MLS work stoppage implications - CONCACAF Champions League

Arguably the side with the most riding on a potential MLS work stoppage this spring are the Columbus Crew, who have a CONCACAF Champions League match scheduled on March 9 against Toluca. Let me first repeat that I expect any work stoppage, if it comes, to be relatively short. But let's say it's not. What then?

How long a stoppage would it take for the Crew to miss the game? I'm guessing it would need to go right through the week of game. Yes, I'd be amazed if the players union let the Crew practice so they could play the games, and yes that means the Crew would get crushed more than they're already planning on. But I think the organizers would probably move the game to the end of the week if they had to, and the game would get played if there was any way it could be.

But let's say the lights are dark at Obetz through March 13. The CONCACAF Champions League Regulations say that failure of a side to participate in a game may be considered as withdrawal from the event. If a team withdraws, it can be subject to all sorts of penalties (up to a $20,000 fine in this case), although in the case of an unforeseen event (like a strike), those penalties can be waived. The CONCACAF executive committee could provide for an alternate team to take the Crew's place, but I'm not sure how realistic an option that is.

Section 3.12 outlines what I think is the most likely scenario:

In the event that a team, in the view of the CONCACAF Executive Committee, fails to report properly for, to commence, or to complete, any game in the CCL, then the opponent of that team shall be deemed to have won 3-0 (or more in the case of an abandoned match where the other team has already reached a higher score at the time their opponent abandoned the game) regardless of whether the non-playing team is subsequently deemed to have withdrawn from the event.

If the Crew had to absorb a 3-0 defeat at a game scheduled in Crew Stadium without taking the field, you could pretty much write off the whole thing and not even play the return leg. They may lose by that much anyway. But no matter how you slice it, a prolonged stoppage would be very bad for the Crew, and would severely impact their ability to advance in the tournament.

Again, it would take a lot for it to come to this, and I think we're a little early on the speculation. If you've got a scenario in your mind that's different from what I've cobbled together here, or you're just a Crew fan who wants to pre-emptively gnash their teeth and tear their garments in sorrow, let's take it to the comments.

-FS