According to a statement released by CONCACAF Monday, New York City FC has not yet qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League tournament. The announcement comes nearly a month after CONCACAF Media declared on Twitter that NYCFC had already qualified based solely on the points they amassed in 2017, sparking mass confusion.
For NYCFC to actually qualify for the competition, they must score the most points of any U.S.-based MLS club over the course of both the 2017 and 2018 MLS seasons.
New York City FC stated the following:
CONCACAF today announced a clarification to the qualifying procedures for U.S.-based clubs to the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League tournament.
Per the clarification, the position designated to the 2017 MLS Cup champion will be awarded to the U.S.-based team not already qualified with the highest aggregate point total at the end of the 2017 & 2018 regular seasons combined-TBD at the end of the 2018 MLS regular season.
Therefore, NYCFC has not been awarded a spot in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League as previously communicated.
The news is sure to be disappointing for fans of the Bronx Blues who were hoping for confirmation of international club football in 2019. Not all hope is lost, however.
By finishing with the most points of any U.S.-based MLS club in 2017 (57 points), NYCFC control their own destiny and could still earn a berth for the 2019 CCL. It’ll be difficult with clubs like the Chicago Fire (55 points) and Atlanta United (55 points) hot on their heels, but it’s absolutely doable.
