The new league-based format for European competition will soon get underway, with Thursday’s Champions League draw setting up USMNT stars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Giovanni Reyna and more for a number of can’t miss games, while giving all American participants a realistic chance to reach the knockout round.
Under the new format, each of the 36 teams in the League Phase will play eight games against different opponents, four home and four away. The participants were divided into four, nine-team, coefficient-based pots, and will play one home and one away game against teams from each pot, in order to attain the closest approximation of a balanced schedule as possible.
At the end of the League Phase, the top eight in the 36-team table go directly into the Round of 16, while the next 16 play two-legged playoffs for the remaining spots. The bottom 12 teams are out of the competition.
Unlike the previous six-game schedule of the group stage under the previous format, the new League Phase will run through late-January, with knockout games promptly beginning in February. The Europa and Europa Conference Leagues will have a similar format, with their draws having been set on Friday afternoon.
In the Champions League, roughly a dozen Americans will take part in the League Phase, pending last-minute transfer business in countries whose windows are still open, spread across six teams. The expanded schedule and qualification format for entry into the knockout rounds means that each of these teams has a reasonable chance to reach that stage, although the newness of the format makes predictions in the mid-lower end of the table difficult.
So far, only two games will feature Yank-on-Yank action, however each team has at least two, often more, headline-catching matches with top names in Europe.
Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah will see their team AC Milan, seven-times winners of the top European crown, take on three other previous champions in their collection of eight games. Real Madrid and Liverpool are two of the most historically successful teams in the competition, taking the top prize a combined 21 times in the past. However, one of their less heralded opponents, Red Star Belgrade, did lift the 1991 crowd in their prior glory days.
The other highlight of their European schedule will be a trip to reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen, who were distant runners-up in the Europa League last season.
Giovanni Reyna remained at Borussia Dortmund when the transfer window closes, and should see some action, even if as a substitute, when the team faces their top two league-stage opponents, FC Barcelona and reigning champions Real Madrid. Their visit to Madrid will be a rematch of last season’s final, which saw the Black and Yellow lose by a 2-0 margin in the final.
Of note, the team will also host Scottish champions Celtic, who feature USMNT defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and new arrival Auston Trusty. For BVB, 18 year-old, Texas-born attacker Cole Campbell could see some action, particularly in the latter games should the team qualify quickly, as he is on the cusp of the first-team.
Weston McKennie extended his time at Juventus in the final days of the summer transfer period, meaning that he will play some role alongside fellow USMNTer Tim Weah their quest to add to their two European titles. Juventus got off a bit easy in their slate of games, with English giants Manchester City being their only opponent who can be considered amongst the favorites of the competition.
Otherwise, their schedule includes a visit to eastern Germany to face tough, but manageable game against RB Leipzig, and will host American-filled PSV Eindhoven, amidst several other games where they will likely be considered favorites, even if narrow ones.
PSV received one of the more top-heavy draws of the competition, with visits to PSG and Juventus being difficult tasks alongside a visit from Liverpool. Fortunately for their chances to advance, PSV’s remaining five games against Shakhtar, Sporting, Red Star, Girona and Brest are all prime opportunities to pick up points, so a path to the knockout stage is still within reason.
Malik Tillman will remain a key starter for the team, while Richard Ledezma has featured heavily in their first few league games in the defense and should see some significant role. Ricardo Pepi is still stuck in the understudy role behind team talisman Luuk de Jong, but should at least see substitute minutes in most games. Sergiño Dest is still recovering from an ACL tear and likely won’t return during 2024.
Celtic landed one of the more manageable draws of the competition, with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and reigning Europa League champions Atalanta being their toughest opponents. Otherwise, their remaining slate of Brugge, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa all represent opportunities to pick up points, and potentially avoid an early exit.
New arrival Trusty is a likely candidate join team standout Carter-Vickers in Celtic’s startinig backfield.
Finally, Monaco’s Folarin Balogun also has a tough road ahead with his team, for whom he has struggled since arriving on a reported €30 million deal one year ago, with his former team Arsenal amongst the list of opponents that includes relatively recent European champions and current contenders Barcelona, Inter Milan, along less recent winners Benfica and the aforementioned Red Star.
The first games are set to take place on September 17-18, with the eighth and final game for each team taking place in late-January.. Exact schedules are expected to be announced in the coming hours, following the draws for the Europa and Europa Conference Leagues.
Champions League – League Phase Draw
Borussia Dortmund (Giovanni Reyna, Cole Campbell)
Opponents: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Club Brugge, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Sturm Graz, Bologna
Juventus (Weston McKennie, Tim Weah)
Opponents: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, Lille, VfB Stuttgart, Aston Villa
AC Milan (Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah)
Opponents: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Girona, Slovan Bratislava
PSV Eindhoven (Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, Richard Ledezma, Sergiño Dest)
Opponents: Liverpool, PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Sporting CP, Red Star Belgrade, Girona, Brest
Celtic (Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty)
Opponents: RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, Aston Villa
Monaco (Folarin Balogun)
Opponents: FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Benfica, Arsenal, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa, Bologna
