| 2014–15Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | August 5, 2014 – April 29, 2015 |
| Teams | 24 (from 12 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  América (6th title) |
| Runners-up |  Montreal Impact |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 62 |
| Goals scored | 216 (3.48 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Darío BenedettoOribe Peralta(7 goals each) |
| Best player | Darío Benedetto |
| Best young player | Martín Zúñiga |
| Bestgoalkeeper |  Evan Bush |
| Fair play award | Pachuca |
2015–16 → | |
The2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the2014–15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons starting from 2015)[1][2] was the 7th edition of theCONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 50th edition of the premierfootball club competition organized byCONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
In thefinal, Mexican teamAmérica defeated Canadian teamMontreal Impact 5–3 on aggregate to win their sixth CONCACAF club title (and their first during the CONCACAF Champions League era), tying the record of the most CONCACAF club title withCruz Azul (who were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the group stage). This edition's final marked the first time a Canadian team took part.[3] As the winners of the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, América earned the right to represent CONCACAF at the2015 FIFA Club World Cup.[4]
Brown: Group 1;
Red: Group 2;
Orange: Group 3;
Yellow: Group 4;
Green: Group 5;
Blue: Group 6;
Purple: Group 7;
Pink: Group 8.A total of 24 teams participate in the CONCACAF Champions League: nine from theNorth American Zone (from three associations), twelve from theCentral American Zone (from at most seven associations), and three from theCaribbean Zone (from at most three associations).
Clubs may be disqualified and replaced by a club from another association if the club does not have an available stadium that meets CONCACAF regulations for safety. If a club's own stadium fails to meet the set standards then it may find a suitable replacement stadium within its own country. However, if it is still determined that the club cannot provide the adequate facilities then it runs the risk of being replaced.
Nine teams from theNorth American Football Union qualify to the Champions League. Mexico and the United States are each allocated four berths, the most of any of CONCACAF's member associations, while Canada is granted one berth in the tournament.
For Mexico, the winners ofLiga MX Apertura and Clausura tournaments earn berths in Pot A of the tournament's group stage, while the Apertura and Clausura runners-up earn berths in Pot B.
For the United States, three berths are allocated through theMajor League Soccer (MLS) regular season and playoffs; the fourth berth is allocated to the winner of its domestic cup competition, theLamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. TheMLS Cup winner and theSupporters' Shield winner (if U.S.-based) are placed in Pot A; the other regular season conference winner (if U.S.-based) and the U.S. Open Cup winner are placed in Pot B. If a team qualifies for multiple berths, or if any of the above berths are taken by a Canada-based MLS team, the Champions League place is allocated to the U.S.-based team with the best MLS regular season record who has failed to otherwise qualify.
For Canada, the winner of the domestic cup competition, theVoyageurs Cup competed for in theCanadian Championship, earns the lone Canadian berth into the tournament, in Pot B.
Twelve teams from theCentral American Football Union qualify to the Champions League. The allocation is as follows: two berths for each of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, and one berth for each of Nicaragua and Belize.
For the Central American teams that qualify viasplit seasons, the aggregate record of the two tournaments within the season is used to determine which team gains the association's top berth. The pots of the teams are as follows:
If one or more clubs is precluded, it is supplanted by a club from another Central American association. The reallocation is based on results from previous Champions League tournaments.
Three teams from theCaribbean Football Union qualify to the Champions League. The three berths, in Pot C, are allocated to the top three finishers of theCFU Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament for clubs from associations of the Caribbean Football Union. In order for a team to qualify for the CFU Club Championship, they usually need to finish as the champion or runner-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.
If any Caribbean club is precluded, it is supplanted by the fourth-place finisher from the CFU Club Championship.
The following 24 teams (from 12 associations) qualified for the tournament.
In the following table, the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best result count only those in theCONCACAF Champions League era starting from 2008–09 (not counting those in the era of the Champions' Cup from 1962 to 2008).
The draw for the group stage was held on May 28, 2014, atDoral, Florida, United States.[10][11]
The 24 teams were drawn into eight groups of three, with each group containing one team from each of the three pots. The allocation of teams into pots was based on their national association and qualifying berth. Teams from the same association could not be drawn with each other in the group stage, and each group was guaranteed to contain a team from either the United States or Mexico, meaning U.S. and Mexican teams could not play each other in the group stage.[12]
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[13][14]
| Stage | Round | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | August 5–7, 2014 | |
| Matchday 2 | August 19–21, 2014 | ||
| Matchday 3 | August 26–28, 2014 | ||
| Matchday 4 | September 16–18, 2014 | ||
| Matchday 5 | September 23–25, 2014 | ||
| Matchday 6 | October 21–23, 2014 | ||
| Championship stage | Quarterfinals | February 24–26, 2015 | March 3–5, 2015 |
| Semifinals | March 17–18, 2015 | April 7–8, 2015 | |
| Final | April 22, 2015 | April 29, 2015 | |
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-awayround-robin basis. The winners of each group advanced to thechampionship stage.
The teams were ranked according topoints (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:[4]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAC | MUN | ESP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pachuca | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 9 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 4–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 |  Municipal | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 4[a] | 3–7 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 |  Real España | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 4[a] | 3–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAP | SKC | EST | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saprissa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7[a] | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7[a] | 3–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 |  Real Estelí | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MTL | NYR | FAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Impact | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | New York Red Bulls | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 3 |  FAS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DCU | WAT | TAU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.C. United | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 12 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 |  Waterhouse | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | 1–2 | — | 4–1 | ||
| 3 |  Tauro | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | OLI | POR | ALP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 9[a] | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 3–1 | 6–0 | |
| 2 | Portland Timbers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 9[a] | 4–2 | — | 6–0 | ||
| 3 |  Alpha United | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0 | 0–1 | 1–4 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALA | CAZ | CHO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alajuelense | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Chorrillo | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HER | LEÓ | MET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herediano | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 10 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | León | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 7 | 1–1 | — | 4–1 | ||
| 3 | Isidro Metapán | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 16 | −11 | 0 | 2–4 | 2–4 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AMÉ | COM | BAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | América | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 10 | Advance tochampionship stage | — | 2–0 | 6–1 | |
| 2 | Comunicaciones | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | 1–1 | — | 5–0 | ||
| 3 |  Puerto Rico Bayamón | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 23 | −21 | 0 | 1–10 | 0–2 | — |
In the championship stage, the eight teams played asingle-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-awaytwo-legged basis. Theaway goals rule would be used if the aggregate score was level after normal time of the second leg, but not afterextra time, and so a tie would be decided bypenalty shoot-out if the aggregate score was level after extra time of the second leg.[4]
The qualified teams were seeded 1–8 in the championship stage according to their results in the group stage.
| Seed | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | D.C. United | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 12 |
| 2 | 8 | América | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 10 |
| 3 | 7 | Herediano | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 10 |
| 4 | 3 | Montreal Impact | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 10 |
| 5 | 1 | Pachuca | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 9 |
| 6 | 5 | Olimpia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 9 |
| 7 | 2 | Saprissa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7 |
| 8 | 6 | Alajuelense | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 |
The bracket of the championship stage was determined by the seeding as follows:[4]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Olimpia | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Herediano | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Herediano | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | América | 0 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Saprissa | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | América | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | América | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Montreal Impact | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Pachuca | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Montreal Impact (a) | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Montreal Impact (a) | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Alajuelense | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Alajuelense | 5 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alajuelense | 6–4 | D.C. United | 5–2 | 1–2 |
| Saprissa | 0–5 | América | 0–3 | 0–2 |
| Olimpia | 1–3 | Herediano | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Pachuca | 3–3 (a) | Montreal Impact | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Impact | 4–4 (a) | Alajuelense | 2–0 | 2–4 |
| Herediano | 3–6 | América | 3–0 | 0–6 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| América | 5–3 | Montreal Impact | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| CONCACAF Champions League 2014–15 champion |
|---|
 |
| América Sixth title |
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Ball[15] | Darío Benedetto | América |
| Golden Boot[16] | Darío BenedettoOribe Peralta | América |
| Golden Glove[17] | Evan Bush | Montreal Impact |
| Bright Future[18] | Martín Zúñiga | América |
| Fair Play Award[19] | — | Pachuca |
Source: CONCACAF.com[20]
