Maybe it will be different this fall when the CONCACAF Champions League kicks off, but for now the bitter taste of another CONCACAF Champions Cup failure should make MLS fans wonder when their clubs will show their true value in this regional tournament. While either Mexico's Pachuca or Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa will rule the region again, we're left to wonder just why MLS teams trip at this regional hurdle.

This time, certainly, we didn't come away with the sense that Pachuca or Saprissa was markedly superior to D.C. United or Houston. Indeed, had the Dynamo made something of their chances in the first leg at Houston the return in Costa Rica might not have been so one-sided. Full value to Saprissa for nailing it at home, something Houston could not accomplish.

The D.C.-Pachuca series was even more difficult to assess. Good as the Mexicans are -- and their consistency over the past 18 months has been terrific -- D.C. never quite seemed to display the urgency needed in a regional semifinal. They didn't show to full quality in the first leg on the road and were too slow to approach the challenge of fighting from a two-goal deficit in the return match. Pachuca had far too much of the ball and too much space in a match where D.C. needed to go for the jugular immediately.

(As an aside, there was very strange disconnect post-match, when coach Tom Soehn told the TV audience he believed DC had been in Pachuca's half of the field for almost 80% of the match. That simply wasn't true, as anyone who watched the game could have seen for himself.)

It's easy to suggest that MLS teams have been at a huge disadvantage in this event because they are meeting teams in mid-season form while just starting their own campaigns. It is also correct to observe that neither MLS team caught a break from the league, which might have thought about easing their season-opening schedule to allow a bit more breathing space for the regional qualifiers.

Those are excuses, however. MLS teams are plenty good enough to win regional honors and the excuses will be considerably lamer should the clubs fail in the new format which CONCACAF will launch. Although some of the Champions League dates may clash with important MLS end-of-season games or playoff contests, our entrants should be expected to succeed. Even MLS commissioner Don Garber admits there's a problem, telling Soccer America that "we have to do better." His candor is refreshing, and he's right.

Just as the American national team has established itself as the team to beat in CONCACAF, MLS clubs have to aim for that status themselves. It's the obvious next step to be taken.