| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 26, 2011 – April 25, 2012 |
| Teams | 24 (from 12 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Monterrey (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Santos Laguna |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 78 |
| Goals scored | 242 (3.1 per match) |
| Attendance | 674,305 (8,645 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Oribe Peralta Humberto Suazo(7 goals each) |
| Best player | Oribe Peralta |
2012–13 → | |
The2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League was the 4th edition of theCONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 47th edition of the premierfootball club competition organized byCONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament began on July 26, 2011 and finished with the second leg of the final April 25, 2012.[1]
Defending championsMonterrey won the title, and qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the2012 FIFA Club World Cup.
Brown: Group A;
Red: Group B;
Orange: Group C;
Yellow: Group D.Twenty-four teams participated in the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League from theNorth American,Central American, andCaribbean zones. Nine of the teams came from North America, twelve from Central America, and three from the Caribbean.[2]
Teams could be disqualified and replaced by a team from a different country if the club didn't have an availablestadium that met CONCACAF regulations for safety. If a club's own stadium failed to meet the set standards then it could find a suitable replacement stadium within its own country. However, if it was still determined that the club could not provide the adequate facilities then it ran the risk of being replaced.
A total of nine clubs from theNorth American Football Union participated in the Champions League. Mexico and the United States were allocated four spots, the most of any CONCACAF nation, while Canada was granted one spot in the tournament.
In Mexico, the winners of theMexican Primera División Apertura and Clausura tournaments earned direct berths into the group stage of the Champions League, while the tournament runners-up earned berths into the preliminary round.
For the United States, three of its four spots were allocated through theMajor League Soccer regular season and playoffs, while the fourth spot was allocated to the winner of the domestic cup competition, theU.S. Open Cup. The U.S. Open Cup winner, along with theMLS Cup runner-up, earned berths into the preliminary round of the tournament. The winner of theSupporters' Shield andMLS Cup were given byes into the group stage.
The winners of Canada's domestic cup competition, theCanadian Championship, earned the lone Canadian berth into the tournament, entering in the preliminary round.
Twelve clubs from theCentral American Football Union qualified to the Champions League. If one or more clubs was precluded, it was supplanted by a club from another Central American federation. The reallocation would be based on results from previous Champions League tournaments.
For the Central American representatives that qualified viasplit seasons, in nations that played aplayoff to determine a national champion, the winners gained the nation's top spot. In nations that didn't utilize such methods, total points over both seasons, followed by other tiebreakers, determined which team gained the nation's top spot. The top teams from the leagues ofCosta Rica,Honduras,Guatemala andPanama entered the group stage, while their second teams entered the preliminary round. The two teams from the league ofEl Salvador and the sole representatives from the leagues ofNicaragua andBelize entered the preliminary round.
Three berths in the Champions League's Preliminary Round were allocated to the top three finishers of theCFU Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament for clubs from nations of theCaribbean Football Union. In order for a Caribbean club to qualify for the CFU Club Championship, they needed to finish as the champions (or in some cases, runners-up) in their respective nation's top league in the previous season.
If any Caribbean club was precluded, it was supplanted by the fourth-place finisher from the CFU Club Championship.
Teams inbold qualified directly for the group stage.
1 Berth originally awarded toBelize (Belize Defence Force) but Belize failed CONCACAF stadium requirements, so the spot vacated was awarded to Honduras (Olimpia) based on performance from last season.[3]
Like the previous editions, the tournament is divided into three phases:[4]
Teams from the same association (excluding "wildcard" teams which replace a team from another association) may not be drawn with each other in the preliminary round and Group Stage, but may be drawn with each other in the championship round, where the only restriction is that in the quarterfinals, a group winner has to be drawn with the runner-up of another group and also host the second leg.
For the two-legged ties of the preliminary round and Championship Round, theaway goals rule is used, but not after a tie entersextra time, and so a tie is decided bypenalty shootout if the aggregate score is level after extra time.
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Preliminary | May 18, 2011 (New York, United States)[5] | July 26–28, 2011 | August 2–4, 2011 |
| Group Stage | Matchday 1 | August 16–18, 2011 | ||
| Matchday 2 | August 23–25, 2011 | |||
| Matchday 3 | September 13–15, 2011 | |||
| Matchday 4 | September 20–22, 2011 | |||
| Matchday 5 | September 27–29, 2011 | |||
| Matchday 6 | October 18–20, 2011 | |||
| Championship Round | Quarterfinals | November 8, 2011 (New York, United States)[6] | March 6–8, 2012 | March 13–15, 2012 |
| Semifinals | March 28, 2012 | April 4, 2012 | ||
| Final | April 18, 2012 | April 25, 2012 | ||
The draw for the preliminary round and the group stage was held on May 18, 2011.[7] The first legs of the preliminary round were played July 26–28, 2011, while the second legs were played August 2–4, 2011.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Motagua | 4–2 |  Municipal | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Morelia | 7–0 |  Tempête | 5–0 | 2–0 |
Isidro Metapán | 3–3 (a) |  Puerto Rico Islanders | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Santos Laguna | 4–3 | Olimpia | 3–1 | 1–2 |
| Alianza | 0–2 |  FC Dallas | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Toronto FC | 4–2 |  Real Estelí | 2–1 | 2–1 |
San Francisco | 1–2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 1–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
Herediano | 10–2 |  Alpha United | 8–0 | 2–2 |
The Group Stage were played in 6 matchdays during August–October 2011: August 16–18, August 23–25, September 13–15, September 20–22, September 27–29, and October 18–20.[7] The top two teams of each group advanced to the championship round.[4]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LA | MOR | ALA | MOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12[a] | Advance tochampionship round | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| Morelia | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 12[a] | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | |||
| Alajuelense | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 12[a] | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |||
| Motagua | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SAN | MET | COL | REA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santos Laguna | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 13 | Advance tochampionship round | 6–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | ||
| Isidro Metapán | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 9 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | |||
| Colorado Rapids | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 7 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | |||
| Real España | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 5 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | UNAM | TOR | DAL | TAU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNAM | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 11 | Advance tochampionship round | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | ||
| Toronto FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | |||
| FC Dallas | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 7 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | |||
| Tauro | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 5 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 5–3 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MON | SEA | COM | HER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 12 | Advance tochampionship round | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | |||
| Comunicaciones | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 7 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | |||
| Herediano | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 6 | 0–5 | 1–2 | 4–1 |
The draw for the championship round was held on November 8, 2011.[8] In the quarterfinals, the group winners were assured of playing the second leg at home, and were drawn against the group runners-up, with the only restriction being that they could not face the same team that they played in the group stage (and thus they could face a team from the same association).[4]
The first legs of the quarter-finals were played March 6–8, 2012, and the second legs were played March 13–15, 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Sounders FC | 3–7 | Santos Laguna | 2–1 | 1–6 |
| Isidro Metapán | 2–9 | UNAM | 2–1 | 0–8 |
| Toronto FC | 4–3 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Morelia | 2–7 | Monterrey | 1–3 | 1–4 |
The first legs of the semi-finals were played March 28, 2012, and the second legs were played April 4, 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto FC | 3–7 | Santos Laguna | 1–1 | 2–6 |
| Monterrey | 4–1 | UNAM | 3–0 | 1–1 |
The first leg of the final was played April 18, 2012, and the second leg was played April 25, 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | 3–2 | Santos Laguna | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| CONCACAF Champions League 2011–12 champion |
|---|
 |
| Monterrey Second title |
Source:[9]
For the first time, CONCACAF awarded a Golden Boot trophy to the top scorer and a Golden Ball trophy to the player of the tournament.Humberto Suazo won the Golden Boot overOribe Peralta by the tie-breaker of scoring more goals over the two-leg final.[10] Oribe Peralta won the Golden Ball, determined by a combination of fan and media votes.[11]
