CCL is coming at a perfect time for United. Just when United is getting back guys from their long terms on the shelf, there are meaningful games for them to play in and get right.

Halsti, Pontius, and Farfan have all missed several games, and even if just two of them can find their legs and form in this tournament, it will be a huge lift for the first team. United needs some impact coming in off the bench, and the potential is there.

Also, there are players like Aguilar, Coria, and Collin Martin, whose talents and abilities remain untapped, if they exist at all. Again, if one or two of these players can play at their potential level, that's more bodies to be used in MLS that can be positive contributors as opposed to mere placeholders.

Even guys like Mishu and Robinson might be needed down the stretch with Korb unavailable, though it is more likely Birnbaum would slide over to cover for any missing fullbacks.

I'm not looking for much tonight. I suspect the team will not play cohesively and need this game to figure out how to play together and what their strengths are. I'm more looking to the second game to see who is worthy of first team minutes and if anyone can provide something pragmatic/unexpected/versatile that can help the team in this stretch run. There is so much to play for this season, thank goodness for that. When all is said and done, some of these 'afterthoughts' will contribute to to the greater good in the hunt for trophies, and the reason will be the time they were able to work out the kinks in these early round CCL games.

So, the tournament in and of itself may be a wonderful opportunity/a waste of time, depending on where you stand, but it should prove to be invaluable for rebuilding the nucleus of a winning side that competes for trophies.