Is it time for a Champions League in the Americas?

By: Bob | October 3rd, 2007

I’ll admit that I always have a little extra bounce in my step when it is a Champions League week. Even with all its faults, I love being able to watch the best teams from different leagues battle it out in a tournament. I love watching teams travel into hostile territory in foreign countries. The quality of soccer might not always live up to expectations, but the presentation and drama of the Champions League is superb.

While I was following the Sudamericana game between DC United and Chivas de Guadalajara on Tuesday night, I couldn’t help but have similar feelings. Here was one of the best teams in MLS taking on one of the best teams in Mexico in front of an excellent crowd south of the border. The second leg was not the greatest game ever played, but it was compelling nevertheless. It is a shame it didn’t get more exposure.

It got me thinking about a post that Alex wrote on the Chivas USA Offside a few weeks ago asking whether it is time for there to be a Champions League-like competition in the Americas. The vast majority of the comments think that such a thing would be great thing for MLS and a great thing for fans. I happen to agree.

While I am under no illusion that such a competition would ever rival the Champions League, it could still evolve into one of the premier tournaments in the world if it has the backing of the leagues and the soccer federations. It would broaden the exposure of clubs throughout the Americas, while helping the region’s national teams by giving players the opportunity to gain experience playing in front of hostile crowds in foreign lands.

What would such a tournament look like? It could be an expanded version of the already excellent Copa Libertadores to include the best teams from MLS, Mexico, Central America and South America. Or it could build upon the nascent SuperLiga by just including MLS, Mexican and Central American teams. Or it could be something entirely new. Logistics like the time of year it would be played would have to be worked out, but if the money is right the leagues and federations would come up with a way to make it work.

What do you think? As a fan, would you want to see a Champions League for the Americas? What would be the format you would like to see?

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Category: MLS, South America, World Football

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Uwvie

a supercup between the libertadores and CCC champions is viable and would be a small start.
-a

I doubt the format will change to include non-South American clubs. Besides that, Copa Liberatadores is great the way it is.
Luciano from Brazil

JUST DO IT NOW
It could be like this:

3 teams from Brazil
3 teams from Argentina

2 teams from Mexico
2 teams from Chile
2 teams from Uruguai
2 teams from USA
2 teams from Paraguai
2 teams from Colombia

1 team from every other country

That would be GREAT stuff
Bruno Romani

a couple of things:

1) yes, it is a pain in the ass to travel from brazil and argentina to mexico and the us. it's time consuming AND considering that clubs play twice a week (one for the local leagues and one for the continental cup), the cost of a tournament like this would also imply the need for more players to play both competitions, which makes the financial aspect a bitch. Can you imagine a flight to LA on Wednesday and then having a match on Sunday against a local rival?

2) Copa Libertadores is great the way it is. competitive AND much more attractive than the copa sudamericana. ask any fan in south america and you will know what i'm talking about.

3) Copa libertadores has such a huge tradition that the thought of killing it throws me shivers.

4) even the name "Copa Libertadores" is more charming and attractive than "American Champions League" or whatever you wanna call it.
Longshoe

I follow the Sudamericana much more than the Libertadores. That's probably due to becoming more familiar with it due to DC's participation, but it's a more interesting tournament to me.

I'd rather see a true CONCACAF Champions League first before a CL of the Americas. Just expand the CONCACAF tournament to 16 teams, doubling the number of bids each country/region gets, and there you go. Four groups of four, and whittle it down to quarterfinals, semis, and a final.
Justo

What Copa Libertadores need is a mediatic facelift. They need to do what UEFA did with the European Cup in 1993.
Matth

We have a CONCACAF Champions League. The winner gets a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup in December. Pachuca beat Chivas in April for the title. Club America won the year before that, and bowed out of the CWC to Barcelona 4-0.
bluemeanies

Concacaf has benched a number of proto champions league ideas for the fed because of the financial burdens for central am and the carribean. Superliga is an attempt to either get MLS in Libertadores or establish a firm financial basis for international competitions that might make a champions league possible (either that or its a blatant money grab). I think this springs CCC matches had record attendance and interest even in Mexico which might show the recent switch to home and home legs is bearing some fruit.
Shane

It's what is needed in North America for sure. Theres no reason why this ship isn't sailing now. Sure, Argentine, Mexican and Brazil leagues are all huge in their countries in comparison with the MLS but a Champions League (which is what it should be called) would make the Americas a top place to play.
Hell, Pele never played in Europe and is still considered the greatest ever but now a days you have to play for the biggest clubs who play for the CL.
If it's possible that players like Ronaldinho or Henry could come to the MLS soon, would they ever if they haven't won the CL? Will Henry come if Barca fail to win and in the last WC he was subbed off only to see his replacement miss the only PK. Domestic titles are great but ultimately, your only the best domestically. Thank McClaren and whoever made it possible that you can play in the MLS and still get called on by your over sees country. Now that thats done lets make a CL that crowns a best in OUR hemisphere.
David Keyes

I think the finances are a bigger impediment than the distances. With the ease of air travel, I don't think going from the US to Argentina is out of the question in terms of teams being able to play after doing so. However, having the money to make that trip is another question. Hopefully, once MLS has more money it will be worth the trouble to include their teams in the Libertadores.
Ian

I'm not sure where I stand on this. On one hand, I'd love to see the Americas create a tournament that's even remotely as interesting or as popular as the Champions League, but the distances involved and the weak finances of New World soccer are a little daunting. Still, it's an idea worth considering.
chezzler

yeah but david keyes, bucharest is much closer to london than buenos aires is to the united states. not only are the distances greater but the teams all have less funds. basically we already have a champions league and its the copa libertadores, and it already works well and is competitive. Theres no reason to add north or central american teams since they wouldnt add much to the competition. but if the mls put enough money in it wouldnt be impossible.
David Keyes

Bruno - Arsenal played Steau Bucharest this week. That's essentially the Champions League equivalent of playing Central American club teams. Presumably, like the Champions League, there would be many qualifying rounds so that smaller teams would be far less likely to get into the Libertadores.
Bruno Romani

no, copa libertadores is great the way it is. who wants to travel to central america to spank some unknown club?
Zach

Seems like the Libertadores would be the right banner for a hemispheric Champions League. The Mexican teams are already playing, so they'd just need to chuck in a couple MLS sides and tokens from the Caribbean and Central America.

That said, I've been thinking for awhile that maybe the USA and Mexico should team up to pull a "double Australia"—quit Concacaf and join the South American confederation.
Eric

The secong leg of the DC vs. Chivas game was really dissapointing. DC did not go out there to kill, they went to defent their lead and it came back to haunt them. Jamie Moreno should have never been playing in that game, he was losing balls, and he would fight back afterwords. The goals Chivas scored was because of his mistake that led to the goal.
David Keyes

I think combining CONCACAF and South America is long overdue. It would make for a more interesting Copa America in which teams would have to qualify (and thus give teams important matches right after the World Cup as they have in Europe). The benefits for club teams would also be great, as the Copa Libertadores would be expanded and potentially offer more money (the large TV contracts in Mexico were largely the reason their club teams were let in in the first place).

Combine Oceania and Asia (which has essentially already happened now that Australia made the move) and the world is as it should be.