Leagues from other continents

[amenina]

U.S. Open Cup revamp to feature just 8 MLS first teams

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/ ... irst-teams

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the format for the 2023-24 U.S. Open Cup on Friday, confirming that only eight of a possible 26 MLS teams will have their first teams participate.

Atlanta United FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC, LAFC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City are the MLS teams that will play with their first teams.

Eight of the nine MLS teams that qualified for this year's Concacaf Champions Cup will not take part in the U.S. Open Cup in any capacity, with the exception of the defending Open Cup champion Houston Dynamo.

It means Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, who reached the final last season, will not participate in this year's competition.

The MLS first teams participating consist of the top seven ranked U.S.-based teams -- based on the 2023 MLS Supporters' Shield standings -- not involved in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Of the 10 remaining MLS clubs, nine will have their MLS Next Pro teams participate from the first round: Austin FC II, Chicago Fire II, Colorado Rapids 2, Crown Legacy (affiliated with Charlotte FC), Minnesota United FC2, LA Galaxy II, New York City FC II, New York Red Bulls II and Portland Timbers 2.

The lone team not participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup or the Open Cup in any capacity is D.C. United, which does not have an MLS Next Pro team.

All told, eight Division I teams, 24 Division II teams, 32 Division III teams and 32 open division teams will compete for the 2024 title, with $300,000 going to the winner.

The U.S. Open Cup crowned its first winner back in 1914, making it one of the oldest soccer competitions in the U.S., and allows professional and amateur teams to participate together in a single elimination tournament.

This creates possible giant-killing scenarios as lower-tier teams go up against their professional counterparts.

In a change to the tournament's format, the upcoming first round will mark the first time since 2008 that all 32 matchups will pit amateur against professional teams.

The USSF also announced new commercial partners, including Marriott, Michelob Ultra, New York Life and Nike.

This allowed U.S. Soccer to prioritize enhanced financial incentives for participating teams, including significantly increased travel reimbursement. The federation has also committed to increased promotion of the tournament.

"First and foremost, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all our members for their invaluable input over the past couple of months -- sharing with us of the reasons the U.S. Open Cup is so great, and what we can do to make it even better," U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said. "After extensive discussions, we have put together a competitive format specific to the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, promising exciting matchups from the First Round and through the entire tournament.

"U.S. Soccer values the tradition and importance of the U.S. Open Cup, and we will continue to have conversations with all our members to explore avenues for enhancing future editions of the tournament and how we all work together to grow soccer in every community in the country."

Nelson Rodriguez, MLS' EVP of sporting product and competition, said there have also been economic changes. What he called "onerous hosting fees" have been eliminated, with hosts also allowed to keep more ticket revenue.

United Soccer League president Paul McDonough added, "The USL has supported the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for nearly 30 years, and we are proud to be part of it again in 2024. We applaud all the USL clubs who have decided to participate in this year's U.S. Open Cup, despite being handed the option to decline. We appreciate and share the fans' passion for our country's most historic and authentic competition, and we look forward to watching the drama unfold over the course of the tournament."

Although the tournament has long held appeal to longtime soccer fans in the U.S., it has struggled to attract investment and a broader audience, and the future of the tournament has been in doubt ever since MLS announced in December that, because of fixture congestion, its first teams wouldn't participate in the competition and that teams from MLS Next Pro would take their place.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has often voiced dissatisfaction with the tournament, and he continued his critiques in a February interview with ESPN.

"Everybody in the soccer business [needs] to rethink how competitions have been organized to ensure that we can continue to evolve and manage what is the single-biggest issue for all professional soccer, and that's the management of our schedule," he said.

Although it's true that MLS' schedule has become more crowded in recent years, some of that is the league's own doing with its creation of the Leagues Cup in collaboration with Liga MX.

MLS' stance was at odds with the USSF's professional league standards, which are designed to set minimum standards for items such as the finances of owners, stadium capacity and market size. In this case the standards state that teams from a top-flight outdoor league "must participate in all representative U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible."

Five days after MLS' statement, the USSF announced, "Major League Soccer has requested to allow MLS Next Pro teams to represent MLS in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After thoughtful consideration, we have informed MLS that the U.S. Soccer staff recommendation, which was adopted by the Pro League Taskforce, is that the request be denied."

MLS' desire to have only its reserve teams participate also caused issues at the confederation level.

The winner of the Open Cup earns a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and a source with knowledge of Concacaf's thinking indicated that had the Open Cup become a competition only for teams in the second tier and below, this would have raised protests from other countries in Concacaf.

The source indicated that these concerns, although falling short of a demand, were communicated to the USSF by Concacaf.

But MLS continued to work against having all of its teams participating. A seven-person USSF subcommittee of its board of directors was formed in December 2022 after the issue became public.

Last month, the subcommittee decided that the 2023-24 tournament would go ahead with a hybrid format that included some MLS first teams.

"I don't know that anything changed after our request was denied as much as it was just a continuance of discussions," Rodriguez said.

That approach didn't go over well with the USL, which runs leagues that comprise some of the lower tiers in the U.S. soccer system.

At one point, some teams in the second-tier USL Championship threatened not to participate, but eventually all of the organization's 47 teams agreed to take part.

That the USSF was appearing to waive its own requirements for top-flight teams to participate still caused upset within the USL ranks, though.

USL's McDonough said, "I'm disappointed that U.S. Soccer hasn't handled the whole situation in a stronger or better fashion."

The format announced on Friday is only for 2024. Rodriguez indicated that the USSF is forming a "working group" that will work with stakeholders to determine what format will be used for 2025.

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan edge Pohang in derby; Jubilo stun Kawasaki

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ki__1.html

ASEAN Wrap: Sydney FC win derby; Buriram five points clea

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... clear.html

Central and South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal back to winning ways; Odisha and Mumbai City rejoice

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... joice.html

West Asia Wrap: Al Hilal, Al Sadd stay firmly in control

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... trol_.html

[amenina]

Al Ahly win Egyptian Cup in derby victory over Zamalek in Riyadh

https://www.cafonline.com/news/al-ahly- ... in-riyadh/

Al Ahly were crowned Egyptian Cup winners for a record-extending 39th time after goals from Imam Ashour and Mohamed Afsha secured a 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Zamalek in Friday's final in Riyadh.

In the first cup final to be held outside of Egypt, a capacity crowd at the Al Waleed Park Stadium witnessed a tight derby clash that remained goalless until the 84th minute.

After a scramble in the Zamalek box, Ashour reacted quickest to prod the ball home from close range and give Al Ahly a lead their dominance deserved.

Zamalek pushed for an equaliser but were caught on the counter in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Afsha lashed a fierce drive past goalkeeper Mohamed Awad to make it 2-0.

The goals sparked scenes of wild celebration from the Al Ahly players and their travelling support at claiming yet another domestic honour.

But the star of the show was goalkeeper Ashour who was impressiver, including the goal he scored that boosted the confidence of his side to go further and win the match.

The Egypt international was rightfully named man of the match as Al Ahly secured their first Egyptian Cup played outside the country.

The capacity crowd at the Al Waleed Park Stadium that witnessed the match is futher proof of African football's popularity beyond the continent following the successful TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations held in Cote d'Ivoire last month.

The win for Ahly continues an extraordinary period of success for the Cairo giants, who have now won 11 of the last 13 domestic cup competitions.

For Zamalek, it was more disappointment in their bid to end Al Ahly's dominance, having not won the cup since 2019.

The magnitude of this latest setback is heightened by the fact they lost the Egyptian Premier League title to Ahly last season.

Note: This was the 2022-23 Egypt Cup final, which was played in 2024 due to various schedule delays.

Also yesterday in the 2022-23 Djibouti Cup final, Artasolar7 won 3-0 against CFGR/SIAF: https://www.adi.dj/index.php/site/Plus/11567

[angel_87]

Saudi Pro League 23/24

Al-Hilal equalled the world record for most consecutive wins despite having been without Neymar for most of the season through injury.

https://www.goal.com/en/lists/neymar-sa ... 03cac9a431

The Saudi Pro League leaders came from behind to win 3-1 after Ali Albulayhi's own goal thanks to Ruben Neves' penalty and strikes from Michael and Aleksandar Mitrovic on Friday night. This 27th victory in a row in all competitions equalled the world record set by Welsh team The New Saints and they achieved it without £77.2 million ($98.3m) summer recruit Neymar - who has been out injured since October.

[rpo.castro]

Saudi Pro League 23/24

Al-Hilal equalled the world record for most consecutive wins despite having been without Neymar for most of the season through injury.

https://www.goal.com/en/lists/neymar-sa ... 03cac9a431

The Saudi Pro League leaders came from behind to win 3-1 after Ali Albulayhi's own goal thanks to Ruben Neves' penalty and strikes from Michael and Aleksandar Mitrovic on Friday night. This 27th victory in a row in all competitions equalled the world record set by Welsh team The New Saints and they achieved it without £77.2 million ($98.3m) summer recruit Neymar - who has been out injured since October.

Despite or because?

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Vissel fight back against Tokyo; Ulsan stay perfect

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... rfect.html

ASEAN Wrap: Mariners take pole position; Persib get the better of Persija

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... rsija.html

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal, Persepolis tied at the top; Mohun Bagan earn playoffs berth

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... berth.html

West Asia Wrap: Al Rayyan close in on Al Sadd; Al Hilal maintain imperious form

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... _form.html

Also last Saturday in Bahrain, Al Ahli defeated Muharraq 4-2 on penalties to clinch the King’s Cup final (1-1 after extra time) to win their 9th cup title. They qualified for at least the play-offs of the second tier AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) for the 2024-25 season.

https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/13057 ... -Kings-Cup

[angel_87]

Al Hilal break world record for consecutive wins with 28

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_ ... ve-wins-28

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Newcomers Machida rise to top; Sangmu edge Jeonbuk

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... onbuk.html

ASEAN Wrap: Antonis stunner as City run riot; Buriram through in shootout

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... otout.html

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal keep Persepolis at bay; Mumbai City scale summit

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ummit.html

West Asia Wrap: Al Hilal extend world record; Al Ansar secure vital win

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... l_win.html

And finally, KCNA, the state news agency of DPR Korea, have given us an update of their domestic league!

http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2024/202403/ ... -11ee.html

Results of First-stage Matches of 2023-2024 DPRK Premier Football League
Pyongyang, March 15 (KCNA) -- First-stage matches of 2023-2024 DPRK Premier Football League have finished.
According to the total results, the April 25 Team is at the top with 25 points, followed by the Sobaeksu Team and the Amnokgang Team with 22 and 21 points.

[amenina]

Today the women's leagues of USA and Mexico, National Women’s Soccer League and LIGA MX Femenil, announced a summer tournament called the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup, that will be played during the Olympics, since some USA players (and of course players from other national teams) will be called up and the league is not playing regular matches during this period. You can read about it here: https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nationa ... summer-cup

The tournament will involve 20 teams: all 14 teams of NWSL, and the top 6 LIGA MX Femenil teams during the 2023 league seasons. They will be divided into 5 groups of 4 teams, with each team playing 3 group matches.

After the conclusion of the group stage, a total of 4 teams will advance to the knockout stage to decide the champions.

Here is of course the weird part: there are 5 groups, but only 4 teams will advance to the knockout stage. So that means one of the group winners, that is the team with the worst record among the 5 group winners, will not advance to the knockout stage.

This is probably the first time I saw a tournament where winning a group does not even guarantee you advancement to some sort of next stage. It would at least make some sense that the worst two group winners go to a play-off round before the semi-finals, but I guess they prefer to keep the schedule tight, and the tournament is more of a "friendly" nature anyway.

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Jeonbuk fight back against Ulsan; Vissel hit six past Consadole

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... adole.html

ASEAN Wrap: Irankunda nets historic treble; Supachai double in Buriram win

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... m_win.html

Central & South Asia Wrap: Chennaiyin stun Mohun Bagan Super Giant; Bashundhara Kings in cruise control

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ntrol.html

West Asia Wrap: Al Futuwa continue reign; Al Hilal survive stiff test

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... _test.html

Al Futuwa won their second consecutive and fourth overall Syrian league title, and have qualified for the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League.

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Marinos defeat Vissel; Pohang go top

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... e_1_1.html

ASEAN Wrap: Victory claim Melbourne derby win; Buriram steer clear of Bangkok

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ngkok.html

Central & South Asia Wrap: Esteghlal lose ground as Persepolis close in

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... se_in.html

West Asia Wrap: Al Gharafa edge closer; Al Hilal relentless

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ain_2.html

[amenina]

Last night in the Egyptian Premier League, Al Ahly was held to a 2-2 away draw against ENPPI.

In the 18-team league, ENPPI currently leads the table, with 28 points from 17 matches, while Al Ahly are 10th, with 18 points from 9 matches.

Incredibly, the league started on 18 September, and in the first 6 months of the season, Al Ahly only played 8 league matches. Here are how many league matches they played each month:

September: 1
October: 1
November: 4
December: 0
January: 0 (season break due to AFCON)
February: 1
March: 1

Here are the number of matches Al Ahly have played in different competitions since September:

League: 9 (they have 25 more matches to play in a 34-match season)
Cup: 2 (both for the 2022/23 cup, which was delayed with the final played in 2024; they can play a maximum of 5 matches for the 2023/24 cup, but this may again be delayed)
League Cup: 0 (withdrew from competition due to fixture congestion)
Super Cup: 2 (four-team tournament in knockout format)
CAF Champions League: 10 (since they have reached the semi-finals, they have either 2 or 4 more matches to play)
CAF Super Cup: 1
African Football League: 4
FIFA Club World Cup: 3

[rpo.castro]

Something very strange there with african football and Al Ahly

[amenina]

East Asia Wrap: Ulsan gain momentum; Port win thriller against Shandong

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... ndong.html

ASEAN Wrap: Bangkok reach FA Cup semis; Sydney down Wanderers in derby

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... rby_2.html

In Australia, Central Coast Mariners have qualified for the league stage of the first-tier AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) for the 2024/25 season, as they will have the best regular season record among all teams from Australia (Wellington Phoenix, who are from New Zealand, are not eligible to participate in AFC club competitions). Sydney FC, the Australia Cup winners, have previously qualified for the group stage of the second-tier AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) for the 2024/25 season.

Central & South Asia Wrap: Tantalising title decider in India

https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/domesti ... india.html

[rpo.castro]

One of best leagues in world:
https://youtu.be/eeXFFh_Kbz4?si=zr4YXY4eNIA9ldGz