2017 CONCACAF League

The 2017 CONCACAF League (officially the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) was the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF League, a football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.[1]

2017 CONCACAF League
2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League
Tournament details
Dates1 August – 26 October 2017
Teams16 (from 8 associations)
Final positions
Champions Olimpia (1st title)
Runners-up Santos de Guápiles
Tournament statistics
Matches played30
Goals scored64 (2.13 per match)
Top scorer(s) Roger Rojas (5 goals)
Best player(s) Michaell Chirinos
Best young player Kevin Álvarez
Best goalkeeper Bryan Morales
Fair play award Santos de Guápiles

The tournament was created as part of a new CONCACAF club competition platform consisting of two tournaments (CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League) and a total of 31 teams competing during the season (an increase from the previous 24 teams), with 16 teams competing in the CONCACAF League from August to October, and the winner of the CONCACAF League joining the 15 direct entrants competing in the CONCACAF Champions League from February to April.[2] Details of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF League was confirmed on 8 May 2017.[1]

Olimpia defeated Santos de Guápiles in the final, and qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.[3]

Qualification

A total of 16 teams participate in the CONCACAF League:

  • Central American Zone: 13 teams (from six associations; ordinarily from seven associations, but Guatemalan teams were excluded from this season's tournament)
  • Caribbean Zone: 3 teams (from two or three associations)

Therefore, teams from either 8 or 9 out of the 41 CONCACAF member associations may participate in the CONCACAF League.

Central America

The 13 berths for the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) are allocated to the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: two berths for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua, and one berth for Belize.

All of the leagues of Central America employ a split season with two tournaments in one season, so the following teams qualify for the CONCACAF League:

  • In the league of Costa Rica, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the non-champions with the best aggregate record, qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the non-champions with the second best aggregate record qualify.
  • In the leagues of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments), qualify. If there is any team which are finalists of both tournaments, the runners-up with the worse aggregate record qualify. If there are any two teams which are finalists of both tournaments, the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record qualify.
  • In the league of Nicaragua, both champions qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments) qualify.
  • In the league of Belize, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which are champions of both tournaments) qualify.

If teams from any Central American associations are excluded, they are replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF Champions League tournaments. For this season, the two teams from Guatemala were excluded due to the suspension of their federation by FIFA and were replaced by an additional team each from Panama and Honduras.[1]

Caribbean

The three berths for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) are allocated via the Caribbean Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament open to the clubs of all 31 CFU member associations. To qualify for the Caribbean Club Championship, teams have to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season, but professional teams may also be selected by their associations if they play in the league of another country.

The runners-up, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the Caribbean Club Championship qualify for the CONCACAF League.

Teams

The following 16 teams (from eight associations) qualified for the tournament.

Qualified teams from Central America (13 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method
Costa Rica (2 berths)[Note GUA] Alajuelense Non-champions with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season
Santos de Guápiles Non-champions with 2nd best aggregate record in 2016–17 season[Note CRC]
Honduras (2 + 1 berths)[Note GUA] Honduras Progreso Runners-up with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2017 Clausura)
Platense Runners-up with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura)
Olimpia Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura)[Note HON]
Panama (2 + 1 berths)[Note GUA] Árabe Unido Champions with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura)
Plaza Amador 2016 Apertura runners-up
Chorrillo Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura)[Note PAN]
El Salvador (2 berths) Alianza 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura runners-up
Águila Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura)
Nicaragua (2 berths) Real Estelí 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura champions
Walter Ferretti 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura runners-up
Belize (1 berth) Belmopan Bandits 2016 Opening and 2017 Closing champions
Qualified teams from Caribbean (3 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method
Trinidad and Tobago San Juan Jabloteh 2017 Caribbean Club Championship runners-up
Jamaica Portmore United 2017 Caribbean Club Championship third place
Trinidad and Tobago Central 2017 Caribbean Club Championship fourth place
Notes
  1. ^
    Costa Rica (CRC): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Costa Rica passed to the non-champions with the second best aggregate record, Santos de Guápiles.[4]
  2. ^
    Guatemala (GUA): On 28 October 2016, FIFA suspended the National Football Federation of Guatemala for political interference by the Government of Guatemala. Until the suspension is lifted, Guatemalan teams are not permitted to participate in international competitions.[5] CONCACAF set the deadline of 1 May 2017 for the suspension to be lifted in order for Guatemala's teams to participate in this season's tournaments,[6] and expelled all Guatemalan teams on 5 May 2017 after the federation failed to be reinstated by FIFA.[7] The two Guatemalan teams which would have qualified for the CONCACAF League were: Moreover, Municipal (2017 Clausura champions and 2016 Apertura runners-up) would have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League as champions with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season, and Herediano, which would have qualified for the first Costa Rican berth in the CONCACAF League, were moved from the CONCACAF League to the CONCACAF Champions League to replace them. As a result, the three vacated berths were replaced by teams from Costa Rica (Santos de Guápiles), Honduras (Olimpia), and Panama (Chorrillo), all entering the CONCACAF League as "wild card" teams, based on the performance of the Central American associations in the last five years, giving Honduras and Panama three berths each.[8][9][10]
  3. ^
    Honduras (HON): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Honduras passed to the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record, Olimpia.[11]
  4. ^
    Panama (PAN): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Panama passed to the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record, Chorrillo.[12]

Draw

Location of teams of the 2017 CONCACAF League
Central American Zone Caribbean Zone

The draw for the 2017 CONCACAF League was held on 31 May 2017, 19:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the Hilton Miami Airport Hotel in Miami,[13] and was streamed on YouTube.[14]

The draw determined each tie in the round of 16 (numbered 1 through 8) between a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, each containing eight teams. The "Bracket Position Pots" (Pot A and Pot B) contained the bracket positions numbered 1 through 8 corresponding to each tie. The teams from Pot 1 were assigned a bracket position from Pot A and the teams from Pot 2 were assigned a bracket position from Pot B. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other in the round of 16 except for "wildcard" teams which replaced a team from another association.[15]

The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:

Pot Slot Team
Pot 1 CRC3 Alajuelense
PAN2 Árabe Unido
PAN3 Plaza Amador
HON2 Honduras Progreso
SLV2 Alianza
NCA1 Real Estelí
BLZ1 Belmopan Bandits
CFU2 San Juan Jabloteh
Pot 2 CRC4 Santos de Guápiles (wildcard)
PAN4 Chorrillo (wildcard)
HON3 Platense
HON4 Olimpia (wildcard)
SLV3 Águila
NCA2 Walter Ferretti
CFU3 Portmore United
CFU4 Central

Format

In the CONCACAF League, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations, II. D. Tie-Breaker Procedures).[3]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

First leg Second leg
Round of 16 1–3 August 2017 8–10 August 2017
Quarter-finals 15–17 August 2017 22–24 August 2017
Semi-finals 13–14 September 2017 21 September 2017
Finals 19 October 2017 26 October 2017

All times were Eastern Daylight Time, i.e., UTC−4 (local times were in parentheses).

Bracket

  Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
                                             
Santos de Guápiles 6 2 8  
San Juan Jabloteh 2 1 3  
  Chorrillo 0 0 0  
  Santos de Guápiles 1 1 2  
Chorrillo 1 1 2
Honduras Progreso 0 0 0  
  Árabe Unido 0 0 0  
  Santos de Guápiles 0 1 1  
Central 1 0 1  
Árabe Unido 2 3 5  
  Águila 0 1 1
  Árabe Unido 2 0 2  
Águila (p) 1 0 1 (4)
Real Estelí 0 1 1 (3)  
  Olimpia (p) 0 1 1 (4)
  Santos de Guápiles 1 0 1 (1)
Olimpia 2 1 3  
Alajuelense 0 0 0  
  Alianza 1 1 2
  Olimpia 0 3 3  
Platense 1 1 2
Alianza 2 2 4  
  Plaza Amador 1 1 2
  Olimpia 7 1 8  
Portmore United 1 0 1 (4)  
Plaza Amador (p) 0 1 1 (5)  
  Walter Ferretti 0 1 1
  Plaza Amador 0 2 2  
Walter Ferretti 4 1 5
Belmopan Bandits 1 0 1  

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the matchups were decided by draw: R16-1 through R16-8. The teams from Pot 1 in the draw hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played on 1–3 August, and the second legs were played on 8–10 August 2017.[16]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Santos de Guápiles 8–3 San Juan Jabloteh 6–2 2–1
Chorrillo 2–0 Honduras Progreso 1–0 1–0
Central 1–5 Árabe Unido 1–2 0–3
Águila 1–1 (4–3 p) Real Estelí 1–0 0–1
Olimpia 3–0 Alajuelense 2–0 1–0
Platense 2–4 Alianza 1–2 1–2
Portmore United 1–1 (4–5 p) Plaza Amador 1–0 0–1
Walter Ferretti 5–1 Belmopan Bandits 4–1 1–0

Matches
Santos de Guápiles 6–2 San Juan Jabloteh
 Report
Referee: Armando Castro (Honduras)
San Juan Jabloteh 1–2 Santos de Guápiles
 Report
  • Garro  33'
  • Solórzano  72'
Referee: Gladwyn Johnson (Guyana)

Santos de Guápiles won 8–3 on aggregate.

Chorrillo 1–0 Honduras Progreso
  • Sierra  47'
 Report
Referee: David Gantar (Canada)
Honduras Progreso 0–1 Chorrillo
Report
Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula
Referee: Kimbell Ward (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Chorrillo won 2–0 on aggregate.

Central 1–2 Árabe Unido
 Report
Referee: Saíd Martínez (Honduras)
Árabe Unido 3–0 Central
 Report
Referee: Erick Miranda (Mexico)

Árabe Unido won 5–1 on aggregate.

Águila 1–0 Real Estelí
 Report
Referee: Daneon Parchment (Jamaica)
Real Estelí 1–0 Águila
  • Peralta  85'
 Report
Penalties
 3–4
Referee: Bryan López (Guatemala)

1–1 on aggregate. Águila won 4–3 on penalties.

Olimpia 2–0 Alajuelense
 Report
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
Alajuelense 0–1 Olimpia
Report

Olimpia won 3–0 on aggregate.

Platense 1–2 Alianza
 Report
Referee: José Kellys (Panama)
Alianza 2–1 Platense
 Report
Referee: Luis Santander (Mexico)

Alianza won 4–2 on aggregate.

Portmore United 1–0 Plaza Amador
 Report
Referee: Armando Villarreal (United States)
Plaza Amador 1–0 Portmore United
 Report
Penalties
 5–4
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)

1–1 on aggregate. Plaza Amador won 5–4 on penalties.

Walter Ferretti 4–1 Belmopan Bandits
 Report
Referee: Michel Rodríguez (Cuba)
Belmopan Bandits 0–1 Walter Ferretti
Report
  • Robinson  12'
Referee: Ameth Sánchez (Panama)

Walter Ferretti won 5–1 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

  • QF1: Winner R16-1 vs. Winner R16-2
  • QF2: Winner R16-3 vs. Winner R16-4
  • QF3: Winner R16-5 vs. Winner R16-6
  • QF4: Winner R16-7 vs. Winner R16-8

The winners of round of 16 matchups 1, 3, 5, 7 hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played on 15–17 August, and the second legs were played on 22–24 August 2017.[17]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chorrillo 0–2 Santos de Guápiles 0–1 0–1
Águila 1–2 Árabe Unido 0–2 1–0
Alianza 2–3 Olimpia 1–0 1–3
Walter Ferretti 1–2 Plaza Amador 0–0 1–2

Matches
Chorrillo 0–1 Santos de Guápiles
Report
Referee: Kevin Morrison (Jamaica)
Santos de Guápiles 1–0 Chorrillo
  • Matarrita  18'
 Report
Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba)

Santos de Guápiles won 2–0 on aggregate.

Águila 0–2 Árabe Unido
Report
Referee: Sherwin Moore (Guyana)
Árabe Unido 0–1 Águila
Report
  • Lezcano  10'

Árabe Unido won 2–1 on aggregate.

Alianza 1–0 Olimpia
 Report
Referee: Wilson Da Costa (Bahamas)
Olimpia 3–1 Alianza
 Report
  • Guerreño  45'
Referee: Luis Santander (Mexico)

Olimpia won 3–2 on aggregate.

Walter Ferretti 0–0 Plaza Amador
Report
Referee: Raúl Castro (Honduras)
Plaza Amador 2–1 Walter Ferretti
 Report
Referee: Juan Guerra (Guatemala)

Plaza Amador won 2–1 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

  • SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
  • SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4

The semi-finalists in each tie which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Host
1 (SF1) Santos de Guápiles 4 4 0 0 10 3 +7 12 2nd leg
2 (SF1) Árabe Unido 4 3 0 1 7 2 +5 9 1st leg
1 (SF2) Olimpia 4 3 0 1 6 2 +4 9 2nd leg
2 (SF2) Plaza Amador 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1 7 1st leg
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Drawing of lots.[3]

Summary

The first legs were played on 13–14 September, and the second legs were played on 21 September 2017.[18]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Árabe Unido 0–1 Santos de Guápiles 0–0 0–1
Plaza Amador 2–8 Olimpia 1–7 1–1

Matches
Árabe Unido 0–0 Santos de Guápiles
Report
Santos de Guápiles 1–0 Árabe Unido
 Report
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

Santos de Guápiles won 1–0 on aggregate.

Plaza Amador 1–7 Olimpia
  • Zorrilla  39'
 Report
Referee: Armando Villarreal (United States)
Olimpia 1–1 Plaza Amador
 Report
  • Murillo  20'

Olimpia won 8–2 on aggregate.

Finals
Main article: 2017 CONCACAF League Finals

In the finals (Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2), the finalists which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Host
1 Santos de Guápiles 6 5 1 0 11 3 +8 16 2nd leg
2 Olimpia 6 4 1 1 14 4 +10 13 1st leg
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Drawing of lots.[3]

Summary

The first leg was played on 19 October, and the second leg was played on 26 October 2017.[19]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Olimpia 1–1 (4–1 p) Santos de Guápiles 0–1 1–0

Matches
Olimpia 0–1 Santos de Guápiles
Report
Attendance: 0[20][21]
Santos de Guápiles 0–1 Olimpia
Report
Penalties
 1–4
Attendance: 10,460[20]
Referee: Luis Santander (Mexico)

1–1 on aggregate. Olimpia won 4–1 on penalties.

Top goalscorers
  Team eliminated for this round.
Rank Player Team Goals By round
1R1 1R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2  F1   F2 
1 Roger Rojas Olimpia 5 1121
2 Carlo Costly Olimpia 4 121
Carlos Small Árabe Unido 112
4 Michaell Chirinos Olimpia 3 21
Bernardo Laureiro Walter Ferretti 21
Rodolfo Zelaya Alianza 111
7 Renán Addles Árabe Unido 2 2
Kenny Cunningham Santos de Guápiles 11
Starling Matarrita Santos de Guápiles 11
José Murillo Plaza Amador 11
Osvaldo Rodríguez Santos de Guápiles 11

Source:CONCACAF[22]

Awards
Award Player Team
Golden Ball[23] Michaell Chirinos Olimpia
Golden Boot[24] Roger Rojas Olimpia
Golden Glove[25] Bryan Morales Santos de Guápiles
Best Young Player[26] Kevin Álvarez Olimpia
Fair Play Award[27] — Santos de Guápiles
Best XI[28]
Position Player Team
GK Bryan Morales Santos de Guápiles
DF Youstin Salas Santos de Guápiles
Kevin Álvarez Olimpia
Juan Diego Madrigal Santos de Guápiles
Edder Monguio Santos de Guápiles
MF Alexander López Olimpia
Wílmer Azofeifa Santos de Guápiles
Michaell Chirinos Olimpia
Kenny Cunningham Santos de Guápiles
FW Roger Rojas Olimpia
Carlos Small Árabe Unido
gollark: What *is* the key?
gollark: Oh, it's fine.
gollark: Oh dear.
gollark: Sure. If I can work out how those work.
gollark: I don't think so.

See also

References
  1. "Details revealed for newly launched Scotiabank CONCACAF League". CONCACAF League. 8 May 2017.
  2. "CONCACAF Club Competitions Platform Expansion FAQs". CONCACAF.com.
  3. "Scotiabank CONCACAF League 2017 Regulations – English Edition" (PDF). Scotiabank CONCACAF League.
  4. "Este es el panorama de los equipos ticos para Concachampions" [This is the panorama of the tactical teams for Concachampions] (in Spanish). TicoDeporte.com. 16 April 2017.
  5. "Suspension of the Guatemala Football Association". FIFA. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  6. "Deadlines Set for FEDEFUT". CONCACAF.com. 9 November 2016.
  7. Javier Pineda (5 May 2017). "Concacaf confirma que Guatemala no estará en la Liga de Campeones" [CONCACAF confirms Guatemala will not be in the Champions League]. GuateFutbol.com.
  8. Jeison Solano (12 April 2017). "Honduras, Costa Rica y Panamá tendrían un cupo más para la Concachampions" (in Spanish). Diez.
  9. Douglas Suruy. "Amarga noticia para el campeón Antigua GFC y el futbol en general" [Bitter news for the champion Antigua GFC and football in general] (in Spanish). PubliNews.
  10. "Costa Rica tendrá 4 equipos en la Liga de Campeones" [Costa Rica will have 4 teams in the Champions League] (in Spanish). Costa Rican Football Federation. 5 May 2017.
  11. "Concacaf oficializa qué equipos hondureños participarán en la Liga de Campeones" [CONCACAF officializes which Honduran teams will participate in Champions League] (in Spanish). Diez. 24 May 2017.
  12. "¡Llegó la hora!" [The time has come!] (in Spanish). El Siglo. 20 May 2017.
  13. "Scotiabank CONCACAF League Draw Determines Opening Matchups for the Inaugural Season". CONCACAF.com. 31 May 2017.
  14. "Scotiabank CONCACAF League – OFFICIAL DRAW". CONCACAF. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  15. "Official draw confirmed for the inaugural season of the Scotiabank CONCACAF League". CONCACAF via AIPSmedia.com. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  16. "CONCACAF Announces Schedule of Round of 16 Matchups for 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League". CONCACAF.com. 14 June 2017.
  17. "Quarterfinal Matches Set in 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League Regional Club Championship". CONCACAF.com. 11 August 2017.
  18. "Semifinal Showdowns Scheduled for #SCL2017 Regional Club Championship". CONCACAF.com. 25 August 2017.
  19. "Costa Rica's Santos de Guapiles and Honduras' Olimpia Set to Battle for Scotiabank CONCACAF League Crown". CONCACAF.com. 22 September 2017.
  20. "Olimpia: The CONCACAF Titles". CONCACAF.com. The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  21. "CONCACAF castiga a Olimpia con seis partidos a puertas cerradas" [CONCACAF punishes Olimpia with six matches behind closed doors]. diez.hn (in Spanish). La Prensa. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  22. "Statistics". CONCACAF League.
  23. "Chirinos named Scotiabank CONCACAF League Golden Ball winner". www.concacafleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  24. "Olimpia's Rojas captures SCL Golden Boot". www.concacafleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  25. "Santos de Guapiles' Morales grasps SCL Golden Glove". www.concacafleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  26. "Olimpia's Alvarez wins Scotiabank Best Young Player Award". www.concacafleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  27. "Santos de Guapiles earns Scotiabank Fair Play honors". CONCACAF. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  28. "2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League Best XI". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
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