CONCACAF Champions League 2019 - Everybody Else

[stegosaurus]

Saying we “blew” it is too harsh. Our performances in the away legs in Mexico were three of the great games ever played by any MLS team anywhere.

Yep. After years of Mexican B teams they’re also starting to take CCL more seriously after TFC’s run.

SKC has looked good so far and is at or near the top of MLS power rankings... and got absolutely destroyed.

Last year we had an insanely difficult bracket and crushed it. We were basically CCL champs, even if this team is cursed on penalties.

It just goes to highlight the gap between MLS and other leagues, despite what users on this forum and elsewhere say. “But LigaMX team average is only one point higher on FIFA!” “The gap between Belgian League and MLS is closer than you think!”

Yeah, nope. Good, full-strength MLS sides are still getting blown out in MLS 3.0, even with SKC having the most players of any team over the salary line as well, NYRB winning the shield, or Atlanta being the new “best ever” team.

[Bushmancan]

Yep. After years of Mexican B teams they’re also starting to take CCL more seriously after TFC’s run.

SKC has looked good so far and is at or near the top of MLS power rankings... and got absolutely destroyed.

Last year we had an insanely difficult bracket and crushed it. We were basically CCL champs, even if this team is cursed on penalties.

It just goes to highlight the gap between MLS and other leagues, despite what users on this forum and elsewhere say. “But LigaMX team average is only one point higher on FIFA!” “The gap between Belgian League and MLS is closer than you think!”

Yeah, nope. Good, full-strength MLS sides are still getting blown out in MLS 3.0, even with SKC having the most players of any team over the salary line as well, NYRB winning the shield, or Atlanta being the new “best ever” team.

Absolutely agree on all of the above and I still tell people as difficult as 2018 was to go through, I wouldn't change the run and subsequent regular season for anything ... well wait, "Winning CCL" would have been insane, so other than that I love the team for going all in.

This is still a very good team.

One point on the leagues, MLS is on a very slippery slope on expansion. Even at 24 teams it is getting diluted. We need strong clubs with quality football.

COYRs

[OgtheDim]

Yep. After years of Mexican B teams they’re also starting to take CCL more seriously after TFC’s run.

SKC has looked good so far and is at or near the top of MLS power rankings... and got absolutely destroyed.

The way SKC set up to play last night, away, in that atmosphere, was suicidal.

I'm going to say this & I know people won't like hearing it:

Vanney was not as naive about his opponents last year as has been the other managers since then. (Marsch wasn't naive either).

Vanney screwed the pooch against Independiente this season, so he's not perfect.

BUT, where Vanney is best is in his pragmatism towards the opponent. The guy talks a lot about the best formation he'd like to play & if he has the best in place against the right opponent, he'll play TFC style - but I think in his heart of hearts, he wants to win with what he has in place & if that means an ugly 4-4-2, so be it.

We had best in their lifetime performances from Morgan, Chapman, Zavs and others that did not carry forward since then. And part of that was putting those guys in positions where the likelihood of them failing was low.

And we had Drew freaking Moor until the Azteca.