The CONCACAF Champions League: Is it a waste of time?

Hell no.

Although there is no comparison in quality to the European tournament of the same name, what the tournament is means little to what it represents.  The stated goal for MLS is to become a top league by the year 2022, but over the next 50-70 years?  There is no reason to think that MLS couldn't become the top league in the world, given the resources and cultural appeal that American markets can offer.

But an aspect that often gets lost in the pursuit of this dream is the importance of the development the CONCACAF region as a whole.   Teams like Honduras, Costa Rica,  and Jamaica have already benefitted from experience their players have gained while playing in the MLS, and there is every reason to think that this trend will continue.  Players from smaller Central American and Caribbean countries already view MLS as a shot at the big time, because they know that if they can get on the field in America, the eyes of the world's scouts will be on them.  The league's ability to poach the best players from the region will increase those country's strength on the national level, and their success could stoke more interest in the regional league.

The reason why the CCL is considered a joke internationally is because nobody gives a shit about the leagues that are being represented.  Liga MX is still the league with the highest quality of play, but their appeal is mostly regional and won't carry a broad American or international TV audience.  Despite of the quality of play, Liga MX is not in play to land any major international stars such as David Beckham or Kaka.  This might seem like a trivial point at the moment, but if the landscape shifted to the point where American clubs could begin offering competitive transfer fees and salaries for the worlds top players, then things could really get interesting.  America has proven to be a destination where athletes across all sports want to live, while Mexico has no such track record.  If there is a league in CONCACAF that has the ability to become one of the worlds best, MLS is it.

 But if MLS is going to be the worlds best league, the the CONCACAF Champions league has to be one of the world's best tournaments.  The represented teams from MLS and Liga MX have to be household names, and match-ups like Seattle-Monterrey  and SKC-Tigres have to get people as excited as they might be for a match between the American and Mexican national teams.  A run to the tournament final by a Panamanian team has to be latched onto and become a national news story for a couple weeks, catapulting their two standout players to MLS contracts.  Arguments about players being sat for league games in anticipation of CCL match-ups need matter to people.

All of this will come in time, but someday I believe that it won't be ridiculous to compare the CONCACAF and European Champions Leagues.  2020?  Not a chance.  But 2060? Don't be surprised.