If MLS goes on strike / lockout, should the CSA replace Montreal Impact in the Champions League with a CPL Club?

[Cheeta]

Academic exercise but there's a very big difference between MLS not being able to participate in the federations club tournies because of a strike (job action by their employees) and a union lock-out (a business decision by MLS).  One is directly not within the control of MLS and the other is 100% theirs to own.

I only mention this because I feel that should MLS choose not to be part of CONCACAF's club tournaments in 2020 they shouldn't be part of the tournaments in 2021 either. 

I doubt being left out of the tournies will exactly upset MLS, quite the opposite, and if that were the reality I don't think it would weigh on MLS decisions on how to handle this coming labour dispute at all, but still, there it is.   

[Rintaran]

17 hours ago, Cblake said:

CONCACAF could re-allocate the spot to another country. When teams could not take part in the past the team that replaced them was not always from the same country. 

This is what I see happening, especially as they already have a pecking order to draw from: The 2019 CONCACAF League results. They're currently taking the top-6, with 5 spots potentially opening up due to MLS' situation, they just grab the next 5 down the list. Sucks for the US & Canada, but that's the most likely course, followed by 5-byes.

If CONCACAF surprises us with an option, I'd put Cavalry in the 2020 CCL (due to V-Cup competition position) & leave Forge in the 2020 CL (CPL Champion).

For the US-side of things, would it be the top-4 non-MLS in the Open Cup? Or would they give one (or more) directly to the USL-C? It'd be interesting to see how that redistribution would happen...

[Kent]

2 hours ago, Rintaran said:

This is what I see happening, especially as they already have a pecking order to draw from: The 2019 CONCACAF League results. They're currently taking the top-6, with 5 spots potentially opening up due to MLS' situation, they just grab the next 5 down the list. Sucks for the US & Canada, but that's the most likely course, followed by 5-byes.

If CONCACAF surprises us with an option, I'd put Cavalry in the 2020 CCL (due to V-Cup competition position) & leave Forge in the 2020 CL (CPL Champion).

For the US-side of things, would it be the top-4 non-MLS in the Open Cup? Or would they give one (or more) directly to the USL-C? It'd be interesting to see how that redistribution would happen...

It's actually not so bad for Canada. If there were 11 qualifiers from the 2019 CONCACAF League, I think that would put Forge in! See the table here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_CONCACAF_League#Qualification_to_CONCACAF_Champions_League

Forge are sitting in exactly 11th place. So we would lose Montreal, but CPL would make it's CCL debut before it's 2nd season kicks off. If they get the CAN1 ranking spot then they have a good shot at avoiding a Mexican team in the first round.

[Rintaran]

3 minutes ago, Kent said:

It's actually not so bad for Canada. If there were 11 qualifiers from the 2019 CONCACAF League, I think that would put Forge in! See the table here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_CONCACAF_League#Qualification_to_CONCACAF_Champions_League

Forge are sitting in exactly 11th place. So we would lose Montreal, but CPL would make it's CCL debut before it's 2nd season kicks off. If they get the CAN1 ranking spot then they have a good shot at avoiding a Mexican team in the first round.

Except they wouldn't get the CAN1 ranking, they would get the SCL11 ranking (as "wildcard" spots traditionally are added to the bottom). So, a good chance of being eliminated by a Mexican-side in the 1st round!

[Kent]

53 minutes ago, Rintaran said:

Except they wouldn't get the CAN1 ranking, they would get the SCL11 ranking (as "wildcard" spots traditionally are added to the bottom). So, a good chance of being eliminated by a Mexican-side in the 1st round!

It looks like they have ditched the "SCL" spots. See my post on the "Full CONCACAF Club Index" thread from earlier today.

Edit: And besides, even if they are given a lower pot spot, they would have a 4 in 7 chance (I think, I keep changing these odds a bit, I'm not great at odds) of drawing a non Mexican team.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Kent

[RJB]

On 11/13/2019 at 12:02 PM, narduch said:

I think if it were 1 or 2 teams, they may consider it. But this is 5 teams.

This is just further evidence that the TFC, Whitecaps, and Montreal should qualify for the CCL through the league in which they play. I eat that the TFC won the Voyageurs Cup, but if the American League goes on strike and they go with it, there’s not much more argument those three are representing MLS.  
 

Also, wouldn’t Forge be the CPL representative as the best team because they won that one game at the end?

[narduch]

4 hours ago, RJB said:

This is just further evidence that the TFC, Whitecaps, and Montreal should qualify for the CCL through the league in which they play. I eat that the TFC won the Voyageurs Cup, but if the American League goes on strike and they go with it, there’s not much more argument those three are representing MLS.  
 

Also, wouldn’t Forge be the CPL representative as the best team because they won that one game at the end?

While I agree that they should qualify from MLS I wouldn't want them to stop being in the Voyageurs Cup. 

As for who would replace Impact if there is a strike? It's CONCACAF, who knows?

[Initial B]

I don't understand why you think the CSA will be given an option with what to do with their 2020 CCL spots. CONCACAF is going ahead with their pairings draw next week as planned. If all the MLS clubs are on strike at the time the matches are to be played, their teams will simply forfeit to their opponents and CONCACAF will continue with the tournament. The CSA will continue with the 2020 Voyageurs Cup draw as scheduled, and if the strike goes into the summer and the MLS teams still can't play, then the MLS clubs simply forfeit to their opponents. No other modifications are needed.