The Champions League: What is it?

The CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) begins this week and is a new concept for many Sounders Fans. So, what is it?

In short, it’s the club championship for teams in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The winner of the 8-month long event will find itself in the FIFA Club World Championship.

The Tournament begins with 24 Clubs who have earned their way in by their performance in their domestic league. The United States sends four clubs; the MLS Supporter Shield winner (Columbus), the MLS Cup Winner (Real Salt Lake), the MLS Cup Loser (LA Galaxy), and the US Open Cup Winner (Seattle).

16 of those clubs will play in a Home & Away Preliminary Round; this is where the Sounders currently are. The remaining 8 clubs head directly to the Group Stage.

The Group Stage consists of 4 Groups of 4 teams. Each team is guaranteed 6 matches in this stage playing the other 3 clubs once at home and once on the road. The Group play begins in August and will continue through October.

The top two in each group (8 teams) advance to the Championship Round where each pairing will play a Home & Away set with the Away Goals Rule.

The first legs of the Quarterfinals will be played February 22–24, 2011, while the second legs will be played March 1–3.

The first legs of the Semifinals will be played March 15–17, while the second legs will be played April 5–7.

The first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final will be played April 19–21st while the second legs will be played April 26–28th.

So, who’s headed to Qwest on Wednesday? Remember, you can buy tickets via the phone or online via Ticketmaster.