Last week the first round of Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League group stage games were played. Let’s take a look at the results and what can be taken from the first week of games.
August 4:
Queretaro 2-0 San Fransisco
Santos Laguna 4-0 W Connection
Municipal 0-1 Real Salt Lake
August 5:
Arabe Unido 3-0 Montego Bay
America 4-0 Motagua
Vancouver Whitecaps 1-1 Seattle Sounders
August 6:
Herediano 3-0 Isidro Metapan
LA Galaxy 5-1 Central FC
So, what are the big storylines from the first week of competition?
Home teams were dominant: Of all the hosts in week one, only Municipal lost. Carlos Ruiz and los Rojos couldn’t overcome an early goal from Joao Plata as RSL picked up a huge result on the road. The only other team not to pick up all three points at home was Vancouver. Capitalizing on home field advantage is very important in Champions League – especially in a format where only one team advances from each group. America, Santos, Herediano, LA, and Arabe Unido all made big statements in front of their home supporters.
Carribean teams struggled: One reason for at least three of those big margins of victory is that the Carribean teams looked far outmatched in all three of their road games last week. Central FC suffered the double indignity of losing 5-1, and having JP Dellacamera pronounce their club’s name with a Spanish accent the whole game – as if he didn’t know they were from Trinidad. Montego Bay looked poor on the road. W Connection was demolished by Santos in a game where the hosts hit the post a few times in addition to their four goals. If any of the island teams drop points at home, their tournament will be finished quickly.
Big wins for the big three (federations): Mexico, Costa Rica, and the USA are the three strongest countries in Concacaf. With the exception of Seattle, every team in action last week from these countries picked up a decisive win. Herediano and America looked eager to repeat their success from last tournament, and LA (with the help of Gio Dos Santos) and Santos Laguna both announced that they were taking the tournament seriously with routs. Perhaps the most important result of last week was RSL’s road victory, which will be very useful as they try to win their group.
Group F is wide open: Olimpia could win this group comfortably if Seattle and Vancouver repeat their poor performances from last week’s draw. Niether team looked a threat for most of the game, and Vancouver in particular looked lost fielding a team composed mostly of reserves. Seattle may be the frontrunners once Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins return to action. Still, a tough road environment in Honduras will be a challenge for Vancouver, who have never played in Central America, and Seattle, who have struggled with depth this season.
The next round of group stage games includes eight fixtures on the August 18th, 19th and 20th. Tigres UANL will be looking to match the intensity shown by their fellow Liga MX sides, especially after losing the Copa Libertadores final. Seattle will host Olimpia, and DC United will travel to Panama to face Arabe Unido. Saprissa will host W Connection, hoping to replicate Santos’ performance against the underdogs. While the first week didn’t bring any upsets, there were some great performances (The Queretaro – San Francisco game was notable for being evenly played and entertaining). Still, there are some more promising matchups in the second round of group stage games.
As this tournament begins to develop its own history and rivalries, the interest has been growing. The attendance at many of the games so far has been higher than in years past. This is a trend to watch in the coming months, and is not happening in every country. Still, the crowds at Queretaro, LA, and Santos were bigger than usual for an early round midweek game. More fans means more fun, so if you haven’t tuned in yet, catch a game or two next week and let us know what you think in the comment section!
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
