While the Asian Champions League might not have the high profile stadium destinations like the Camp Nou, Aztec Stadium, or even a Maracanã, it surely makes up for it in time to get to that destination, which can be just as taxing mentally.
Sounders fans were spoiled this year in a draw that saw our fans having to make the harrowing trip to face off against Vancouver (two international points of entry … but which one to choose?!), unlike previous years where we made the trip to Isidro Metapán in El Salvador. While the MLS clubs do rack up the airline miles when facing clubs in Panama, this week sees teams from the world’s largest continent face off to a race for the highest club honor in Asia and a chance to face the world’s best at the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup.
In order to combat the vast area of Asia, a format has been set up dividing the continent between East and West, with the border of India and Pakistan acting as the unofficial median line. Sixteen teams from each area have been put into four groups for the group stages. The Round of Sixteen will also respect the East-West dividing line, before more travel is required from teams that make it to the subsequent rounds. Australia’s downside is that the nearest neighbor (Indonesia) in the AFC (New Zealand’s domestic competition plays in the Oceanic Football Confederation) is still an eight hour flight for Melbourne Victory and a much quicker seven hour flight for Sydney FC.
Melbourne Victory will face off against Gamba Osaka of Japan, Shanghai SIPG of China (currently coached by Sven-Goran Eriksson), and South Korea’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings, the closest of which is a ten hour flight if you fly direct. Next week will be their test of four games in a dozen days. Home against Shanghai, followed by another home match against Sydney FC in a Battle of the Blues, the third being a flight to Osaka before returning to face the Central Coast Mariners four days later.
Sydney FC have been given the Group of Death. They will face off against reigning AFC Champions Guangzhou Evergrande of China, Japanese powerhouse Urawa Reds, and Pohang Steelers of South Korea who have won more titles in the AFC than any other club (1997, 1998, 2009). Sydney also have a tougher four games, spending more time on more flights. Within a span of thirteen days there will be a trip to Japan and a tough match against Urawa, a return flight to Australia to face fellow Champions League hopefuls Melbourne Victory, home to Sydney’s Olympic Stadium to face Guangzhou, before another flight to Melbourne, this time to face Melbourne City.
The Australians are not expected to fare as well as their counterparts from China and Japan, who have had more success recently. The dark horse country is Uzbekistan which has had surprising success on the national level with its youth teams and a Quarter-final run in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. While they do not command the cash that other domestic leagues do in Japan or China (looking at you, Oba!), the skill level will be something to watch according to nearly every pundit.
