Who’s got Champions League fever? I do. It’s probably my favorite club tournament in all sports – more so than March Madness, one-up on the Stanley Cup playoffs. And judging by the amount of money Fox is spending to carry the games Stateside (take that, Worldwide Leader), it’s catching on here, too. I’ll watch pretty much any matchup for the high-stakes soccer, the cavalcade of stars and the pumped-up crowds.
And then I get a little depressed. Why can’t we replicate that somewhat on this side of the Atlantic? To be fair, CONCACAF Champions League is only in its second year of the redone format. And while it’s not perfect (how did MLS earn five potential spots?), it’s a definite improvement over its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup (win a prize if you understood the format on that bad boy).
Still, there’s work to be done. Overtaxed and undermanned MLS squads, the can’t-be-bothered mentality of Mexican clubs (many of which are still fielding reserve lineups) and pathetic attendance all over -- these things need to change. The competition will not improve without better support. And better support will not come without better competition. Chicken, meet egg.
I recall a conversation I had with Kevin Hartman a few years ago in the bowels of San Francisco’s AT&T Park after a U.S. friendly. The veteran goalkeeper remembered back to when he and the L.A. Galaxy won the 2000 CONCACAF title and what a thrill that was ... and then lamented what a miniscule accomplishment that turned out to be in terms of attention and respect.
So I’ll turn salesman here, because this tournament needs us. And even when the last MLS club goes crashing out (sorry, Crew, but I don’t like your chances down in Toluca), there are still reasons to watch. So here goes: the American fan’s guide to the rest of the field in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals:
MARATHÓN: The San Pedro Sula-based club isn’t even among the elite of Honduran soccer, but it has gotten this far in the second edition of the CCL. The most recognizable face on the roster, at least to the American fan, is none other than 2005 MLS Cup hero Guillermo “Pando” Ramírez. You remember Pando: He couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn for the Galaxy, setting the record for worst shooting efficiency in league history. That is, until overtime of the title game, when he came on as a sub and nailed a nasty game-winning, golden-goal volley that gave Los Angeles its second league championship. More current, Marathón is also the club currently loaning winger Marvin Chávez to FC Dallas.
PUMAS UNAM: Apologies to Chivas de Guadalajara, there may be no Mexican club with more connections to American soccer and MLS than Mexico City’s sentimental favorites. Icons-turned-MLS-stars Claudio Suárez and Jorge Campos both came up through the Pumas system, and former Chivas USA two-season rental Francisco Palencia now plays at the Olímpico Universitario.
Remember when Hugo Sánchez was a god? He couldn’t hack it as manager of El Tri, but arguably the greatest player in Mexican history also came up with Pumas and helped the club to its first league title long before his one season with Dallas. "Hugol" also coached his beloved team to back-to-back titles in 2004, the last Mexican club to successfully defend a championship. Perhaps most triumphantly for U.S. fans, former national-team midfielder (and current assistant coach) Mike Sorber spent two seasons with Pumas, where he became a cult hero and was even named a Mexican league all-star. Not bad for a gringo from St. Louis.
ÁRABE UNIDO: These Panamanian minnows snuck up on the Houston Dynamo in this year’s group stage, holding the two-time MLS Cup champs 1-1 last August in a stunning result ending up being the difference in keeping them from advancing. But there’s more than just that embarrassment. Rapids fans remember fondly from the club’s early days Jorge Dely Valdés, who led Colorado in scoring with 10 strikes in 1999 and kept the goals coming in 2000. The prolific striker returned to Panama after that season and closed out his career with El Árabe.
CRUZ AZUL: Another Mexico City club with multiple ties. Remember Carlos Hermosillo? He was a star for the Galaxy over the 1998 and '99 seasons, but he's also still the all-time leading scorer for la Máquina. In fact, his two-goal performance in the 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup final -- a wild 5-3 win over his future team -- was a big reason L.A. made a push to sign him. And the afore-mentioned Palencia cut his teeth with the Cementers, too -- he ranks third on their all-time scoring list. But much like Pumas, another former U.S. national-teamer left a big mark on Estadio Azul: Cle Kooiman spent three seasons with Cruz Azul and was even named their captain.
TOLUCA: We’ll start with the good here. D.C. United topped los Diablos Rojos 1-0 at RFK Stadium back in August 1998 with a goal from Eddie Pope, giving MLS its first continental title. Now the more painful stuff. Revs fans will recall, perhaps not too fondly, the short stay of José Manuel Abundis. The former Mexican national-teamer was explosive early in his career with Toluca, scoring more than 60 goals in nine seasons. His cocksure attitude didn’t fly with Steve Nicol by the time he arrived at Gillette Stadium late in 2006 and he didn’t return after appearing in just four matches.
Scan the current Toluca roster and the biggest name that sticks out is the captain, Antonio Naelson. “Zinha” is a recognizable to most U.S. fans, who remember the diminutive midfielder’s time with El Tri. His back-breaking goal on Kasey Keller in World Cup qualifying in 2005 is part of the long lore of Team USA’s futility at Estadio Azteca. And several sources have told MLSsoccer.com that Zinha has been shopped around MLS several times -- what a great villain he’d make Stateside, especially with Cuauhtémoc Blanco back in Mexico.
COMUNICACIONES: One of Guatemala’s two elite clubs, las Cremas have attracted talent from all over Central America. That includes classy Costa Rican midfielder Maurico Solís (who spent two seasons with San Jose) and Honduran striker Carlos Pavón (a former member of the Galaxy), both of whom spent time with the club. And of course there was also Guatemalan Mario “El Loco” Rodríguez, who spent two seasons in Columbus.
PACHUCA: For most American fans, Pachuca is the home of U.S. national team sensation José Francisco Torres. “El Gringo” learned the fluid Mexican game at an early age in the Pachuca academy, and now his brother, holding mid Guillermo, is also getting the Tuzo treatment. But put that aside for a second and recall how many MLS-Pachuca battles have made for riveting TV in recent years. Picture Miguel Calero giving Landon Donovan the Rimando treatment and turning aside a PK by the Galaxy ace in the final of the inaugural SuperLiga. And don’t forget the fantastic rivalry Pachuca and Houston have going -- the orange-clad clubs have collided six times in both SuperLiga and in CONCACAF play over the past four years in what have often been thrilling, high-scoring affairs.
Jonah Freedman is the
managing editor of MLSsoccer.com. His “Throw-Ins” column appears every Thursday.
