Real Salt Lake has already made history by becoming the first MLS team to advance to the Champions League final. But they want more, they've stated that since February — they want to win. I want more and I want them to win — I'm stating that right now.
And you should want them to win too.
Let me first remind you that, as soccer becomes increasingly popular in America, European teams are coming to our country during the summer months for pre-season training. They play "friendly" games against MLS teams. Though these are practice games for the European teams, the games mean everything to the American teams and their fans. Massive stadiums fill to the brim with frenzied American fans who wish to see the world-reknowned giants of European football take on American teams. The gulf in talent between European and America clubs, though shrinking, is usually evident throughout these practice games.
Now let me explain the purpose of the CONCACAF Champions League.
CONCACAF is a "soccer region" of the world as determined by FIFA. CONCACAF countries come from North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Another FIFA "soccer region" that you're probably more familiar with is UEFA, the confederation of footballing nations in Europe.
Every soccer region's Champions League tournament is fed by domestic league and cup winners. So, Real Salt Lake has been competing in this edition of the Champions League by virtue of being MLS champs in 2009. Seattle Sounders FC, another American team that competed in the CONCACAF Champions League but was eliminated a while ago, qualified by winning the United State Open Cup. Most countries also have an "open" cup tournament that, like the name suggests, is open to almost every organized professional, semiprofessional, or amateur team. Eventually, the smaller teams get massacred by the pro clubs but its a charming idea that, in theory, a team comprised of part-time construction workers and school teachers with enough skill and luck could play against a pro team. Anyway, there's many ways to get into the Champions League in THIS region.
UEFA's Champions League is the most popular sporting tournament in the world and is sometimes viewed as an end in itself by European clubs. By that I mean that while there is technically a higher tournament to reach and win, winning the UEFA Champions League would satisfy most European players and their fans. For a generation.
But the higher tournament of which I speak — the highest tournament of them all — is called the FIFA Club World Cup. The Club World Cup is fed by each soccer region's Champions League tournament winner.
Real Salt Lake will begin its CONCACAF Champions League Final tonight against Monterrey at the intimidating Estadium Tecnologico with a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup at stake. After tonight's game, RSL will return to Sandy, UT, on April 27, for the second and final game of the championship series. The team the best combined score in the two games will hoist the winner's trophy in Utah (in the event of a tie-breaker, the team that scored more goals as the road team is the winner. If that too is tied, they'll take penalty kicks to decide the winner, if I'm not mistaken.
I'll give you a second to think about the various things I've said in the post and how they connect...
If you can't make the connections, then allow me to help.
In short, no American club team has ever played against meaningful European competition. Ever. If RSL defeats Monterrey to advance to the Club World Cup... haha... well the rest of the world would be forced to call an American soccer club one of the best in the world.
And the thing about the rest of the world, especially England, snubbing its collective nose at American soccer clubs is that they are protected from a losing their self-proclaimed reputation as "the best footballing nations" because, well, they don't play American clubs in meaningful games where trophies are on the line.
Tonight's game in Monterrey is the yet another step in RSL's head-turning journey through the CONCACAF Champions League. Some pundits suggest that, since Monterrey has hit a run of low form lately, RSL may be able to leave Estadio Tecnologica with a draw, or dare I suggest a win.
If RSL wins the Champions League.... who knows, we could be watching an American club competing against the likes of Manchester United or FC Barcelona for a trophy.
And this is getting way ahead of myself...but suppose RSL rips a trophy out of the hands of one of the European giants and brings it home to the States?
The 2011 FIFA Club World Cup will be staged in Japan. That's a long way from Estadio Tecnologico. The path for an American club to join the party has never been more clear though.
