2023-06-09 15:05:45
The arrival of Lionel Messi a Inter Miami revolutionized soccer. To the MLS, which will have the world’s top star in its tournament; to the other countries of concacafwhich -classification through- would have the chance to enjoy it… and finally to conmebol. How regarding Conmebol? Yes, because a tweet from its president, Alejandro Domínguez, unleashed a series of theories regarding the possible participation of Las Garzas (as Inter Miami is called) in the Libertadores Cup.
The truth is that for now there is nothing concrete. Nothing at all. Only rumors and suppositions: and what would happen if Conmebol does this, or if Domínguez does the other, and what a cup night would be like with Messi at La Bombonera, the Más Monumental or the Marcelo Bielsa. But since it is regarding La Pulga, and taking into account everything that arouses, that illusion can become a reality next year.
Here are a number of points to keep in mind:
- Background
- Options for more teams to play the Libertadores
- Calendar and travel between South America and the United States
When MLS teams played in Conmebol
First it was in the extinct Merconorte Cupin 2001. Then in the South American Cup, in the 2005 and 2007 editions, when American franchises got an invitation. On both occasions the qualifier was DC Unitedas winner of the MLS Cup and the Supporters Shield. How did it go? He entered the round of 16… and left in the round of 16, once morest Universidad Católica and Chivas de Guadalajara, respectively. A color fact: The figure of the American team was Christian Gomito Gómez, the greatest idol of Nueva Chicago.
There is also the history of the Mexican teams (from Concacaf) in the Copa Libertadores, with uninterrupted participation between 1998 and 2016, and with the finals of Cruz Azul once morest Boca in 2011 and Tigres once morest River in 2015.
How Messi might enter the Copa Libertadores
Inter Miami is last in the MLS Eastern Conference, with 15 points in 16 games. So things, is very far from a hypothetical classification to an international tournament, in this case the Copa Libertadores. For reference, the United States tournament awards four slots for the Concachampions:
- The best team of the regular phase
- The winner of the other conference
- The champion
- The best of the general table (that is not any of the above)
But assuming the Copa Libertadores starts to have participants from MLS, that might spell a headache for Conmebol. In which instance of the tournament would they enter? Would you be willing to change the historical format in the group stage? Less problematic would be the possibility of putting more equipment in the preliminary stages, the famous repechage, which currently has 19 clubs. The con: more places means more games… when are they played, if there are almost no gaps in the calendar?
The short path would be invitation. In this case, Conmebol should do the same as it did in 2005 and 2007 with DC United and thus put Inter Miami on the list of competitors. This is, without a doubt, the simplest alternative for Messi to play in the Libertadores.
Logistics and travel between Argentina and the United States
There are two possible scenarios. Because traveling to Miami is one thing and traveling to Vancouver to play once morest the Whitecaps -for example- is quite another.
A flight from Buenos Aires to Miami takes approximately 9 hoursa similar time to the one that the transfers to Mexico lasted when the Mexicans played the Libertadores and even less than some routes in the Champions League when the Russians participatedsomething that has not happened since last year due to the war in Ukraine.
But what happens if more MLS teams enter the Libertadores, not by invitation but by qualification, and among those teams are Vancouver or Montreal, or one from the US to which there are no direct flights? There the logistics would be extremely complicated, for the teams and especially for the fans, assuming that the former would have the charter option and the latter would be forced to take scheduled flights with two stopovers and more than 24 hours in total.
The truth is that for now there is nothing concrete. And that Messi’s chance in the Copa Libertadores is nothing more than an illusion. That when it comes to the Flea and what it represents, everyone wants it to become a reality.
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