Quick thoughts on the 2021 Concacaf Champions League draw + Tigres' shot at glory
Will a Concacaf team be crowned the best club in the world tomorrow?!?!
We know the Concacaf Champions League format will change significant for the 2023-24 tournament, but we still have three tournaments left in the current format. For those tournaments, the draw is important, but the analysis afterward is mostly the same: The ‘losers’ of the draw are whichever MLS team has to face León in the first round since they’re the only Mexican team that ended up in Pot 2. The ‘winners’ are those who match up with the Caribbean teams.
To that end, it’s a great draw for Liga MX powers, with Cruz Azul meeting Arcahaie of Haiti and Monterrey getting Atletico Pantoja from the Dominican Republic.
Rayados manager Javier “Vasco” Aguirre was properly diplomatic in his post-draw Zoom, saying “We can’t underestimate anyone, and while we respect them, at the same time we can’t be afraid of anyone,” and adding “There are no guarantees in soccer.” That’s true, but go ahead and pencil in Liga MX teams over their Caribbean opponents.
MLS teams may have been dealt a more difficult hand, largely because they have to match up against a pair of Costa Rican teams. Saprissa, while perhaps the bigger name, is not as in form at the moment, and just parted ways with manager Walter Centeno. While the Philadelphia Union may be a better draw than, say, Rayados or América, new boss Roy Myers said the team still has plenty to do.
“I have to reiterate that at the moment, they’re among the best,” he said of MLS teams in the competition. “The Philadelphia Union lost four matches out of 23 and with the evolution MLS has had, bringing in important players from Europe, the growth they’ve had, I think it’s worthy of respect. To win, you have to play the best, and we’re always going to do it with maximum respect.”
Costa Rican league leaders Alajuelense no doubt will respect Atlanta United as well, but with their new-look squad, it’s a difficult draw for an Atlanta team that will have little time working with new manager Gabriel Heinze before meeting up with a very experienced side.
The Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew meet Central American teams that may be less demanding. While Real Esteli and Marathon both have plenty of history, the standard in Nicaragua doesn’t yet meet that of those in the best Central American leagues, and Marathon is in a difficult run of form and may be more focused on domestic matters.
América drew an Olimpia team that will be eager to try and replicate last year’s run to the semifinals. If Pedro Troglio is still at the helm, it feels possible, but Aguilas manager Santiago Solari
“We could say it’s one of the less friendly (ties), with their international experience, their winning history,” Solari said. “To get to the Club World Cup, you have to win the entire confederation. Hopefully we can do that with América.”
That will be the ultimate goal of every team in the knockout round, and the beauty of a tournament like CCL is that every team has a chance. Even so, there are obviously some roads that are harder to take than others to get to that final goal, and half the field’s dreams will be dashed by the middle of April when the first round ends.
The greatest team in the world?
With their victory over Palmeiras on Sunday, Tigres became the first-ever Concacaf team in the 17-year history of FIFA’s Club World Cup to make the final. Thursday, they’ll meet Bayern Munich to determine who the best team in the world is, or at least I think that’s what they get to call themselves if they win.
Will Tigres win? Vegas has them going off at 14 to 1 underdogs (at least to win in 90 minutes), and as good of a squad as Tigres have, the economic realties of the global game are such that the European champion should always win this tournament, at least for now. Of the 16 titles that have been awarded, the UEFA winner has won a dozen of them with South American teams picking up four titles along the way, the last of which came in 2012 when Corinthians tipped Chelsea, 1-0.
It would be a surprise to see Tigres keep Bayern from finding the back of the net, though you also could see Tigres scoring a goal or two of its own, something that always seems possible when Andre-Pierre Gignac is on the field.
While the draw certainly aided Los Felinos, which were able to get past a seemingly disinterested Ulsan Hyundai and a Libertadores champion that had a heavy number of games before flying to the Middle East for the tournament, their achievement should be applauded by their colleagues in the region. No matter what happens Thursday, it’s the best finish ever for a team from the region.
Tuca Ferretti and his players will say they aren’t done yet, but it seems like a fitting close to a cycle. Tigres still will be relevant in the upcoming years, but the players who form the core of this group - even Gignac - are beginning to move out of their prime.
Tigres were desperate to win an international title and after doing so quickly proved they deserve to be on the biggest stage. Upset or not, it’s worth celebrating.