000 - D.C. United, Los Angeles Galaxy
2002 - Chicago Fire, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, San Jose Earthquakes
2003 - Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes
2004 - Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes
2005 - D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards
2006 - Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution
2007 - D.C. United, Houston Dynamo
- Champions' Cup Winner
