| Event | 2018 CONCACAF Champions League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| on aggregate Guadalajara won 4–2 onpenalties | |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 17 April 2018 (2018-04-17) | ||||||
| Venue | BMO Field,Toronto | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Rodolfo Pizarro (Guadalajara)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Ricardo Montero(Costa Rica)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 29,925[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Cloudy 2 °C (36 °F) 59%humidity[4] | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 25 April 2018 (2018-04-25) | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Akron,Guadalajara | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Rodolfo Cota (Guadalajara)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Óscar Moncada (Honduras)[5] | ||||||
| Attendance | 36,977[6] | ||||||
| Weather | Clear 27 °C (81 °F) 13%humidity[7] | ||||||
←2017 2019 → | |||||||
The2018 CONCACAF Champions League final was the final round of the2018 CONCACAF Champions League, the championship forassociation football clubs inCONCACAF, representing North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The 2018 edition was the tenth edition of theCONCACAF Champions League under its current name and first since being re-organized into a single-year tournament.
The final was contested in atwo-legged series betweenToronto FC fromCanada andGuadalajara fromMexico. The first leg was hosted in Toronto on 27 April 2018, atBMO Field inToronto, while the second leg was hosted in Guadalajara on 25 April 2018, at theEstadio Akron inGuadalajara.[8][9] Guadalajara won the final 4–2 in apenalty shoot-out after the series was tied 3–3 on aggregate. As a result, they earned the right to represent CONCACAF at the2018 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at thesecond round.
In the following table, final until 2008 were in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup era, since 2009 were in the CONCACAF Champions League era.
| Team | Zone | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
 Toronto FC | North America (NAFU) | None |
 Guadalajara | North America (NAFU) | 3 (1962,1963,2007) |
Toronto'sBMO Field, with a seating capacity of 30,000, hosted the first leg of the final; it opened in 2007 and was renovated in 2016.[10] The second leg took place in Guadalajara at theEstadio Akron, which opened in 2010 and has a capacity of 48,071.[11][12] The two stadiums hosting the final were also candidates for the2026 FIFA World Cup bid shared between Canada, Mexico, and the United States,[11] although only Estadio Akron was eventually selected.[13]
The CONCACAF Champions League was established in 2008 as the continental championship for football clubs in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, succeeding the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. During its first nine editions, the Champions League consisted of a group stage in summer and autumn followed by a knockout stage during the following spring.[14] Beginning with the 2018 edition of the tournament, the group stage was re-formed as theCONCACAF League and limited to Central American and Caribbean teams. The Champions League was shortened to a two-month knockout tournament between teams from North American and major Central American nations, as well as the winner of the CONCACAF League.[15] The knockout tournament falls within the beginning ofMajor League Soccer's season, which operates on a summer schedule unlike other football leagues.[16]
Toronto FC were appearing in their first final, and were the second Canadian team to have reached the final afterMontreal Impact finished as runners-up in2015.[17][18] Only four teams fromMajor League Soccer (three American, one Canadian) on five occasions had managed to reach the final of the Champions League or the Champions' Cup. In addition to Montreal Impact,LA Galaxy (in1997) andReal Salt Lake (in2011) had previously lost in the final.D.C. United (in1998) and LA Galaxy (in2000) were the only two MLS teams to have won the competition, doing so during the Champions' Cup era.[19] Of these five finals, four were against Mexican opponents, with only D.C. United managing to win.[20]
Guadalajara had previously appeared in three finals, all in the Champions' Cup era. They won the inaugural edition in1962, before finishing second thefollowing year after withdrawing from the final. Guadalajara appeared in their next final 44 years later in2007, losing to fellow Mexican clubPachuca on penalties. Mexican teams were the most successful in the history of the Champions League/Champions' Cup, with a total of 12 teams having won a combined 33 titles. Mexican teams had appeared in every final since2005, and won every tournament since2006. There had been a total of eleven all-Mexican finals, all since2002, including the previous two finals.[20]
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Toronto FC | Round | Guadalajara | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
 Colorado Rapids | 2–0 | 2–0 (A) | 0–0 (H) | Round of 16 |  Cibao | 7–0 | 2–0 (A) | 5–0 (H) |
| UANL | 4–4 (a) | 2–1 (H) | 2–3 (A) | Quarter-finals | Seattle Sounders FC | 3–1 | 0–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) |
| América | 4–2 | 3–1 (H) | 1–1 (A) | Semi-finals | New York Red Bulls | 1–0 | 1–0 (H) | 0–0 (A) |
Toronto FC qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the2016 and2017 editions of theCanadian Championship.[21] The berth was originally going to be determined via a play-off match in August 2017 between the winners of the two tournaments had another team won either edition, due to the restructuring of the Champions League.[22] Toronto had appeared in four prior Champions Leagues, finishing as high as the semi-finals in2011–12, losing to eventual runners-upSantos Laguna.[23] The team also won the2017 MLS Cup andSupporters' Shield, completing MLS's first everdomestic treble, but could not qualify for the Champions League through either because the berths were designated for a team from the United States.[24] Ironically, Toronto's coach, assistant coach, and several starting players were previous part ofChivas USA, an MLS team affiliated and wholly owned by Guadalajara.[25]
Toronto was placed into Pot 1 and drawn against fellow MLS clubColorado Rapids in the Round of 16.[26] Toronto played the first leg away inCommerce City, Colorado on February 20, winning 2–0 during the coldest ever match involving MLS teams, measured at 3 °F (−16 °C) at kickoff and −16 °F (−27 °C) withwind chill.[27] The team advanced into the quarter-finals with a 0–0 draw at home in Toronto, winning the series 2–0 on aggregate.[28] Toronto played Mexican championsTigres UANL in the quarter-finals and won the home leg 2–1 with a late goal fromJonathan Osorio.[29] The team took a 2–1 lead in the away leg, but two goals fromAndré-Pierre Gignac gave Tigres a 3–2 win and a 4–4 aggregate tie. Toronto advanced onaway goals, becoming one of two MLS teams to advance to the semi-finals.[30][31]
Toronto hosted the first leg of the semi-finals againstClub América on April 3, winning 3–1 after two unanswered goals in the 44th and 58th minutes.[32] The match included a half-time altercation between Toronto and América players, in which América coachMiguel Herrera accusedToronto Police of assaulting his players.[33] To prepare for the away leg atEstadio Azteca in Mexico City, Toronto moved a league fixture and spent several days acclimating to the altitude inPachuca.[34][35] In the away leg, Toronto took an early lead in the 12th minute, but América equalized on a last-minute penalty, bringing the aggregate score to 4–2.[17] Toronto became the third Major League Soccer team and second Canadian team to advance to a Champions League final, followingReal Salt Lake in2011 and theMontreal Impact in2015.[17]
C.D. Guadalajara, also known as Chivas, qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the2017 Clausura inLiga MX.[36] The 2018 tournament was the team's second under the current Champions League format, having finished in the group stage in2012–13.[37] Under managerMatías Almeyda, Chivas advanced to seven finals in various tournaments since 2015.[38]
Guadalajara was drawn withCibao FC, winners of the2017 CONCACAF League, in the Round of 16. The team stayed inPuerto Plata, approximately 45 miles (72 km) from the stadium inSantiago de los Caballeros, due to a tobacco growers' conference that filled available hotel space.[39] Guadalajara won the first leg in the Dominican Republic by a 2–0 margin and the second leg 5–0.[40] In the quarter-finals, Guadalajara playedSeattle Sounders FC of MLS and lost the first leg 1–0 away in Seattle.[41] The return leg remained scoreless until the second half, which saw three goals from Chivas to win the match 3–0.[42] Chivas advanced to the final on a 1–0 aggregate win over theNew York Red Bulls in the semi-finals.Isaác Brizuela scored the lone goal of the series in the first leg, played in Guadalajara, while the second leg inNew Jersey ended scoreless.[43][44]
The final was played in a home-and-awaytwo-legged series, with the team with the better performance in previous rounds hosting the second leg.
If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, theaway goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, apenalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner.[45]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalajara | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 13 | Second leg |
| 2 | Toronto FC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | First leg |
Both legs of the final were broadcast in English onTSN2 in Canada and in Spanish onUnivision Deportes in the United States, where it was also aired on sister stationUniMás.Fox Sports broadcast in Mexico and the rest of Latin America.[46][47][48]Go90 also streamed the games in English in the United States.[49]
The first leg was hosted in Toronto atBMO Field on 17 April, where the kickoff temperature was 1 °C (34 °F) and snow flurries fell through the match.[3] Prior to the match, the new Champions League trophy was unveiled by CONCACAF officials.[50]
Chivas took the lead in the second minute on a goal scored byRodolfo Pizarro, during an attack that originated from a throw-in byIsaác Brizuela, who assisted Pizarro's goal.[50] Toronto'sJonathan Osorio scored the equalizing goal in the 19th minute, finishing an attack started byMark Delgado deep in the midfield. Toronto took control of possession and shooting chances through to halftime, but failed to score after two saves by Chivas's backup goalkeeperMiguel Jiménez.[50][51] During the first half, Toronto'sJozy Altidore vomited several times on the pitch — the cause being a "stomach bug" that several Toronto players reportedly received in the semi-finals against América.[52] Chivas regained partial control of the match in the second half, alternating attacks with Toronto as both teams sought to take the lead.[50][53] Chivas scored the match's winning goal in the 72nd minute on a free kick byAlan Pulido, which was misread by goalkeeperAlex Bono and ended up in the far side of the goal.[3][54] Toronto failed to finish in its later attacks, which also included a no-call penalty for an alleged foul onSebastian Giovinco.[55][56]
          Toronto FC[2] |      Guadalajara[2] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[45]
|
| Statistic[57] | Toronto FC | Guadalajara |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 2 |
| Total shots | 19 | 15 |
| Shots on target | 13 | 7 |
| Saves | 5 | 12 |
| Ball possession | 52% | 48% |
| Corner kicks | 11 | 4 |
| Fouls committed | 11 | 15 |
| Offsides | 1 | 4 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
The second leg was hosted in Guadalajara atEstadio Akron on 25 April. Toronto fielded some midfielders and wingbacks in defensive roles due to injuries, including captainMichael Bradley and right backGregory van der Wiel; midfielderVíctor Vázquez returned from injury to start the match.[58] Chivas extended their aggregate lead to 3–1 on a goal scored byOrbelín Pineda in the 19th minute. Toronto responded with two goals in the 25th and 44th minutes byJozy Altidore andSebastian Giovinco, bringing the series level on aggregate. The 2–1 lead for Toronto held through to the end of the second half, despite chances from both teams, including a missed shot by Toronto'sMark Delgado.[59][60] The final was decided in apenalty shoot-out, which was won 4–2 by Guadalajara after four rounds. All four of Chivas's penalty takers scored, while Toronto'sJonathan Osorio and Michael Bradley both missed.[59][61][62]
Guadalajara[5] | Toronto FC[5] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[5] | Match rules[45]
|
| Statistic[63] | Guadalajara | Toronto FC |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 1 | 2 |
| Total shots | 23 | 9 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 3 |
| Saves | 1 | 7 |
| Ball possession | 55% | 45% |
| Corner kicks | 6 | 4 |
| Fouls committed | 9 | 16 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Guadalajara's win was the thirteenth consecutive Champions League or Champions' Cup title won by a Mexican team.[59] As a result, Guadalajara qualified for the2018 FIFA Club World Cup as CONCACAF's representative.[59]
Toronto FC'sJonathan Osorio andSebastian Giovinco won the tournament's Golden Boot and Golden Ball, respectively.[64] Guadalajara'sRodolfo Cota andRodolfo Pizarro won the tournament's Golden Glove and the Best Young Player, respectively.[65][66]
