New CONCACAF Champions League format provides bigger matches sooner

The draw for the CONCACAF Champions League took place Monday night and, in a pleasant contrast from previous editions, there actually are enticing matchups.

That's somewhat unfair to the previous format, and a bit dismissive of the smaller teams that challenged bigger clubs in past editions. Yet, with two enticing games — with Costa Rica's largest clubs facing off against some of Mexico's best — and the potential for an all-Mexico against all-MLS quarterfinal round, the CCL is shaping up to be a tournament that demands attention.

That hasn't been the case in the early stages of the CCL, and by the latter stages fans seem so checked out there's hardly any intrigue. This time we get to the…