Thanks to our reader Gene for pointing this in my direction:
Seems that D.C. United will participate in Copa Sudamericana after all. Congratulations to them. It is always a good thing for MLS clubs to participate in Sudamericana and any similar international tournaments and a good showing will only help the league.
I am kind of kicking myself, though. I interviewed DC United CEO Kevin Payne last week for a SuperLiga story for the premier issue of MLS Magazine last week but failed to ask him about anything but SuperLiga.
Anyway, I'm not completely up to speed with the rules regarding entry in Sudamericana but it is similar to the UEFA Cup. If Libertadores is the Champions League, consider the Sudamericana the UEFA Cup. Not all teams compete in both but some do, such as Mexico's Club America.
It's a good and respectable tournament, that's for sure.
Showing posts with label Sudamericana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sudamericana. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
More on Sudamericana
I went on conmebol.com to check out the Sudamericana and there was a list of the teams in the tournament on there. It said that so far the following 24 teams were qualified:
"Boca Juniors, River Plate and Estudiantes LP (ARG); Jorge Wilstermann and Real Potosí (BOL); São Paulo FC, Vasco da Gama, Figueirense, Goiás, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Atlético Paranaense (BRA); Atlético Nacional and Millonarios (COL); El Nacional (ECU); Libertad and Tacuary (PAR); Coronel Bolognesi and Universitario (PER); Zamora FC and Carabobo FC (VEN); Pachuca (defending champion) and Chivas Guadalajara (MEX).
The Mexican press reported that Club America had qualified but they are not yet on this list. There were even some quotes from Manuel Lapuente (club VP) on Sudamericana that I used for my SI story for today.
The key term was "so far." That leads me to believe that they aren't done selecting clubs to compete in the tournament.
The draw is slated for May 22 so we don't have much longer to wait, but it would be great if an MLS team would participate.
"Boca Juniors, River Plate and Estudiantes LP (ARG); Jorge Wilstermann and Real Potosí (BOL); São Paulo FC, Vasco da Gama, Figueirense, Goiás, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Atlético Paranaense (BRA); Atlético Nacional and Millonarios (COL); El Nacional (ECU); Libertad and Tacuary (PAR); Coronel Bolognesi and Universitario (PER); Zamora FC and Carabobo FC (VEN); Pachuca (defending champion) and Chivas Guadalajara (MEX).
The Mexican press reported that Club America had qualified but they are not yet on this list. There were even some quotes from Manuel Lapuente (club VP) on Sudamericana that I used for my SI story for today.
The key term was "so far." That leads me to believe that they aren't done selecting clubs to compete in the tournament.
The draw is slated for May 22 so we don't have much longer to wait, but it would be great if an MLS team would participate.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
MLS in Sudamericana?
Okay, this came from out of nowhere.
Club America somehow qualified for Copa Sudamericana. I was researching to see how exactly they got in and it seems that a third spot was given to Mexico somehow. Pachuca and Chivas qualified for the tourney as defending champs and CONCACAF runners-up, respectively. The third spot apparently went to America because they had the most points between the Apertura 2006 and Clausura 2007. That's according to this story (that's in Spanish).
The story then says that a fourth CONCACAF spot will go to an MLS team and it is between DC United and Houston. Huh? When did that happen? Did I miss something somewhere?
Anyway, that's what it said so unless this story is garbage (it's a pretty reliable outlet) it seems that an MLS team will be the Sudamericana this year. Maybe. I'm not holding my breath but it would be cool.
Club America somehow qualified for Copa Sudamericana. I was researching to see how exactly they got in and it seems that a third spot was given to Mexico somehow. Pachuca and Chivas qualified for the tourney as defending champs and CONCACAF runners-up, respectively. The third spot apparently went to America because they had the most points between the Apertura 2006 and Clausura 2007. That's according to this story (that's in Spanish).
The story then says that a fourth CONCACAF spot will go to an MLS team and it is between DC United and Houston. Huh? When did that happen? Did I miss something somewhere?
Anyway, that's what it said so unless this story is garbage (it's a pretty reliable outlet) it seems that an MLS team will be the Sudamericana this year. Maybe. I'm not holding my breath but it would be cool.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Pachuca a la gloria
Way back in May, I felt there was some thievery. Pachuca had just won Mexico's Clausura 2006 championship. As they paraded around their stadium with the Cup, I couldn't help but feel a bit irritated.
See, Pachuca had beaten Chivas in the semifinals. Pachuca had lost zero players to Mexico's World Cup team. Chivas had lost six: its starting keeper, two defenders, two midfielders and a forward.
Though I'd still like to see how Pachuca would have fared without six of its starters against a full-strength Chivas side, I can now say I was wrong about Pachuca. On Wednesday, all the Tuzos did was come back from a 1-0, second-half deficit against Colo Colo in Santiago, Chile to win the Copa Sudamericana.
In so doing, they became the first Mexican club to win a South American championship.
It's quite a historic event, actually. No other team, not Chivas, not America, not Cruz Azul has ever accomplished the feat. And they've all had their chances too.
Pachuca, though, is in a class of its own. Maybe this victory can get Enrique Meza on the good side of Mexican fans. Meza will always be known as the guy who nearly cost Mexico a World Cup with his admittedly terrible job at the helm of El Tri. Now, he did something that has never been done and maybe he can shed that bad image.
Tuzos, I apologize for being a non-believer.
See, Pachuca had beaten Chivas in the semifinals. Pachuca had lost zero players to Mexico's World Cup team. Chivas had lost six: its starting keeper, two defenders, two midfielders and a forward.
Though I'd still like to see how Pachuca would have fared without six of its starters against a full-strength Chivas side, I can now say I was wrong about Pachuca. On Wednesday, all the Tuzos did was come back from a 1-0, second-half deficit against Colo Colo in Santiago, Chile to win the Copa Sudamericana.
In so doing, they became the first Mexican club to win a South American championship.
It's quite a historic event, actually. No other team, not Chivas, not America, not Cruz Azul has ever accomplished the feat. And they've all had their chances too.
Pachuca, though, is in a class of its own. Maybe this victory can get Enrique Meza on the good side of Mexican fans. Meza will always be known as the guy who nearly cost Mexico a World Cup with his admittedly terrible job at the helm of El Tri. Now, he did something that has never been done and maybe he can shed that bad image.
Tuzos, I apologize for being a non-believer.
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