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Tuesday, September 28, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Top soccer teams to play in CONCACAF tournament
By Jeff Wolf
Review-Journal
The CONCACAF Champions' Cup tournament isn't the World Cup, but it's major league to Southern Nevada soccer fans.
The CONCACAF (Confederation of North and Central America and Caribbean Football) tournament will determine the zone representative for the Club World Championship in January 2000 in Brazil.
Defending CONCACAF champion D.C. United and the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer are taking a break in their season to represent the U.S. in the eight-team tournament that also includes Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago, Olimpia of Honduras, Alajuela Saprissa of Costa Rica, and Toluca and Necaxa of Mexico.
The single-elimination tournament begins at 6 tonight in Sam Boyd Stadium when the Fire plays Joe Public. Toluca faces Alajuela at 8 p.m.
First-round play continues Wednesday with United facing Olimpia at 6 p.m. and Necaxa playing Saprissa at 8 p.m.
The winners return Friday for the semifinals, and Sunday features the consolation final at 2 p.m. and the championship game at 4 p.m.
CONCACAF communications director Carlos Giron said he's not certain how large of a crowd to expect.
"We really don't know," he said. "We know soccer fans tend to be a walk-up crowd.
"The local soccer community has been informed, and we expect a great turnout from the Latino community."
Spectators will see at least five players who competed in last year's World Cup. They are United's Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope, both of whom played for the U.S.; Toluca's Jose Saturnino Cardozo of Paraguay and Salvador Carmona of Mexico; and Necaxa's German Villa of Mexico.
The field is comprised of the top teams in the 38-member CONCACAF, and the tournament has a rich 37-year history. Five of the teams have won at least one Champions' Cup. Saprissa owns four, which is the most of the teams, but Mexican teams have won 18 of the previous 34 tournaments.
United, which plays its home games in Washington, D.C., has been the dominant team in the three-year history of the MLS, having won the first two league titles. The team has the league's best record this year at 22-7.
Although United didn't win the MLS last year, it did win the Champions' Cup.
United, coached by Thomas Rongen, is led by midfielder Marco Etcheverry of Bolivia and has a solid back line with Pope and Agoos. The team's offensive kick is provided by American Roy Lassiter and Bolivian Jaime Moreno.
The Fire is a two-year-old franchise in the MLS and defeated United to win the league in its first year.
While United has stayed on this side of the Atlantic Ocean to build its powerhouse, the Fire went overseas to create what has been dubbed the "Eastern European Block" with defender Lubos Kubik of the Czech Republic, and midfielder Peter Nowak, forward Roman Kosecki and midfielder Jerzy Podbrozny of Poland.
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