Among hardcore Major League Soccer fans, the prevailing conventional wisdom seems to be that success in the CONCACAF Champions League and the respectability of MLS are correlated in some way.  CCL is seen as an opportunity for MLS to raise their profile by proving they can hold their own with the more well-established and bigger spending teams from the Mexican Primera.  Unfortunately, weakened squads, awful crowds, and questionable officiating have scarred the competition this season.

The last time an MLS team won the competition (or made the final) was 2000, when the Los Angeles Galaxy lifted the trophy.  Due to travel complications that came as a result of the September 11th tragedy, the Galaxy were unable to compete in the Club World Cup.  Since then, MLS teams have had limited success in the competition and have given it a minimal amount of attention.  MLS teams regularly prioritize the league over CONCACAF Champions League.  This was evidenced yesterday as both Columbus and Toronto threw out weakened squads.

The likes of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Chad Marshall, Will Hesmer, Eddie Gaven, Mista, Stefan Frei, and Dwayne De Rosario did not start for their teams, despite being healthy.  Much was made of the unquestionably poor – and some might say biased – officiating in the two games, but shouldn’t the lineups be the story.  Or, alternatively, shouldn’t the lineups completely nullify any story?  I’ve heard about the seemingly biased officiating throughout the TFC-Arabe Unido match.  I’ve heard about Emilio Renteria supposedly getting waived on, Columbus scoring, and the goal being waived off because Renteria should not have been allowed to re-enter the match.  I heard, but I didn’t see.  I watch dozens of soccer matches every week including almost every MLS match.  I couldn’t be bothered to watch CONCACAF Champions League.

If the teams aren’t going to take CONCACAF Champions League seriously, I’m not sure why I should.  If the teams are going to prioritize their domestic leagues over their continental competition, so will I.  If attendances for CCL games are a fraction of domestic games and the clubs field weakened squads,  how exactly is doing well in CCL supposed to raise the profile of MLS teams?  I fail to understand how winning a competition that no one cares about where everyone fields B squads has the ability to raise the profile of MLS.

Those who disagree are going to invoke the Club World Cup argument.  Supposedly, that is where MLS can raise their profile.  If an MLS CONCACAF champion can beat Internacional, or by some miracle Inter Milan, maybe MLS will be taken more seriously.  The problem with this argument is that the chances that any Major League Soccer team defeats either of the big two sides in the Club World Cup in any year is minimal.  I’m not trying to be rude, I like MLS.  I watch it every week.  I appreciate the effort the players put in and the unique style of play.  I also don’t think it’s rude, patronizing, or dismissive to say that the Los Angeles Galaxy would struggle to defeat Internacional or Inter Milan under any circumstances.  Defeating the B team of Cruz Azul or Santos Laguna, then going on to lose to Internacional, Inter Milan, or God forbid, Pohang Steelers or TP Mazembe, does nothing to advance the profile of MLS domestically or abroad.

If CONCACAF Champions League or its participants have any desire to be globally relevant, the competition needs some serious re-tooling.  The marketing has to change so people get in the seats for the matches and hold their teams’ collective feet to the fire when they fail in CCL.  Until that happens, teams will continue to field B teams and I will continue to not care.  Thankfully, the fine folks over at Sounder at Heart are attempting to do something about this (as well as the similar problems with US Open Cup) with their “Trophies, not Friendlies” movement.  If CONCACAF Champions League is going to be relevant, more supporters groups across MLS need to do something similar.  Until 36,000 people show up for a match between the Seattle Sounders and (insert Central American club here), CCL is going to continue to be irrelevant and the argument that it is important to the profile of MLS either domestically or abroad will continue to be fallacious.

About Kevin McCauley

Kevin McCauley resides in Raleigh, NC and supports Tottenham Hotspur, Schalke 04, and Cruz Azul. In addition to his work at World Soccer Reader, he is a contributor on multiple levels to the SBNation Soccer family of sites. You can follow him on twitter @kevinmccauley.