By Paul Nicholson
December 16 – US clubs have had their qualification process for their four Champions League spots changed following a request by US Soccer to CONCACAF. The region’s top club competition has to date been dominated by Mexican clubs who have won every edition.
Previously both the winner and runners up in the MLS Cup in the US were awarded entry to the Champions League.
The amended qualification process will mean that only the winner will get the Champions League berth, and the runners-up berth will now be allocated to the highest placed side in the conference opposite to the over all winner of the MLS on regular season league play (called the Supporters’ Shield).
This means that the teams that win the East and West MLS conferences will both qualify for the Champions League, giving a stronger geographical spread of qualifiers across the country, and potentially mounting a stronger US club challenge in the competition.
Other Champions League qualification places go to the winners of the MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Canadian teams in the MLS will not be eligible for Champions League qualification through the US process. Canada holds one slot for the Champions League which is allocated to the Canadian Championship winner.
The new rule is effective immediately and means that the Portland Timbers have qualified for the 2014/15 competition as the club with the best regular season record in MLS’ Western Conference. They join the MLS Eastern Conference champion New York Red Bulls (2013 MLS Supporters Shield winners), Sporting Kansas City (2013 MLS Cup champion) and D.C. United (2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion) as the four representatives from U.S. Soccer.
The Champions League has 24 qualifiers: four from the US; four from Mexico; three from the Caribbean Football Union federations; two from Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Guatemala; and one from Belize, Canada and Nicaragua.
In the Champions League era (the current format came into existence in 2008) the competition has been dominated by Mexican clubs with Monterrey winning the last three titles. Only Mexican teams have won the competition and only once has a team from another country made it to the final – Real Salt Lake from the US in 2010-11.
The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. Monterrey lost their first match in the Club World Cup currently being played in Morocco and will now play off for 5th/6th position.
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