There’s no secret that the MLS, as a whole, NEEDS to win a CONCACAF Champions League title. With the MLS having constant presence in the final stages of the tournament, it’s becoming increasingly frustrating to see American sides constantly falling short of the biggest goal which is to win the continental cup, thus securing a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup.
This year things are no different as the MLS teams will have to battle against their Liga MX foes in the quest for the title: DC United will square against Querétaro, Seattle Sounders will play against Club América, Real Salt Lake plays Tigres UANL and Los Angeles Galaxy will take on Santos Laguna.
With that being said, what are the reasonable expectations for the MLS teams? DC United has a relatively close tie with Querétaro and Real Salt Lake is a clear underdog against a Tigres side that reached the Copa Libertadores final last year. The MLS chances to win the cup, therefore, lie on the shoulders of the Sounders and the Galaxy.
Seattle certainly has an experienced squad with the likes of Clint Dempsey, Andreas Ivanschitz and Stefan Frei on the roster but there’s no question that the squad is certainly weaker than last year’s one with the losses of Marco Pappa, Andy Rose and most notably Obafemi Martins. The Nigerian striker was sold to Shanghai Shenhua for an undisclosed fee and his pace will certainly be missed in the attacking third.
Seattle still has one of the best teams in the MLS, but would that be enough to top a Club America that’s already in full swing into their Liga MX season? America itself has a deep squad but they’ve been underachieving in the last few campaigns. It will certainly be a close but it seems as if Seattle’s lack of offensive power might hamper their chances.
Los Angeles, on the other side, has easily the more star-studded roster in the entire league. Ashley Cole, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Nigel de Jong, Giovani dos Santos and Gyasi Zardes all have World Cup experience and they are led by a cultured manager like Bruce Arena who’s known for forcing their players to give their best. The trio of Gerrard, Keane and Gio, in fact, could be a massive headache for opposing defenses at the continental level.
Their rival will be a tough Santos Laguna side that has a lot of pace on the attack with the likes of Andres Renteria, Bryan Rabello and Djaniny Tavares but they are not nearly as good on the defensive end. This could be a favorable matchup for Bruce Arena’s side and they shouldn’t have problems to advance into the semifinals.
The big problem for both Los Angeles and Seattle is that they would meet in the semifinals if they advance to the next round. But that’s a bridge both would have to cross once they get there. As of now both are the biggest hopes for American soccer in their quest to win their first CONCACAF Champions League title since 2000.
The road will be tough, but there’s enough talent to pull the upset against the Mexican sides. And hopefully they can keep the momentum going until the final rounds to bring the title to the States.