Toronto FC
Location: Toronto, Canada
Home stadium: BMO Field (23,000)
How they qualified: 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship winners
Previous CCL appearances: 2 (2009-10, 2010-11)
Profile: Toronto FC underwent a midseason
facelift in July after winning their third straight Canadian
Championship. It looks like it's paid off, as youngsters Peri Marosevic
and Eric Avila have blended with veterans like Torsten Frings and Danny
Koevermans, launching TFC on their best run of form since last season.
They'll play wide-open, attacking soccer every chance they get, hitting
from angles and trying to get Koevermans — the lethal Dutch veteran —
looks in front of net.
Player to watch: Peri Marosevic
Toronto got Marosevic after he'd been waived by fellow Group C
participants FC Dallas. The former US youth international has made good
on that faith, scoring twice already and generally making a nuisance of
himself in the penalty area. He has a goalscorer's instincts, something
TFC badly missed eariler in the year.
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FC Dallas
Location: Frisco, Texas, USA
Home stadium: Pizza Hut Park (21,193)
How they qualified: 2010 MLS Cup runners-up
Previous CCL appearances: None
Profile: FC Dallas started 2010 as an afterthought,
but put together a 19-game unbeaten run midseason then got hot again and
made it all the way to the MLS Cup final. They're lightning-quick on
the counter thanks to speedsters Brek Shea and Marvin Chávez, and in
Kevin Hartman have one of the best pure shot-stoppers the region has
ever seen. They're coming off a long, hard, hot July, but sit second in
the Supporters' Shield race and just added another key piece in Maicon
Santos.
Player to watch: Daniel Hernandez
The defensive midfielder and captain, Hernandez is an extension of
everything going on in Schellas Hyndman's noggin from the first whistle
to the last. He won't win many foot races, but he's one of the smartest
players around and controls the geometry of the game in a way few can
match.
Pumas UNAM
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Home stadium: Estadio Olimpico Universitario (62,700)
How they qualified: 2011 Mexican Clausura champions
Previous CCL appearances: 2 (2008-2009, 2009-10)
Profile: Pumas are one of the most storied teams in
the Mexican Primera División, and one of the three big teams in Mexico
City along with Club América and Cruz Azul. It was la Máquina
that denied Pumas in the CCL quarterfinals back in 2009, and then did so
again in the semis a year later. They're a solid favorite to get to
that stage or beyond in this year's event, thanks to a clever midfield
and an attack that likes to keep the ball on the ground and interchange
as much as possible. They're unbeaten in their first five games this
season in Mexico as of Aug. 16, putting them atop the standings so far.
Player to watch: David Cabrera
Cabrera, who's recently broken into the ranks of the full Mexican
national team, has been a revelation in the central midfield over the
past year. He doesn't put up prolific numbers, but he works both sides
of the ball, rarely commits turnovers and keys the classic Mexican
passing game Pumas employ.
Tauro FC
Location: Panama City, Panama
Home stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández (1,000)
How they qualified: 2010 Panamanian Apertura champions
Previous CCL appearances: 2 (2008-09, 2010-11)
Profile: Tauro FC are the most decorated team in
Panamanian history, collecting eight titles in their brief existence.
They were founded in 1984 by Italian industrialist and Juventus fan
Giancarlo Gronchi, which should tell you all you need to know about
their style of play. They'll keep men behind the ball, try to to counter
at every opportunity and steal any scoreless draw they can get their
hands upon.
Player to watch: Juan Pérez
Pérez, a 31-year-old defensive midfielder and former
Panamanian international, will be the man tasked with making sure Tauro
keep their shape against faster, better, more experienced teams. If he's
overrun, they'll be overrun.
