Houston Dynamo defeated Salvadoran club Metapan last night in their first of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage on a 68' goal by Brian Ching. The victory gives Houston three crucial points as they attempt to advance to the quarterfinals of the competition for the second straight year.
Houston's league-mates Columbus also took their first step toward advancement by holding serve at home against the Puerto Rico Islanders on Tuesday night. The Crew would seem to have a much tougher road to the quarterfinals thanks to an extremely difficult group, which also includes Cruz Azul of Mexico and Sarpissa of Costa Rica.
The lone MLS club to fall in their first group match was DC United, the only one of the three who opened the round on the road. A 3-1 loss to Marathon of Honduras puts DC on the back foot, and they will need to take advantage of their home advantage when they host Mexican club Toluca next week.
Two out of three MLS clubs with three points; while there is still a long way to go before anything for any group will be decided, the start is promising for the league. Houston knows what it takes to advance, and thanks to the odd disintegration of normally-solid Mexican giant Pachuca (The Tuzos were manhandled by Panamanian side Arabe Unido 4-1 in their group opener), the Dynamo must be favorites to advance.
Columbus are far from "favorites" to advance with the level of competition in their group, but getting a victory at home against a club known for stealing road results (just ask Toronto) is a good first step. The Crew must get points at home if they have any hope of advancing, as the road trips they'll face are some of the most difficult in the tournament. Estadio Saprissa is especially daunting, though neither Mexico City (Cruz Azul) nor Bayamon (Puerto Rico) will be any less difficult for the defending MLS champions.
The Crew make play their first away match of the round when they head to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul next week. A draw would be a fantastic result for Columbus, as it's difficult to even fathom a victory with the abysmal history of American clubs playing in Mexico. The champs should be rested though, as their not playing a league match this weekend. With Guillermo Barros-Schelotto back from injury and the team on form despite his recent absence, the Crew may have the best chance of any MLS club in the tournament to to steal a point in Mexico.
Houston's campaign continues with a trip to Panama on Wednesday, where they'll take on Arabe Unido. The Colón club is riding high in the Champions League after thumping Pachuca, and won't be pushovers for the Dynamo. Again, if the MLS club can come away with any points from their first road test of the competition, they'll take a large step towards qualification for the quarterfinal round. Unfortunately, Houston doesn't have the benefit of a weekend free of a league match as Columbus does, as they host Seattle on Sunday. The turnaround will be quick, and with three games in seven days and the shallow pool of reserves available, it will take all of Dominic Kinnear's skill as a manager to get a result.
United's opportunity to turn around their Champions League fortunes will come at home on Wednesday. Mexican club Toluca will visit DC, where United has a one hundred percent record in league play. They will need to continue that, preferably with a victory, if they are going to give themselves a chance to get out of the group stage. United will also have a league match on the weekend, a home date with LA, though they have an extra day of rest and the luxury of not having to travel.
We should have a fairly good idea of how MLS stands with its three participants in the Champions League after next week. Two out of the three participating clubs did what they needed to do in their first match, and there's hope that the league will get more than one team out of the group stage this season. It certainly appears that Columbus and Houston are taking the competition seriously, and while DC started poorly, they still have the opportunity to reverse their fortunes if they put out a full-strength squad in their next match.
What do you make of the first round of games in the CONCACAF Champions League, and what kind of chances do you give each MLS team in their bids to advance?
