The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today that the New England Revolution will compete as one of four U.S. entries in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League tournament, which begins in August 2008.
The Revolution is one of 24 teams - and four U.S.-based teams - participating in the first-ever regional Champions League event, which brings together champion-caliber teams from the U.S., Mexico and the rest of Central America and the Caribbean in a club championship patterned after Europe's Champions League and South America's Copa Libertadores. The Revolution will be joined in the tournament by U.S. clubs D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA.
"We are thrilled to participate in the CONCACAF Champions League," Revolution General Manager Craig Tornberg said following the announcement. "This is an exciting and unique opportunity for the Revolution. No other professional sport in this country plays tournaments - at a team level - against international opponents. Having qualified for this tournament, we have the ability to match our team against the finest clubs in our region while battling for tremendous prestige on an international level.
"We're looking forward to this opportunity and bringing more world-class soccer to our area later this year," Tornberg said.
The Revolution earned its berth in the tournament by virtue of its runner-up status at MLS Cup 2007. The Revolution also secured a place in the draw through its 2007 U.S. Open Cup championship. However, since the team had already claimed a spot in the tournament as MLS Cup runner-up, Chivas USA was awarded entry after earning MLS' second-best record in 2007.
The Revolution and Chivas USA will enter the CONCACAF Champions League among 16 teams who will play in the qualifying round. Those 16 teams will play two-game, home-and-away series the final week of August and the first week in September. The winners of those total-goals series will advance to the group stage and be placed in one of four four-team groups, in which Houston (MLS Cup 2007 champion) and D.C. (2007 Supporters Shield winner) have already been placed with Mexico's top two entrants plus Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador's top qualifiers.
The full 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League draw will be announced on June 11, 2008.
The CONCACAF Champions League winner will qualify as the CONCACAF representative to the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.
For more information on the tournament, visit concacaf.com, and the full text of CONCACAF's release about the tournament format -- which includes the tournament schedule -- follows.
