Champions League format unveiled

While the UEFA Champions League final is still a week away, Major League Soccer fans can begin daydreaming about their own team's Champions League glory, as CONCACAF unveiled on Wednesday the qualification format for the inaugural 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

The CONCACAF Champions League will be comprised of 24 teams from each of the governing body's regions. Four Major League Soccer teams, four from Mexico, two from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama and one each from Canada, Belize and Nicaragua will join three Caribbean teams in the draw, which will be announced June 11.

Major League Soccer's representatives are based on last year's results. As MLS Cup champions, the Houston Dynamo are the top United States qualifier. Next is the MLS regular season champions, which was D.C. United, followed by the MLS Cup runner-up -- the New England Revolution -- as well as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion.

Since the Revs captured the U.S. Open Cup last year, the first title in club history, and already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League as MLS Cup runners-up, the team with the second highest regular-season point total, Chivas USA, is the fourth qualifier.

There could still be a fifth MLS team in the tournament proper -- Toronto FC. The Reds will take on Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps -- both USL First Division (second tier) teams -- in a round-robin qualifying tournament beginning later this month.

Houston and D.C. most recently competed in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, both teams losing in the semifinals. Those two MLS teams, along with six others, will be seeded directly in the Group Stage, while the remaining 16 will be paired in home-and-away match-ups in the Preliminary Stage beginning August 26-28 and concluding Sept. 2-4.

The Group Stage will feature four groups of four teams each that will compete in a round-robin system during six match dates from September 16 to October 30. The top two clubs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, with home and away legs played in February 2009.

The aggregate winners will meet in the semifinals, with home-and-away matches to be played in March and April. The CONCACAF Champions League final will also be a home-and-away aggregate series, which will be played in late April 2009.

The CONCACAF Champions League winner will represent the region in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League field • USA (4 teams): Houston Dynamo (2007 Major League Soccer champion); D.C. United (2007 Major League Soccer regular-season winner); New England Revolution (2007 MLS Cup runner-up); Chivas USA (2007 MLS regular season runner-up)
• MEXICO (4 teams): Atlante FC (2007 Torneo Apertura champion); Pumas UNAM (2007 Torneo Apertura Runner-up); 2 teams to be determined (2008 Torneo Clausura champion and runner-up)
• COSTA RICA (2 teams): Deportivo Saprissa (Torneo Invierno winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Verano winner, or second place team in Torneo Verano if same champion for both Invierno and Verano)
• EL SALVADOR (2 teams): CD Luis Angel Firpo (Liga Mayor Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• GUATEMALA (2 teams): Deportivo Jalapa (Torneo Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• HONDURAS (2 teams): CD Marathon (Torneo Apertura 2007 winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• PANAMA (2 teams): San Francisco FC (ANAPROF Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• BELIZE (1 team): Hankook Verdes (2007-08 BPFL/RFG Insurance Cup Champions)
• NICARAGUA (1 team): to be determined; winner of playoff between Apertura winner (Real Estelí FC) and winner of Clausura.
• CANADA (1 team): Winner of three-way qualifying series between Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps.
• CARIBBEAN (3 teams): Harbour View FC (Jamaica); Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago); winner of playoff between Puerto Rico Islanders and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago)