Why an MLS Team Won't Win the Region

MLS fans are certainly excited about the Houston Dynamo's schedule kicking-off early when they play Mexican side Atlante on February 24 in the CONCACAF Champion's League. This regional tournament began in September of 2008 with four Major League Soccer teams: Houston, D.C., New England, and Chivas.

Chivas USA failed to make the group round of the tournament by falling out to Tauro FC of Panama. At the same time, New England failed to reach the group round after losing to Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago. These two early failures were compounded when D.C. United failed to win a game in their group.

The Houston Dynamo were the bright spot for American soccer fans. The Dynamo finished second in their group, only three points behind UNAM Pumas of Mexico. The Dynamo qualified to move onto the knock-out stage of the tournament with teams from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Guatemala.

Of the final eight teams in the tournament, three come from Mexico. Santos, Atlante, and Pumas represent the MFL in the tournament, which tempts one to compare Mexico's participation in the tournament to the English Premier League's strong presence in UEFA Champions League.

If however, Mexico and the United States represent the best of soccer in the region, then clearly there are reasons that MLS teams are struggling. Not only are their difficulties for the MLS teams, but the league has taken steps which will make it even harder for American teams in international tournaments.

The MLS salary cap of $2.3 Million made it hard last year for the teams to fill their 28-man rosters with quality players. Each team has maybe 15 players capable of playing at an inter-league level, leaving teams with 13 other players to use in domestic competition. However, the recent decision to use 24-man rosters for the 2009 season will provide coaches with far less options on the field.

Neither the MLS nor CONCACAF schedules aid American teams in excelling in inter-league competition. The rest of the international season will prove incredibly difficult for Houston. The Dynamo might make it past Atlante, but the Dynamo will play a match against New York on April 11th, and then potentially play on the 13th for CONCACAF.

One day is not a long enough break for teams with small rosters. Even in Europe, Champions League matches are played on Tuesday or Wednesday with domestic matches played on Saturday. Scheduling matches for a Monday will make it hard on any of these teams, especially those who will be in-season during the month of April.

As for Houston's chances in February, while the team will be well rested, it is also likely that the team is in off-season form (in other words, not match fit). As for Atlante, they will have played a handful of games during the Meixcan Clausura. With Atlante likely being in match from, Houston will struggle to get passed the Mexican club.

Also, Houston relied on being able to call in Dwayne De Rosario, Nate Jaqua, and Patrick Ianni last year. Each of these players are with other clubs this season. If the new roster in Houston fails to live up to the kind of quality Houston fans are used to seeing, the fans can count themselves out of CONCACAF competition now.

Until MLS teams are able to build rosters with competitive players for all levels of competition, American teams will struggle abroad. That being said, MLS teams will also need to have the foresight to begin preseason training and matches much earlier if they hope to be real contenders during the February and March knock-out matches.