CONCACAF Signals: May 25, 2011

CCL draw results announced

Defending champion Monterrey was drawn Wednesday with Comunicaciones of Guatemala and potentially against the Seattle Sounders and Herediano of Costa Rica in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League.

The tournament draw, conducted by CONCACAF Deputy General Secretary Ted Howard at the confederation’s New York headquarters, set the eight Preliminary Round pairings as well as the Group Stage quartets.

The first leg of the Preliminary Round will be played July 26-28, with the second leg a week later.

The Group Stage will begin with the first round August 16-18 and finish with the sixth round of matches October 18-20.

Pumas wins Mexican title; earns berth to CCL Group Stage

Pumas won the Mexican Clausura on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Morelia in the Estadio Universitario in Mexico City and will return to the Champions League for the third time in four years.

With the title, Pumas advanced to the Group Stage and will head Group C with Tauro of Panama, the winners of Preliminary Round meetings between FC Dallas and Alianza of El Salvador, and Real Esteli and the Canadian champion.

Runner-up Morelia will begin the competition in the Preliminary Round where it will face the Caribbean club championship runner-up. The winner of that series will advance into Group A with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Alajuelense of Costa Rica and the winner of a Preliminary Round pairing between Motagua of Honduras and Municipal of Guatemala.

Real Estelí reaches Champions League

Real Esteli won the Nicaraguan Clausura final on Saturday, beating rival Walter Ferreti 3-1. Estelí qualified to the CONCACAF Champions League and will mark the first time in three years that a Nicaraguan club participates in the tournament.

Esteli will start in the Preliminary Round where it will face the Canadian champion.

Canadian champion to be decided on Wednesday

Toronto FC will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday to decide the Nutrilite Canadian Championship on Wednesday at BMO Field in Toronto. The two teams drew 1-1 on May 18 in Vancouver with Maicon Santos equalizing for the visitors in the 73rd minute.

The winner of the two-leg total goal series will win the Voyageurs Cup and will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, where it will play the either Real Esteli FC of Nicaragua in the Preliminary Round.

Puerto Rico Islanders seek fourth straight berth

The Puerto Rico Islanders will face host Alpha United in Georgetown, Guyana, on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Caribbean club championship with the winner clinching a place in the Champions League.

Defence Force of Trinidad will play Tempete FC of Haiti in the other semifinal for another berth. The last spot in the 24-team Champions League field will be decided Friday when the semifinal losers face off in the third-place match just before the CFU Club Champions Cup final.

Gold Cup referees announced

Two-time World Cup veteran Marco Rodriguez of Mexico will return for a third Gold Cup, heading a list of 15 referees for the 20th anniversary edition of the confederation championship.

Three-time World Cup veteran Hector Vergara of Canada tops the potential pool of 15 linesmen, all of which must pass a fitness test in Dallas prior to the opening match June 5.

Among the 30 designees, 11 CONCACAF nations are represented, 10 of whom will be making their competition debuts.

Bryan elected president of the Turks and Caicos FA

The Turks and Caicos Football Association held its annual general meeting on Monday, when Christopher Bryan was elected as the organization’s president.

Also elected were Paul Slattery as first vice president, James Slattery as second vice president, Thomas Smith as honorary president, Sonia Bien-Aime as secretary general, Jenny Douglas as director of finance and Neil Coles and Paula Garland as executive directors.

National association matches

3.25.2011: Panama City:

PANAMA – BOLIVIA 2:0

3.24.2011: Havana, Cuba:

CUBA – EL SALVADOR 0:2

3.25.2011: Seoul:

SOUTH KOREA- HONDURAS 4:0

3.25.2011: Montego Bay, Jamaica:

JAMAICA – VENEZUELA 0:2

3.26.2011: San Jose, Costa Rica:

COSTA RICA – CHINA 2:2

3.26.2011: Bassaterre, St. Kitts and Nevis:

ST. KITTS & NEVIS – GRENADA 0:0

3.26.2011: New York:

UNITED STATES – ARGENTINA 1:1

3.26.2011: Oakland:

MEXICO – PARAGUAY 3:1

3.26.2011: Havana, Cuba:

CUBA – PANAMA 0:2

3.27.2011: San Salvador, El Salvador:

EL SALVADOR – JAMAICA 2:3

3.28.2011: Mazatenango, Guatemala:

GUATEMALA – BOLIVIA 1:1

3.29.2011: San Jose, Costa Rica:

COSTA RICA – ARGENTINA 0:0

3.29.2011: Nashville:

UNITED STATES – PARAGUAY 0:1

3.29.2011: San Diego:

MEXICO – VENEZUELA 1:1

4.1.2011: St. Georges, Grenada:

GRENADA – ST. KITTS & NEVIS 0:0

5.22.2011: TBD:

CAYMAN ISLANDS – BELIZE

5.28.2011: Seattle:

MEXICO – ECUADOR

5.28.2011: Houston:

EL SALVADOR – HONDURAS

5.30.2011: San Jose:

COSTA RICA – NIGERIA

6.01.2011: Denver:

MEXICO – NEW ZEALAND

6.04.2011: Boston:

UNITED STATES – SPAIN