| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 6, 2013 – April 23, 2014 |
| Teams | 24 (from 11 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cruz Azul (6th title) |
| Runners-up | Toluca |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 62 |
| Goals scored | 151 (2.44 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Raúl Nava (7 goals) |
| Best player |  Mariano Pavone |
| Bestgoalkeeper | Alfredo Talavera |
2014–15 → | |
The2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League was the 6th edition of theCONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 49th edition of the premierfootball club competition organized byCONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.Monterrey were the three-time defending champions, but were unable to defend their title as they failed to qualify for the tournament.
Cruz Azul won a record-setting sixth CONCACAF club title (and their first during the Champions League era), after winning an all-Mexicanfinal overToluca on away goals.[1] As a result, they qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the2014 FIFA Club World Cup.[2]
América
Cruz AzulAlajuelense
CartaginésHerediano
FirpoMetapán
Árabe UnidoSporting San Miguelito
Caledonia AIAW Connection Brown: Group 1;
Red: Group 2; Orange: Group 3; Yellow: Group 4;
Green: Group 5; Blue: Group 6; Purple: Group 7; Pink: Group 8.Twenty-four teams participate in the CONCACAF Champions League: nine from theNorth American Zone, twelve from theCentral American Zone, and three from theCaribbean Zone.
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 spots, the most of any of the CONCACAF's member associations, while Canada is granted one spot in the tournament.
For Mexico, the winners of theLiga 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 spots are allocated through theMajor League Soccer (MLS) regular season and playoffs; the fourth spot 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 MLS Cup runner-up (if U.S.-based) and the U.S. Open Cup winner are placed in Pot B. If any of the above spots 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 teams from each of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, and one team from 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 spot. 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 teams 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 June 3, 2013 atDoral, Florida, United States.[4][5]
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 (excluding "wildcard" teams which replace a team from another 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.[6]
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[7][8]
| Round | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | August 6–8, 2013 | |
| Matchday 2 | August 20–22, 2013 | ||
| Matchday 3 | August 27–29, 2013 | ||
| Matchday 4 | September 17–19, 2013 | ||
| Matchday 5 | September 24–26, 2013 | ||
| Matchday 6 | October 22–24, 2013 | ||
| Championship stage | Quarterfinals | March 10–12, 2014 | March 18–20, 2014 |
| Semifinals | April 1, 2014 | April 8–9, 2014 | |
| Final | April 15, 2014 | April 23, 2014 | |
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 are ranked according topoints (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[2]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARA | HOU | WCO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Árabe Unido | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 | Advance tochampionship stage | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||
 Houston Dynamo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |||
 W Connection | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | KC | OLI | EST | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 8 | Advance tochampionship stage | 0–0 | 1–1 | ||
 Olimpia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0–2 | 1–0 | |||
 Real Estelí | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CA | HER | VAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruz Azul | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 12 | Advance tochampionship stage | 3–0 | 3–0 | ||
 Herediano | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 6 | 1–2 | 4–2 | |||
 Valencia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | −11 | 0 | 1–2 | 1–6 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ALA | AME | SM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alajuelense | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 9 | Advance tochampionship stage | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| América | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | 0–1 | 3–0 | |||
| Sporting San Miguelito | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 3 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SJ | MTL | HER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose Earthquakes | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6[a] | Advance tochampionship stage | 3–0 | 1–0 | ||
 Montreal Impact | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6[a] | 1–0 | 2–0 | |||
 Heredia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 6[a] | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TOL | COM | CAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toluca | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 12 | Advance tochampionship stage | 5–1 | 3–1 | ||
| Comunicaciones | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1–2 | 2–0 | |||
| Caledonia AIA | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 0 | 1–5 | 0–3 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TIJ | FIR | VIC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tijuana | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 10 | Advance tochampionship stage | 1–0 | 6–0 | ||
 Luis Ángel Firpo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | 0–0 | 2–1 | |||
| Victoria | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | −11 | 0 | 2–3 | 1–4 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LA | CAR | MET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Galaxy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | Advance tochampionship stage | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| Cartaginés | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4[a] | 0–3 | 0–0 | |||
| Isidro Metapán | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4[a] | 4–0 | 2–4 |
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 was used if the aggregate score was level after normal time of the second leg, but not afterextra time, and so a tie was decided bypenalty shoot-out if the aggregate score was level after extra time of the second leg.[2]
The qualified teams were seeded 1–8 in the championship stage according to their results in the group stage.
| Seed | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 12 |
| 2 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 12 |
| 3 | Tijuana | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 10 |
| 4 | Árabe Unido | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 |
| 5 | Alajuelense | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 9 |
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 |
| 7 | Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 8 |
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
The bracket of the championship stage was determined by the seeding as follows:[2]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Tijuana | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Tijuana | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cruz Azul | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cruz Azul | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cruz Azul (a) | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Alajuelense | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Árabe Unido | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Alajuelense | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 1 | 1 | 2(4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca (p) | 1 | 1 | 2(5) | ||||||||||||||||
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2–2 (4–5p) | Toluca | 1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Sporting Kansas City | 2–5 | Cruz Azul | 1–0 | 1–5 |
| LA Galaxy | 3–4 | Tijuana Xolos | 1–0 | 2–4 |
| Alajuelense | 2–0 | Árabe Unido | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alajuelense | 0–3 | Toluca | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Tijuana Xolos | 1–2 | Cruz Azul | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruz Azul | 1–1 (a) | Toluca | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| CONCACAF Champions League 2013–14 champion |
|---|
 |
| Cruz Azul Sixth title |
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Ball[9] | Mariano Pavone | Cruz Azul |
| Golden Boot[10] | Raúl Nava | Toluca |
| Golden Glove[11] | Alfredo Talavera | Toluca |
| Fair Play Award[12] | — | LA Galaxy |
Source:[13]
