CONCACAF Champions League Live Group Stage Draw

2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage

That will do it for our coverage of the CCL Group Stage Draw. Join us later tonight for live coverage of the USMNT U-20s against New Zealand starting at 3:00 am ET. Until then, I am Matthew Evans. Good night!

The draw is complete. Looking at the draw Group F is the Group of Death with Cascadian Clubs Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC as well as the team who knocked out the Portland Timbers last season CD Olimpia from Honduras.

The final club drawn is DC United and they are placed into Group H.

The seventh team drawn is Real Salt Lake from the United States. They will be placed into Group G.

The sixth team drawn is Queretaro FC from Mexico. They will be placed into Group C.

The fifth team drawn is LA Galaxy from the United States. They will be placed into Group D.

The fourth team drawn is Santos Laguna from Mexico. They will be placed into Group A.

The third team drawn is Tigres UANL from Mexico. They will be placed into Group B.

The second team drawn is Club America from Mexico. They will be placed into Group E.

The first team drawn is Seattle Sounders FC. They will be placed into Group F. Wow a Cascadia draw in Group F.

We now move on to the pot with the clubs from Mexico and the United States.

That means that San Francisco FC from Panama will be placed into Group C alongside Verdes FC of Belize.

The seventh team drawn is CD Arabe Unido from Panama. They will be placed into Group H.

The sixth team drawn is Deportivo Saprissa from Costa Rica. They will be placed into Group A.

The fifth team drawn is CS Herediano from Costa Rica. They will be placed into Group B.

The fourth team drawn is CSD Comunicaciones from Guatemala. They will be placed into Group D.

The third team drawn is CD Motagua from Honduras. They will be placed into Group E.

The second team drawn is CD Olimpia from Honduras. They will be placed into Group F.

The first team drawn is CSD Municipal from Guatemala. They will be placed into Group G.

The draw for Pot 2 begins.

That concludes the first round of the draw. Group F is going to be a doozy with the Vancouver Whitecaps, along with another Central American club, and a North American club.

That will leave Montego Bay United and they will be placed into Group H.

The seventh club drawn is W Connection FC from Trinidad. They will be placed into Group A.

The sixth club drawn is Verdes FC from Belize. They will be placed in Group C.

The fifth club drawn is CD Walter Ferretti from Nicaragua. They will be placed in Group E.

The fourth club drawn is Central FC from Trinidad. They are drawn into Group D.

The third club drawn is AD Isidro Metapan from El Salvador. They will be placed into Group B.

The second club drawn is Vancouver Whitecaps FC. They are drawn into Group F.

Santa Tecla FC is the first club drawn. They are drawn into Group G.

The draw is now beginning with Pot 1.

The draw procedure is being explained now. No two teams from the same country can face each other in the Group Stage.

A video is being shown to introduce the 24 participating clubs in this year's tournament.

Our venue is actually the home of the symphony which played at the beginning of the presentation.

An orchestra is playing as highlights from the competition in 2014-15 are shown on the big screens.

We are underway!

Folks are starting to gather to their seats as we approach the draw for the Group Stage of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League.

Also keep an eye on where the island clubs (Central FC, W Connection, and Montego Bay United) end up. Those clubs may not be as strong but the travel and stadium could be tricky for Major League Soccer clubs.

The biggest story tonight will be where the Vancouver Whitecaps end up. There are no restrictions for them so them could actually be paired up against Cascadia Cup rival Seattle Sounders FC. That would be a very interesting storyline for sure.

We are just about ten minutes away from the draw now.

They entered the knockout round as the top overall seed before falling 6-4 on aggregate to Alajuelense (Costa Rica).

DC United played in the tournament last year qualifying as the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Champions. They were drawn into Group 4 with Waterhouse (Jamaica) and Tauro (Panama) where they picked up maximum points from their four matches.

Their tournament life did not last long though as they were outed in the group stage by Costa Rica side Herediano. RSL finished 2nd in Group 2 with seven points and a plus-2 goal differential.

Real Salt Lake also last took part in the 2012-13 edition of the CCL. They entered the tournament in Pot B after finishing third in the Supporters' Shield race.

Santos Laguna was the opponent for the Sounders' semi-final series. Seattle would lose 2-1 on aggregate though they came very close to scoring a second away goal in Torreon during the second leg. Lamar Neagle's 73rd minute goal away was their own goal of the series.

The Sounders had other plans though getting goals from DeAndre Yedlin, Djimi Traore, and Eddie Johnson to complete a miraculous comeback to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Alan Pulido scored the only goal in the first leg to give Tigres a 1-0 lead headed back to CenturyLink Field. It looked as though the tie may be over after a 23rd minute goal from Elias Hernandez put Tigres up 2-0 on aggregate with an away goal in their pocket.

Seattle finished with the 3rd seed heading into the knockout round where they drew Tigres UANL (Mexico) in the quarterfinals.

The Sounders were drawn into Group 4 alongside CD Marathon (Honduras) and Caledonia AIA (Trinidad). Seattle swept all four group-stage matches finishing with a plus-7 goal differential.

Seattle last played in the CCL during the 2012-13 edition. They qualified for the tournament as the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Champion but were bumped to Pot A when the LA Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup.

Richard Ruiz ended all hopes for the Galaxy with a strike in the 82nd minute to make the tie 4-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate. Keane would score one more in the 84th but the Galaxy would fall 4-3 on aggregate.

Tijuana struck twice in the first nine minutes to bring the momentum back to them at the Estadio Caliente. Dario Benedetto looked to ice the series with a goal in the 26th minute but Robbie Keane answered in the 47th to keep things interesting.

The Galaxy were paired up against Club Tijuana (Mexico) in one of three United States vs Mexico quarterfinal series.  Samuel scored the lone goal of the first leg in the 11th minute at the StubHub Center to give the Galaxy a 1-0 series lead heading into the second leg.

LA won the group with nine points, their only loss coming in the final match away to Isidro Metapan. That loss dropped the Galaxy to 6th in the seeding for the knockout round.

The LA Galaxy were last in the CCL for the 2013-14 edition. They qualified for it as the 2012 MLS Cup Champion and were slotted into Pot A. When it was their time to be drawn they were picked into Group 8 alongside CS Cartagines (Costa Rica) and AD Isidro Metapan (El Salvador).

This is the first venture into the CONCACAF Champions League for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Let's go take a look back at the last appearance for each of the Major League Soccer clubs involved in this year's competition.

The draw is still about 80 minutes away in Miami. Make sure you come back later tonight for live coverage of the USMNT U20s as they play New Zealand in their second U-20 World Cup match

And we welcome you into our live coverage of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage Draw here on VAVEL USA.

What potential matchups do you want to see? Stay tuned as we reveal the groupings LIVE here on VAVEL USA.

Clubs in Pot C:

CSD Municipal (Guatemala) – 6th appearance

San Francisco FC (Panama) – 5th appearance

Santa Tecla FC (El Salvador) – 1st appearance

Deportivo Walter Ferretti (Nicaragua) – 1st appearance

Verdes FC (Belize) – 2nd appearance

Central FC (Trinidad) – 1st appearance

W Connection (Trinidad) – 4th appearance

Montego Bay United (Jamaica) – 1st appearance

Other Clubs in Pot B:

CS Herediano (Costa Rica) – 6th appearance

CD Motagua (Honduras) – 3rd appearance

AD Isidro Metapan (El Salvador) – 8th appearance

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Canada) – 1st CCL appearance

Pot B

Overall Record: 0-0-0

The Whitecaps are making their CONCACAF Champions League debut and could make a big splash. They have great speed in their attack and a top-notch goalkeeper in between the posts. Don’t be surprised to see them make a run.

Real Salt Lake (United States) – 3rd CCL appearance

Pot B

Overall Record: 8-4-4

This is not your older brother’s Real Salt Lake side. They have struggled mightily this season and may have a difficult time getting out their group especially with some of their potential Central American opponents.

DC United (United States) – 4th CCL appearance

Pot B

Overall Record: 8-4-8

DC United comes into the tournament having won the MLS Eastern Conference Regular Season Championship in 2014. They have started out hot in 2015 but can they keep up their run into the fall? DC United has seen some great play from Chris Rolfe and Jairo Arrieta as they try to fill in for the retired Eddie Johnson at striker.

Queretaro (Mexico) – 1st CCL appearance

Pot B

Overall Record: 0-0-0

Queretaro comes in having finished as the runners-up in the 2015 Clausura.

Tigres UANL (Mexico) – 2nd CCL appearance

Pot B

Overall Record: 3-2-1

Tigres enters the tournament as the 2014 Apertura runners-up. Their only other appearance came back in 2012-13 where they won their group before falling to the Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion.

Other Clubs in Pot A:

Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) – 5th appearance

CD Olimpia (Honduras) – 8th appearance

CSD Comunicaciones (Guatemala) – 5th appearance

CD Arabe Unido (Panama) – 5th appearance

Seattle Sounders FC (United States) – 4th CCL appearance

Pot A

Overall Record: 12-3-11

The Sounders return to the competition after a two-year absence. They very nearly made a run to the final in their last appearance and this team looks a lot stronger than that one did.

LA Galaxy (United States) – 5th CCL appearance

Pot A

Overall Record: 13-3-8

The 2014 MLS Cup Champions are looking to make another deep run in the CONCACAF Champions League. They made the semi-finals back in 2012-13. LA Galaxy has struggled to start the MLS season but will be getting a big boost with the summer arrival of Steven Gerrard. The biggest question will be how seriously Bruce Arena takes this competition especially if the Galaxy are in a tight playoff battle.

Santos Laguna (Mexico) – 5th CCL appearance

Pot A

Overall Record: 25-6-13

Santos Laguna are becoming a regular competitor in the CONCACAF Champions League. They are looking to take the next step as they have finished second twice in this competition.

Club America (Mexico) – 3rd CCL appearance

Pot A

Overall Record: (W-D-L) 9-2-3

Club America qualified for this year’s competition by winning the 2014 Liga MX Apertura. America also come in as the defending champions beating out Montreal Impact in the two-legged final.

Let’s take a look at the clubs participating in this year’s competition.

For example, Seattle Sounders FC in Pot A know that they cannot be matched up with the clubs from Mexico or the USA in Pot B (UANL, Queretaro, DC United, or Real Salt Lake). They can, however, be paired with Vancouver Whitecaps FC because Vancouver is the Canadian Champion and the rule regarding their placement are not included with the United States.

One big rule to keep an eye on is that every group will have one club from either Mexico or the United States. So essentially the clubs from Mexico and the United States in Pot A and Pot B know that there are only four potential opponents in the other Pot (A or B) instead of the normal eight from Pot C.

The same process will be utilized for each pot until all of the clubs are in a Group.

The clubs are separated into three pots with eight teams in them. Scroll up for the list of which pots contain which clubs. One by one, clubs will be drawn from Pot A and placed into a group (A through H).

To get you prepared for the draw, here are a few rules to keep in mind.

The winner of each group will advance to the knockout round which will feature three rounds of two-legged knockout ties. The last club that remains standing will win the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League and earn a berth into the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Japan.

The group stage round will consist of eight groups of three. Each club will play a home-and-away match with the other two clubs in their group, resulting in a minimum of at least four matches played.

24 clubs from 12 CONCACAF member associations have qualified for this year’s edition which will feature the group stage round followed by the knockout round.

Good afternoon and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Today, we will be bringing you live coverage of the draw for the Group Stage of the 2015-16 competition. We will not know the dates and times of the matches until a later date but we will find out who will match up in each of the eight groups. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host.