With his side having traipsed some 4,700 miles to the Caribbean to square off against Guyana's Alpha United in the CONCACAF Champions League group stages, Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson ventured down to the venue on Monday to have a look at the setup for Tuesday evening's entertainment.

It was at that point that Paulson came face-to-face with one of the worst, most grass-bereft playing surfaces to stage an "elite" football match in recent memory.

Look at the state of it!

Guyan...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Lost in all the pre-match buildup to Wednesday's showpiece here between the MLS All-Stars and European powerhouse Bayern Munich (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN) is the fact that an MLS team actually played a foreign foe in a game that counted this week.

On Tuesday night, some 2,500 miles east of the Rose City, the Montreal Impact quietly kicked off the domestic circuit's 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over visiting Salvadoran club Club Deportivo FAS.

Montreal Impact

CD FAS

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Wi...

Rejoice, North American soccer fans, the CONCACAF Champions League is just one day away from beginning. Although the tournament has gone through a multitude of format changes and even a name modification, there has always been one constant: Mexican domination.

Since the start of the modern version of the contest in 2008, a Liga MX side has always been crowned the champion. In fact, since 2008, only once has the runners-up come from outside Mexico (Real Salt Lake in the 2010-11 tournament).

Mexi...