CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, June 5, 2012) – The LA Galaxy have been drawn into Group 5 of the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. They will be joined by Isidro Metapan of El Salvador and the third place team from the upcoming Caribbean Football Union Club Championship, which will be held at a yet to be determined date and location.
The Champions League draw was held at the confederation’s headquarters in New York City earlier today. The draw produced the 24-team tournament Group Stage pairings. The Group Stage is set to begin on Tuesday, July 31 with the full schedule for the annual regional club championship to be announced at a later date.
“We are looking forward to returning to play in the CONCACAF Champions League,” Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena said. “We know that we will have to play four difficult games against Metapan and our Caribbean opponents but we look forward to the challenge.”
A Champions League quarterfinalist during the 2011-12 tournament, the Galaxy qualified for this installment of the Champions League by winning MLS Cup 2011 last November. This will be LA’s third consecutive year participating in the CONCACAF Champions League, which will be played for the fifth time after replacing the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2008. After being eliminated from the 2010-11 Champions League by the Puerto Rico Islanders in the Preliminary Round, the Galaxy emerged as Group A winners in the 2011-12 Champions League, beating Morelia of Mexico, LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica and Club Motagua of Honduras to qualify for the Quarterfinals, where they fell to Toronto FC 4-3 on aggregate.
In Group 5, the Galaxy will face Isidro Metapan of El Salvador, the Salvadorian 2011 Apertura Champion, and either the Puerto Rico Islanders, Antigua Barracuda FC, Caledonia AIA of Trinidad & Tobago or W Connection of Trinidad & Tobago. Three of those four teams will qualify for the Group Stage, with the Galaxy taking on the club that finishes in third place.
Metapan, a Champions League quarterfinalist last season, features a roster that includes El Salvador National Team regulars Milton Molina, Ramon Sanchez and Alfredo Pacheco, who played for the New York Red Bulls in 2009. The club is currently coached by Edwin Portillo, who has led Metapan to six league titles since 2006, the most by any manager in Salvadorian league history.
The Galaxy return to action at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 17 when they host the Portland Timbers at The Home Depot Center in a game that is presented by adidas. Tickets for this game are on sale now through a special Father’s Day Pack which includes two tickets, two tickets to the San Diego Zoo and passes for a postgame autograph session with a Galaxy player, all for just $50. BUY NOW Fans can also take advantage of a special Dodgers Night offer that includes a limited edition Galaxy-Dodgers scarf for the first 500 purchases. BUY NOW
