Wednesday, June 11, 2008
NEW YORK – CONCACAF unveiled the preliminary round match-ups for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League™ following the draw held today at the offices of the General Secretariat in New York City. The USL First Division’s Puerto Rico Islanders learned their opponent will be Costa Rica runners-up LD Alajuelense while the Canadians currently in the qualifying phase, which includes USL-1’s Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact, were drawn against the yet-to-be determined Nicaraguan champions.
Sixteen teams (BLZ1, CAN1, CFU1, CFU2, CFU3, CRC2, GUA2, HON2, MEX3, MEX4, NCA1, SLV2, PAN1, PAN2, USA3, USA4) were drawn into eight home-and-away match-ups in the Preliminary Stage, which will take place on 26-28 August 2008 and 2-4 September 2008.
The Preliminary Stage winners will join the eight seeded teams (MEX1, MEX2, USA1, USA2, CRC1, GUA1, HON1, SLV1) in the Group Stage that consists of four groups of four teams each.
The eight seeded clubs were also drawn into the Group Stage today for the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League™ and CONCACAF will officially unveil the Group Stage along with the complete schedule for the preliminary round on Monday (16 June).
The Islanders drew one of the more storied clubs in Costa Rican and CONCACAF soccer. Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA), currently playing in the Primera División in Costa Rica, is arguably the top club in Costa Rica because of its history, age, heritage, and fame. They have won the national championship 24 times and finished runners-up an additional 18 times. Alajuelense was the first Costa Rican team to win a CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1986, and is the only Central American club to participate in South American tournaments such like Copa Merconorte (2000) and the Copa Sudamericana (2006).
Costa Rican sides have been rather successful in the Champions Cup tournament since Alajuelense broke through with the title in 1986. In addition to capturing the title again in 2004, Alajuelense is joined by Deportivo Saprissa (1993, 1995, 2005) and CS Cartagines (1994) as champions. Saprissa also reached the final this year before losing to defending champion Pachuca of Mexico.
Only a game into the six-match Nutrilite Canadian Championship between the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps, the MLS side is on top with a 1-0 win at Montreal. The winner of the competition will square off against the champions from Nicaragua. Real Esteli FC won the 2007 Campeonato Nacional Apertura title earlier and will square off against the winner of the Clausura, which is headed into the semifinals, should they not capture the double having qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-place club at 10-5-3. Real Esteli won the Apertura with just one loss on their record (14-1-3) and cruised through the playoffs 6-1 and 4-0 on aggregate in the semifinals and final, respectively.
The CONCACAF Champions League™ winner will qualify as the CONCACAF representative to the 2009 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Preliminary Round Draw Results (Home Team Listed First)
First-Leg (26-28 August 2008)
GUA2: CD Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa – PAN1: San Francisco FC
CFU2: Joe Public FC of Trinidad & Tobago – USA3: New England Revolution
CRC2: LD Alajuelense – CFU3: Puerto Rico Islanders
MEX4: CD SC Cruz Azul – BLZ1: Hankook Verdes
CFU1: Harbour View FC of Jamaica – MEX3: Pumas UNAM
PAN2: Tauro FC – USA4: Chivas USA
CAN1: Canadian Champion – NCA1: Nicaraguan Champion
SLV2: CD Isidro Metapan – HON2: CD Olimpia or CD Marathon
Second-Leg (2-4 September 2008)
PAN1: San Francisco FC – GUA2: CD Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa
USA3: New England Revolution – CFU2: Joe Public FC of Trinidad & Tobago
CFU3: Puerto Rico Islanders – CRC2: LD Alajuelense
BLZ1: Hankook Verdes – MEX4: CD SC Cruz Azul
MEX3: Pumas UNAM – CFU1: Harbour View FC of Jamaica
USA4: Chivas USA – PAN2: Tauro FC
NCA1: Nicaraguan Champion – CAN1: Canadian Champion
HON2: CD Olimpia or CD Marathon – SLV2: CD Isidro Metapan
Eight seeded teams – Group Stage
MEX1: Atlante FC, MEX2: Club Santos Laguna, USA1: Houston Dynamo, USA2: D.C. United, CRC1: Deportivo Saprissa, SLV1: CD Luis Angel Firpo, GUA1: CSD Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa (Playoff will determine GUA1, GUA2), HON1: CD Olimpia or CD Marathon (Playoff will determine HON1, HON2)
2008-09 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – Calendar of Events
2008
26-28 August: Preliminary Round, First-legs
2-4 September: Preliminary Round, Second-legs
16-18 September: Group Stage – Match Day 1
23-25 September: Group Stage – Match Day 2
30 September – 2 October: Group Stage – Match Day 3
7-9 October: Group Stage – Match Day 4
21-23 October: Group Stage – Match Day 5
28-30 October: Group Stage – Match Day 6
2009
24-26 February: Quarterfinals, First-legs
3-5 March: Quarterfinals, Second-legs
17-19 March: Semifinals, First-legs
7-9 April: Semifinals, Second-legs
21-23 April: Final, First-leg
28-30 April: Final, Second-leg
December: FIFA Club World Cup
About CONCACAF
CONCACAF “The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football” is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana in the south.
