Last week the CONCACAF Champions League was fantastic. For starters, nobody lost by four or five goals. The games were competitive and exciting. The crowds were good and even great (especially in Honduras and Costa Rica). And the groups are largely shaping up to be interesting. We are now halfway through the group stage, and for this review, we’ll take a look at each of the groups.
CCL Week 3 Recap: Viva Costa Rica!
First, here are the results for this last round of group games:
8/25/15:
DC United 3-0 Montego Bay United
Saprissa 2-1 Santos Laguna
Municipal 2-1 Santa Tecla
8/26/15:
San Francisco 2-1 Queretaro
Herediano 1-1 Tigres UANL
Olimpia 1-0 Seattle Sounders
8/27/15:
Comunicaciones 1-0 Central FC
Motagua 2-0 Walter Ferreti
Now let’s take a look at each of the groups at this halfway point in the stage. At this point in the competition, almost every team has played each other once.
Group A: Saprissa, 6 pts- Santos-3 pts, W Connection- 0 pts
Saprissa stands alone after three games, having taken the maximum six points from their first two home games. Santos were soundly beaten in San Jose, but they will get a grudge match at home in the last game of this group. W Connection is on the ropes after two 4-0 losses, but still have both of their home games to play. Still, this group will very likely come down to the last game on October 20th, and el Monstruo Morado will likely have the upper hand in the standings. Santos have been the weakest team in Liga MX this season and will need to find momentum somewhere – a good CCL performance would do the trick.
Group B: Herediano- 4pts, Tigres UANL-4 pts, Isidro Metapan-0 pts
This group is very similar to group A at face value. A Costa Rican club is in the lead (tied for it) above a Liga MX team, having tied each other and each beating the weakest link of the group. In another similarity with group A, Tigres will host Herediano in the final game of the group. But Metapan also have two home games remaining, and look much more likely to mount a challenge than W Connection. The Salvadoran club played very well against Tigres and showed that they can keep their shape well enough to steal a result. They will still need to beat the Mexican club to advance, something very difficult to do even at home. Tigres should be able to control their own destiny here, but need to be more inspired then they have so far.
Group C: Queretaro-4 pts, San Francisco-3 pts, Verdes F.C. 1 pt
This group has upset written all over it. Queretaro beat San Francisco 2-0, but the Panamanians hit back at home, with goals in the 89th and 90th minutes in a 2-1 victory Wednesday. Queretaro will now be looking to avoid a repeat performance of their last tangle with Verdes, in which the teams drew in Belize. They may need a big win to advance as San Francisco has two games against Verdes remaining. This group will come down to who scores more goals against Verdes, and the minnows will attempt to play spoiler. This is a very winnable group for San Francisco if they play to their full potential.
Group D: LA Galaxy-6pts, Comunicaciones-3 pts, Central FC-0 pts
Of all the great developments in this edition of CCL, LA’s ascendance into the rank of tournament favorites is one of the best for MLS fans. It’s notable that even in Mexican media, the Galaxy are mentioned as one of the three favorites to win the tournament, side by side with Tigres and America. This is what MLS needs to be taken more seriously- direct competition with other leagues in meaningful games where American teams can be measured against tough competition. Los Angeles is in the driver’s seat in this group after dropping five goals on each of their group mates in Carson. If they play smart in their road games, they should be able to advance. The final match of the group will be at Estadio Cementos Progreso, where Comunicaciones will be playing for pride and perhaps first place in the group, against the MLS Champions.
Group E: America-6 pts, Motagua-3 pts, Walter Ferreti-0 pts
America has not yet given up a goal in this tournament. Though they did not look dominant against Walter Ferreti, they did also beat Motagua 4-0. If both the Honduran and Mexican clubs beat Ferreti again, Motagua will have a golden chance to beat las Aguilas in Honduras in the final game of the group. But this is America’s group to lose. There is no reason to think they will lose either of their final games, even though they are both on the road.
Group F: Seattle Sounders-4 pts, Olimpia-3 pts, Vancouver Whitecaps-1pt
This is still the most even group on paper, and so far every game involving Olimpia has been fantastic. Seattle beat the Honduran club at home but couldn’t get a result away. Alberth Elis has been outstanding, scoring in both games for Olimpia . It is now Vancouver’s turn to play a home-and-home with los Leones, with a Cascadia Cup rematch in Seattle in between. Olimpia will be eager to beat the Canadians and claim victories over all three Cascadia teams within the year. All three teams could still win this group and it remains hard to predict, although Olimpia have the edge, with two games remaining. Seattle took only one win out of its first three games, and cannot afford to draw Vancouver in their last game of group play.
Group G: Municipal-4 pts, Real Salt Lake-3 pts, Santa Tecla-1 pt
Municipal are in the same boat as Seattle, having played three games and earning a win in only one. RSL has the advantage in this group with just one game played, and three to go. They have already beaten Municipal in Guatemala, and if the Claret and Cobalt want to advance, they control their own destiny. Santa Tecla will be looking to play the spoiler, and Municipal will want revenge for the loss, so this will not be a cakewalk. But don’t be surprised if RSL take this group by a comfortable margin.
Group H: DC United-6 pts, Arabe Unido-3 pts, Montego Bay United-0 pts
DC looks strong after posting shutouts against both opponents. Andrew Dykstra has been solid for the Black and Red between the pipes. Arabe Unido has played well in their games, and probably deserved to beat DC in Panama, but couldn’t finish and were punished by a late goal. Montego Bay are a good Cinderella story, but have shown that they simply don’t have the legs at this point in their season to play much of a role in this group. Expect them to mount a stronger challenge when group play picks back up in a month after they build some fitness in league games.
The Group stage continues September 15th, and is finished in late October. For now, the MLS sides should be especially confident heading into the second half of group play. Liga MX sides have underwhelmed compared to their MLS counterparts. There are potential upset teams in Saprissa, San Francisco, and Olimpia, but only time will tell whether they can pull off the results in this stage.
Overall, Liga MX teams struggled in this round, and the Costa Rican teams find themselves leading their groups. After last year’s fantastic showing by Costa Rican sides, Saprissa and Herediano appear ready to challenge for the knockout rounds again. The only thing certain so far is that the groups are much more competitive than in years past. This trend should make for some fantastic soccer in September and October. Stay tuned everybody, this is going to be a good tournament.
