Starting this summer, the two-leg preliminary round – in which 16 teams would face off in a home-and-home series – has been eliminated. Instead, all 24 teams in the event will be drawn straight into the group stage. Each of the eight groups will have three teams, and MLS and Mexican sides can’t be drawn into the same group.

Each group winner will then advance to the quarterfinals, which proceed unchanged from previous versions of the event.

The teams will be distributed into three categories for purposes of the draw:

Category 1:  Mexico 1 & 2, USA 1 & 2, Costa Rica 1, Guatemala 1, Honduras 1, Panama 1

Category 2:  Mexico 3 & 4, USA 3 & 4, Canada 1, Costa Rica 2, El Salvador 1, Honduras 2

Category 3:  Belize 1 (pending approval of suitable stadium), El Salvador 2, Guatemala 2, Nicaragua 1, Panama 2, Caribbean Football Union 1, 2 & 3

Teams from the same country can’t be drawn into the same group, though thanks to the pan-nationalism of MLS, there is a 75 percent chance that Canada’s CCL representative will be drawn into a group with one of its MLS brethren.

The new group stage comprises 48 matches. It will begin at the end of July and run through mid-October.

The four US representatives have already been decided, with the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders in Category 1 and the Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake in Category 2. The winner of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship — contested between Toronto FC, the Montreal Impact, the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Edmonton of the NASL — could possibly add a fifth MLS club to the party.

FC Dallas and Toronto FC met yet again this season tonight in the CCL. (Getty Images)

It is hard to believe but also pretty damn cool to think we could very well have four Major League Soccer clubs in the knockout stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. We already have one in the Seattle Sounders and after this week we could have three more.

The tiebreakers for each group make things über complicated though.

Tonight FC Dallas and Toronto FC meet to potentially decide who leaves Group C to the knockout round. There are some potential tiebreakers that could come into play should Pumas lose to Tauro this week and TFC-FCD tie their match tonight. Yes, all four clubs in Group C could end with eight points – something that would be absolutely crazy to see. (Here’s a full break-down of all the tiebreakers, some are more complicated than others.)

We’ll definitely know more tonight as Dallas and Toronto play one another for the millionth time this season. Yes, I exaggerate that number but playing a club out of your conference for the 4th (and a half) time in one season is pretty remarkable. Usually playing a club four times in one year means you see them in the semifinal round of the playoffs. This has been a special case for Dallas and Toronto this year to see each other so many times.

Later this week we have LA and Colorado attempting to reach the knockout rounds as well. Their path isn’t nearly as easy as it has been for the Sounders but both should advance with wins – though LA could run into some crazy tiebreakers as well in their group.

LA could have a decent shot at things – as they play the one team in their group that has failed to get any points so far. A win against Motagua in Honduras get the Galaxy into the knockout stages. A tie or a loss complicated things.

Colorado’s path to the knockout stage goes through Mexico – a place that as never been truly kind to MLS teams until this year. The Rapids haven’t really shown that they are willing enough to put a major effort into this tournament but having clinched a playoff berth over the weekend you have to figure Gary Smith will finally use his full team in this one to get points. A win or a draw should get the Rapids though as long as in the other match there is no winner.

Sadly enough however we could end the week with only one MLS team in the knockout stage. A lot can happen over the course of the next couple days but as MLS fans we gotta root for our clubs. It stinks a little to see that Dallas and Toronto both can’t advance to the knockout round (no tiebreaker works out in that way unfortunately) but if the league can get four of the knockout round spots, then we will be on our way to some solid improvement in this competition.

Seattle Sounders celebrate their goal against Monterrey. (Photo via MLSSoccer.com)

FC Dallas will always get the credit for the first one, but the Seattle Sounders may get credit for winning the first big one.

The Sounders did the unthinkable last night by fielding a team of half reserves and half starters against the defending CONCACAF Champions League champions, Monterrey and came up with a huge 1-0 win in Mexico.

Yes, for the second week in a row a MLS club has gone south of the border and has come up with a win. We used to talk so much about the hex or the nasty record for MLS clubs in Mexico but now it appears a new streak is forming. Two-for-two so far.

Seattle coach Sigi Schmid went with a second-choice lineup, with Kasey Keller, Mauro Rosales and Fredy Montero all out of the 18-man game day roster. The Sounders went with Nate Jaqua and Pat Noonan up front. (Yes, let that pairing sink in for a little while.)

Seattle went ahead on Alvaro Fernandez’s goal in the 38th minute and then held off the Rayados, who started six starters from Saturday’s game at Guadalajara. Monterrey pressed all game for the tying goal and had plenty of chances to beat reserve keeper Terry Boss. But the Sounders defense and Boss were up to the task last night.

“To come into Monterrey and win gives our team confidence as we go into games in the future,” added Schmid. “Obviously we left some very important players on our team at home because of the amount of games that we play. So to win with the team we had we are very, very pleased.”

Last time Seattle played in Mexico they nearly pulled off the unthinkable but Monterrey battled back and got a 3-2 win. The Rayados didn’t want to leave anything to chance for this one by starting those six starters.

So two-for-two now in Mexico. Earthquakes happening yesterday on the East coast. What is this world coming to? I think it is safe to say that the stigma of playing in Mexico and having that pressure to “be the first” is gone. Seattle looked very poised and determined last night to get the result and did so. Before, MLS teams would have leads but buckle late due to the pressure of playing with a lead in Mexico. For the last two weeks we haven’t seen that out of a MLS club.

Is this the first of many wins for MLS sides in Mexico? Possibly. You have to look at what Seattle has done already in the group stage and feel good about their chances of moving on into the knockout rounds. Six points and a plus four goal differential so far is a very nice thing to have in the bad early on in the group stage. We usually say the magic threshold for getting out of the group stage is 10 points. Seattle has two home games left in the group stage plus visits to Costa Rica and Guatemala. If they can take care of business against teams at home and score a couple draws on the road they will certainly be set.

I know it is early on but it is pretty refreshing to see all five MLS clubs at the top of their groups. Who knows, maybe this could be the tournament that sees a final four of all MLS clubs. Its crazy to think that but after last night I believe anything in this tournament is possible now.

Highlights:

Marvin Chaves celebrates his goal in Mexico. (Mexsport)

“It only takes one.”

That was something my old soccer coach back in West Virginia used to tell me and my teammates before (and sometimes during) a game that we knew would be tough. We had this one team that we played a couple times a year that always seemed to get the best of us and would typically beat us. But it wasn’t until our last year playing that we got that all important one goal to beat them.

For FC Dallas last night in Mexico City it only took one.

One goal from Marvin Chavez was plenty for FC Dallas, Major League Soccer and US Soccer for that matter. The goal itself wasn’t anything to write home about but again it didn’t matter as it was an important one. Chavez was on the right end of a Jair Benitez laser that hit off the post.

Again, it only took one.

This may have not been Pumas’ best eleven out there last night but again that doesn’t matter one single bit to any of the US Soccer fans out there that have been longing for this win. A win in Mexico City. Hell, just a win south of the border in Mexico would have been nice for anyone US team.

I know there have been other MLS clubs that have had success in Mexico. D.C. United beat Santos Laguna last March down in Mexico in a friendly but no offense to D.C. fans, this one is miles bigger. Friendlies you take with a grain of salt. Wins in a big tournament like the CONCACAF Champions League you take with much more meaning.

We’ve been asking ourselves when this all important first win in Mexico would come. Either it be from a MLS club or from the US National Team. After so many disappointments and close calls in Mexico, it was getting to the point that it didn’t matter who got the first big win down there, just as long as it happened. I know Schellas Hyndman was happy with the first win in Mexico too. What his club did should open many more doors down there over time.

“I’’ll tell you the first man who broke the four-minute mile was a man named Roger Bannister. The next week, I think another six people broke the four-minute mile… because they believed in it. For us, for the first team to beat a good Mexican team in Mexico, I hope that more MLS teams will have the same courage to play good soccer and I hope that we continue to find success here.”

Success will come because of this win. Make no mistake about it. Dallas did it all right last night in Mexico City too. They weathered the early pressure by Pumas, battled the weather and altitude, didn’t lose their cool late in the game like so many MLS clubs have done in the past while having a lead against a Mexican team, and in the end they got the win.

Congrats FC Dallas. You’ve made us all very proud.

Monterrey hopes to defend their CCL crown. (Getty Images)

The 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League groups are all set. The play-in round is over after last night and we can now shift focus to what the five Major League Soccer sides need to do to advance out of their respective groups.

For the most part we should hope to see at least one, if not two MLS sides advance out of the group stage. It happened for the league last year as both Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew fund themselves in the knockout round.

Here’s how each group stacks up:

Group A 

LA Galaxy (USA)
Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
Morelia (Mexico)
Motagua (Honduras)

This could be either a very tough group or a very simple one to figure out. We know the Galaxy have been strong this season in MLS but their play outside of the league in recent years hasn’t been so good. Going to Morelia won’t be easy for any club but I think these other three have to bank on how poorly Morelia has played on the road in CONCACAF play over the last couple years. The big wildcard in this group for me is Alajuelense. They’re a traditional Costa Rican powerhouse club but has seen some recent changes over the last few months. Still, for the Galaxy they have three extremely tough road trips ahead of them in Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras.

This group feels very wide open to me and I would not be shocked one way or another about where each side would finish here. LA has the talent to win it but their depth concerns me still, same with their willingness to take this tournament serious.

Group B

Colorado Rapids (USA)
Real Espana (Honduras)
Santos Laguna (Mexico)
Isidro Metapan (El Salvador)

The Rapids come into this tournament with some consistency issues and some questions surrounding their depth. They’ll get at least two teams that they should get wins at home against as altitude will likely play a factor in this group. Still saying that Real Espana also has a tough venue to play in. Santos Laguna could be an interesting team to watch as they’ve looked pretty solid so far in FMF play. They’ll easily be the toughest side in this group to deal with but MLS teams have done fairly well against them before (Columbus beat them 1-0 at Crew Stadium last year).

Group C

Pumas UNAM (Mexico)
Tauro (Panama)
FC Dallas (USA)
Toronto FC (Canada)

A very open group here with two MLS sides. Toronto remains a total wild card to me as I believe they’re going to throw all their chips into this tournament since their MLS playoff hopes are dashing away quicker than most clubs. Dallas certainly has the depth and quality to content but injuries are piling up for Schellas Hyndman’s team. Thankfully for Dallas they have their toughest match first (at Pumas), and most of their home games at towards the end of the schedule in the group round (three of the last four games are at Pizza Hut Park).

Both will have to content with Pumas here, which was easily the toughest draw for any MLS side. Pumas has been playing extremely well in recent games and are the reigning Mexican champions.

Tauro will be pretty tricky, just like all Central American teams are. Thankfully both Dallas and Toronto were able to navigate their play-in round games in Central America, so they at least know what to expect now in the group phase when it comes to games in that area.

Group D

Monterrey (Mexico)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
Seattle Sounders (USA)
Herediano (Costa Rica)

Some are calling this the weakest group, which should be good for Seattle. We know Monterrey is the defending champions and will look good to get out of this group. Seattle has the quality and the talent to do well in this tournament and at least they have some experience to play with here as they now know what to expect against international teams.

Herediano has little experience in games like this and will likely just play the “happy-to-be-here” card throughout the stage. Comunicaciones on the other end is a quality side from Guatemala and have won a ridiculous amount of league titles there but I can’t imagine they’ll be a big contender in this group.

Jozy Alitdore found a timely goal for the US against Canada. (Getty Images)

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be much to get your mind off a bad loss. That’s exactly what happened in Detroit last night for the US Men’s National team as they opened up Gold Cup play with a solid 2-0 win over their rivals from the north, Canada.

Clint Dempsey was brilliant at times, Jozy Alitdore found the back of the net in what felt like the first time in forever, Tim Howard made some great saves to keep the shutout and the central part of the field for the US looked whole again.

I said the US didn’t need to win 5-0 like Costa Rica or Mexico but getting a strong result was key. They did just that. We saw the US be more composed, confident and well everything that they were not against Spain last weekend. It sure helped having guys like Dempsey and Landon Donovan back in the lineup too. The ball movement was far better and the aggressive play on offense showed that the US means business in this Gold Cup.

Yes it was just against Canada and no disrespect to the boys from the North, they are no Spain. But we knew that going into this match.

In the end, the US got off to the right start for this tournament. There are some spots for improvement but they’ll get there. With Panama and Guadaloupe coming up, they have plenty of time to make those adjustments before the real fun begins.

Below are some quick points that I felt from watching this game last night.

Taking the foot off the pedal. Late in the first half and to start the second half the US took their foot off the gas just a bit. Had it been against a strong side it would have cost them dearly. Canada came out to start the second half with a little more fire under them and it nearly paid off. The US cannot relax for a minute in a tournament like this or else someone will creep up on them and make them pay for it.

Jozy’s goal. The goal itself was nice but I think having Alitdore score was more important for the US and for himself. His goal and assist helped carry the offense and for a change I felt like we saw the Jozy we grew to love. I really hope a strong performance in this tournament helps get him somewhere in Europe that actually lets him play full-time. He’s too young and valuable to the US to be riding a bench somewhere in Europe as much as he does.

Deuce was well…Deuce. He looked a bit out of it early on but as the game moved forward so did Dempsey. His goal to put the US up two was not only impressive but far more difficult than some will realize.

Tim Ream. I like this kid, I really do but boy he can put the US in some difficult spots at times when the game passes him up (same can be said for his play with the Red Bulls). He’s strong in the air and confident on the ball, which is exactly what you want out of a central defender. But there were a couple moments that he got badly beaten. It’s only his forth cap so we should expect these sorts of things early on but we have to see improvement here too.

Goodson/Ream. Speaking of Ream, I really liked his partnership with Clarence Goodson. I think we’re starting to see a bit of the future of the defense here with those two.

A sick Donovan but a good one. Hey, even when Landon Donovan is sick he’s still effective. While this wasn’t his best game in years, he still presented loads of challenges for Canada. Of course as the game went on he lost a bit of that edge but I won’t hold this performance against him. He was recovering from an illness that kept him out of the Spain game.

Things were pretty ugly for Tim Howard and the US against Spain. (Getty Images)

Like most of you, I sat through the US-Spain game on Saturday. It wasn’t enjoyable in any sense in the first half and while the second half got better it was still rather…ugh.

Generally I’m a fan of playing the top teams in the world. I am. You get to put your best out against their best. Only this time it wasn’t the case. Spain put a “B” squad out there and so did the US. It turned out their B was better than ours. Go figure. The effort was lacking from the US but in all honesty the young guys Bradley put out just were no match for who Spain had.

I know Bob Bradley stands behind his lineup and he had to make some tough choices given the fact that some guys were coming in after some taxing seasons aboard and others are in the middle of their season in MLS. Its never easy and I don’t pretend to know the team nearly as well as Bradley does.

But let’s go ahead and say it, the Spain result was ugly. Losing 4-0 to anyone at home is never a good way to go, especially before a major tournament like the Gold Cup.

Playing Spain wasn’t the best idea just three days before the start of the Gold Cup either. Sure it brought in loads of cash for the USSF but at what cost? While adding a couple million to the books seems nice it certainly didn’t make any new fans of the USMNT on Saturday. Little kids watching that game will be more inclined to cheer for Spain and their amazing goal scoring efforts than cheer for their homeland’s pathetic effort in the central part of the field.

But it is time to move on from that result. The US cannot worry about what went wrong and the few things that did go somewhat right in the second half. No, their attentions have to turn to Group C play. Canada. Guadeloupe. Panama. Three countries that would love nothing more to do than to cause all sorts of problems with the US and it’s fans in the coming weeks.

Guadeloupe has nothing to lose when playing the US. Canada would always love to beat their neighbor. And Panama always shows they can be a tough opponent in any competition.

Focusing on Canada is a start. The US has the Maple Leafs set for a battle tomorrow and a win there will easily help folks move away from the debacle that was the Spain game. With the way Costa Rica and Mexico opened up things yesterday, the US has to match those efforts in some capacity though. I’m not saying the US has to beat Canada, Guadeloupe, or Panama 5-0. No, but they do need to get the W’s convincingly here. The foot must firmly be placed on the gas pedal.

Having the likes of Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley back in the starting eleven will certainly be a good thing. The defense should be a little more in line and the midfield should see loads more possession with Donovan, Deuce and Bradley.

I think the stage is still set for a US-Mexico final in this tournament but with the way Mexico looked in the second half, the US better have their A-game in all matches or else.

He's back babydolls! (Getty Images)

Wow, just wow. Most expected a pretty straight forward roster announcement today by Bob Bradley but what came out was anything but expected.

Goalkeepers (3):
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard
Nick Rimando

Defenders (8):
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Bornstein
Steve Cherundolo
Eric Lichaj
Clarence Goodson
Oguchi Onyewu
Tim Ream
Jonathan Spector

Midfielders (9):
Freddy Adu
Michael Bradley
Clint Dempsey
Landon Donovan
Maurice Edu
Benny Feilhaber
Jermaine Jones
Sacha Kljestan
Robbie Rogers

Forwards (3):
Juan Agudelo
Jozy Altidore
Chris Wondolowski

Thoughts:

1. Adu, really? Adu! Wow, this biggest shocker of all is Freddy Adu’s name being listed here. I know he’s done fairly well since moving to a second division team in Turkey but wow. No one and I mean no one saw this coming. That being said, I really do hope he uses all the negative press this will get to his advantage as motivation. I am willing to give the guy a shot here.

2. Shouldn’t be surprised by Bornstein. I know the guy hasn’t played much this year, well just 68 minutes since February, but he’s one of Bob’s guys. Let’s move on from that here, we all know he shouldn’t be here but there is little we can do to talk Bradley out of that now.

3. No Timothy Chandler? A bit of a shock, same could be said about Alejandro Bedoya too.

4. Wondo time! Some will certainly be shocked to see Chris Wondolowski over Teal Bunbury but let’s face it, this could very well be the move that delayed this announcement in the first place. Just my hunch really. Good for Wondo though as he’s really starting to heat up again here as of late. Bunbury on the other hand has been quite cooled in league play.

5. Rogers? Another shocker based on league play. He hasn’t looked good all season for that matter.

6. Bunbury’s no-call. I don’t mind the no call up for Bunbury here. I’d imagine KC head coach Peter Vermes lobbied hard to keep him in a Sporting kit for the Gold Cup. His club is ravaged by the tournament with callups and between that injuries and lack of form for Bunbury at the moment it was the right thing to not call him up. Hopefully this is a case where he can use this as motivation to help turn the KC season around.

What did you all make of this roster?

The Preliminary Round matches will be played on July 16-28 (1st Leg) and August 2-4 (2nd Leg). The Group Stage is tentatively scheduled to begin the second week of August.

The Preliminary Round matches were drawn as follows (home team for first leg listed first):

Isidro Metapán (SLV) vs. CFU 1
Club Motagua (HON) vs. CSD Municipal (GUA)
Alianza FC (SLV) vs. FC Dallas (USA)
Santos Laguna (MEX) vs. CD Olimpia (HON)
Toronto/Vancouver (CAN) vs. Real Estelí/Walter Ferreti (NCA)
San Francisco (PAN) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA)
Monarcas Morelia/Pumas UNAM (MEX) vs. CFU 2
CS Herediano (CRC) vs. CFU 3

The four groups are as follows:

Group A
LA Galaxy (USA)
LD Alajuelense (CRC)
Monarcas Morelia or Pumas UNAM (MEX) / CFU 2
Club Motagua (HON) / CSD Municipal (GUA)

Group B
Colorado Rapids (USA)
Real España (HON)
Santo Laguna (MEX) / Olimpia (HON)
Isidro Metapan (SLV) / CFU 1

Group C
Monarcas Morelia or Pumas UNAM (MEX)
Tauro FC (PAN) CD Comunicaciones (GUA)
Alianza FC (SLV) / FC Dallas (USA)
Toronto or Vancouver (CAN)/Estelí or Ferreti(NCA)

Group D
Monterrey (MEX)
CD Comunicaciones (GUA)
Seattle Sounders (USA) / San Francisco (PAN)
CS Herediano (CRC) / CFU 3CF

Judging by the groups, its possible FC Dallas could end up with the easiest group of all MLS teams. Seattle’s group looks pretty tough with the reigning CCL champions Monterrey in it. LA’s looks like a death group to me. And then the Rapids have a fairly decent shot to move on I think.

For more on my thoughts for FC Dallas’s draw, head over to Big D Soccer.

Real Salt Lake climbed part of the CCL mountain by moving on to the finals. (Photo via Real Salt Lake)

For most clubs, even the great ones, there is always a moment of panic late in a match in a two legged series when one team is packing on the pressure to get a series-tying goal. Last night against Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal, Real Salt Lake saw that moment and brushed it aside like no other MLS team has done before.

Sure, we’ve seen MLS clubs have some marginal success like the old D.C. and LA clubs from back in the day but this CCL tournament is a whole new monster that has been tougher for MLS clubs to handle. Last night’s series win to advance to the CCL final showed RSL is more mature than any other club from MLS before them in this tournament.

That maturity guided them through a flurry of nervous moments late after Saprissa knocked in a second goal from the penalty spot. I, like probably many RSL and MLS fans thought back to the night RSL lost 5-4 in Mexico to Cruz Azul in the group phase of this tournament. But this time around luck was on RSL’s side and Jason Kreis’ side was able to refuse to panic late when things mattered most.

Yes RSL won 2-0 at home and put the pressure on Saprissa in this series for when it returned to Costa Rica but for me the biggest moment was seeing how the club handled pressure after Saprissa’s first goal last night. That was a true sign of growth for a MLS side and for MLS in general. RSL has built a nice blueprint of how to succeed in MLS and abroad.

So big kudos out to Real Salt Lake this morning. I know as a MLS fan I am very happy to see them move on. Now we’re on to Mexico for the first leg of the finals, after that it will be in Sandy for the final game and hopefully a championship for RSL!

Missed the game? We have some highlights for you here: