MLS and RSL fans, welcome to another season of CONCACAF Champions League action. This year MLS will once again begin the quest to claim it's first ever CCL crown and a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. Five MLS clubs will try for that honor: MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy, US Open Cup Champion Seattle Sounders, Eastern Conference Champion Houston Dynamo, Canadian Champion Toronto FC, and Western Conference Runner-Up Real Salt Lake.
It's been a long wait for RSL and their fans to get back into the competition they so nearly won in 2010-2011. Tonight's match in Costa Rica could be one of the most anticipated kick-offs of the season. The Claret and Cobalt were drawn into a group with Herediano from Costa Rica and Tauro FC from Panama. Tonight they begin their run in the group stage vs. Herediano.
Herediano is one of Costa Rica's historic clubs. They are the defending champs from Costa Rica, winning that league for the first time in 20 years in spring, 2012. All in all this is their third appearance in the CCL, and they've won 22 Costa Rican titles. It's also worth noting that they qualified for the old CONCACAF Champions Cup format 6 times, where they reached the semifinals in 1989.
Last year Herediano went out in the group stage. They were drawn in a very tough group with Seattle and eventual champions Monterrey. This year, only one team gets out of every group, and your record will determine your seed in the knockout round, so every match and every goal is important!
Obviously CCL is a big deal for RSL. Coach Kreis said as much earlier this, week, putting his focus square on this match after the league win against Vancouver Friday night. Kreis held three starters out of the XI that night, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert, and Ned Grabavoy. Wingert and Grabavoy did see the pitch, but not until the second half. Captain Kyle Beckerman was also subbed out, a rarity in itself, showing just how much emphasis RSL is putting on this match. The Claret and Cobalt is expected to have their first choice XI on the field to start the match tonight. These guys have only played 59 minutes together this season. Hopefully for RSL fans, they're getting healthy at the right time.
RSL has played in Costa Rica before, when they took on Saprissa in the 2010-2011 tourney, but this will be a bit of a different animal. Herediano manager Odir Jacques has managed the Costa Rican national side and is considered to be a quality head man. Herediano lost a key cog in their offense over the summer with the departure of Brazilian striker Jorge Barbosa. He was the third leading scorer in last season's CCL. Herediano kicked off their new league campaign last Thursday with a 2-0 win at home over Santos de Guapiles.
The match kicks off at 8PM Mountain time and can be seen on Fox Soccer. You can also register to stream this and other CCL matches for free on http://www.concacafchampions.com/page/CL/Home
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