CONCACAF.
Even the abbreviation needs an abbreviation.
It looks like my 3-year-old just started pressing keys on my laptop.
And this winter, I’ve come to realize that many ºüÀêÊÓƵans are unaware of CONCACAF or just know that it’s a “soccer something.â€
Well, as for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, it’s the governing body of soccer on this continent. And its annual international competition, the CONCACAF Champions Cup, is quite fascinating and fun.
And ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC is in it this year.
This is a prestigious accomplishment for City. I hope more ºüÀêÊÓƵans will learn about the importance — and potential impact — of a tournament berth, especially for a club just recently birthed. City SC is only the second Major League Soccer team to qualify for the tournament in its inaugural MLS season (by virtue of finishing first in the Western Conference). The other was the Seattle Sounders in 2010.
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That team is similar to City in numerous ways. The Sounders, like City, arrived shortly after a major sports franchise left (the NBA’s SuperSonics moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City, the NFL’s Rams went from ºüÀêÊÓƵ to Los Angeles). Seattle had a strong first MLS season and used its CONCACAF berth as a way get credence and grow its brand. Today, of course, Seattle is one of the marquee clubs in Major League Soccer.
“(I hope) that people realize it’s a very special moment in the club’s history to actually be able to play in the first possible time,†said Lutz Pfannenstiel, sporting director of City SC. “The first opportunity we had to qualify, we did. I mean, that’s an amazing opportunity to represent and put ºüÀêÊÓƵ, again, on the international map. … I think that our players are buzzing for that. It makes us really proud. And that’s where we want to compete in every year.â€
Now, I will say, a little luster is lost because of City’s first-round opponent. Again, it’s the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. And ºüÀêÊÓƵ gets to play … Houston.
There are 27 teams in the tournament. Nine MLS teams. And, by random draw, only one MLS vs. MLS matchup.
The first round actually is two games (one home, one away). ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ first game also is its first game of 2024 — Feb. 20 at CityPark vs. the Houston Dynamo. On Feb. 24, City opens its MLS season at home vs. Salt Lake. And then, on Feb. 27, ºüÀêÊÓƵ travels to Houston for the second tournament leg.
“It’s important for everyone to understand that despite playing an MLS team, this is an international competition,†said Diego Gigliani, City SC’s president and general manager. “And we hope to go as far as we can, run into some of those bigger teams in the continent. And we hope to see if we can do as great of a job in that competition as in the first year in MLS.â€
CONCACAF Champions Cup gives ºüÀêÊÓƵ an opportunity to expand its footprint. There will be more exposure across continents. And an extra two games (at least) for fans to follow. And a chance to chase a trophy and build the club’s résumé.
After Seattle played in the 2010 tournament, it returned to the CONCACAF annual tournament in 2011 — and became just the second MLS team to win a game in Mexico. Seattle has competed seven times in CONCACAF and won the whole thing in 2022.
In fact, only three MLS teams have this trophy — DC United from 1998, LA Galaxy from 2000 and Seattle.
“It is a nearly 60-year-old competition — so that is important — and the other part is that we, as a country, have a point to prove in this competition,†Gigliani said. “It’s been won over 30 times by Mexican teams and three times by U.S. teams. But in the Leagues Cup last year, MLS teams did great relative to Liga MX teams. So now we’ve got to try to bring that same impact to CONCACAF Champions Cup. Hopefully an MLS team — and ideally we — can win that competition.â€
I, if I may, don’t think ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC will win the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Heck, if ºüÀêÊÓƵ even gets past Houston, the team waiting with a bye is the MLS defending champions from Columbus (so, yeah, to possibly play an international opponent in this international tournament, City would have to win two rounds). But simply playing in the tournament is a pretty cool perk from last season’s success — another benchmark of the franchise’s accelerated growth.
“Last year, when we started, we were completely unknown,†Pfannenstiel said, “and I had the feeling that lots of the clubs and lots of the journalists were kind of like laughing a little bit at us (heading into the season). So that honeymoon is over. I think we got that respect we worked for. But it doesn’t really change (anything). At the end of the day, we are still very fresh team. In a way, we are still the new kids on the block because there is no other expansion team coming in this year.
“We just have to, I would say, live up to our expectations, which automatically got a little bit higher. But it shouldn’t also take away from the long-term plan. We are not a big-spending team, we want to grow organically, we want to move step by step in the right direction.â€
And earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup is a stupendous step.