2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League

The 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2016–17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1][2] was the 9th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 52nd edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League
2016–17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League
Tournament details
DatesAugust 2, 2016 – April 26, 2017
Teams24 (from 12 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsMexico Pachuca (5th title)
Runners-upMexico UANL
Tournament statistics
Matches played62
Goals scored197 (3.18 per match)
Top scorer(s)Mexico Hirving Lozano (8 goals)
Best player(s)Argentina Franco Jara
Best young playerMexico Hirving Lozano
Best goalkeeperMexico Alfonso Blanco
Fair play awardUnited States FC Dallas
2018

Pachuca won their fifth title, and their first since 2009–10, by defeating UANL 2–1 on aggregate in the final. As the winner of the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League, Pachuca qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[3] América won the previous two tournaments, but did not qualify for this tournament and were unable to defend their title.

Qualification edit

Location of teams of the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League
  Brown: Group A;   Red: Group B;   Orange: Group C;   Yellow: Group D;
  Green: Group E;   Blue: Group F;   Purple: Group G;   Pink: Group H.

A total of 24 teams participated in the CONCACAF Champions League: nine from the North American Zone (from three associations), twelve from the Central American Zone (from at most seven associations), and three from the Caribbean Zone (from at most three associations).[3] Therefore, a maximum of 13 out of the 41 CONCACAF member associations could participate in the tournament.

Clubs could be disqualified and replaced by a club from another association if the club did not have an available stadium 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.

North America edit

Nine teams from the North American Football Union (NAFU) qualified to the Champions League. The allocation to the three NAFU member associations was as follows: four berths for each of Mexico and the United States, and one berth for Canada.

For Mexico, the winners and runners-up of the Liga MX Apertura and Clausura tournaments earned berths in Pot 3 of the tournament's group stage. If a team reached both tournament finals, the vacated berth was reallocated using a formula, based on regular season records, that ensured that two teams qualified via each tournament.

For the United States, three berths were allocated through the Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season and playoffs, to the MLS Cup winners and the regular season Eastern Conference and Western Conference winners (if U.S.-based); the fourth berth was allocated to the winner of its domestic cup competition, the U.S. Open Cup. All four teams were placed in Pot 3. If a team qualified through multiple berths, or if any of the MLS berths were taken by a Canada-based MLS team, the berth was reallocated to the best U.S.-based team in the Supporters' Shield table which had failed to otherwise qualify.

For Canada, the winners of the domestic cup competition, the Voyageurs Cup (competed for in the Canadian Championship), earned the lone Canadian berth into the tournament, in Pot 2 (moved from Pot 1 in the previous edition).[4]

Central America edit

Twelve teams from the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) qualified to the Champions League. The allocation to the seven UNCAF member associations was as follows: two berths for each of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, and one berth for each of Nicaragua and Belize. The teams from Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and the first team from Panama were placed in Pot 2, and the second team from Panama and the teams from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Belize were placed in Pot 1 (second team from Panama moved from Pot 2 in the previous edition).

All of these leagues employed a split season with two tournaments in one year, so both tournament champions qualified if there were two available berths (if the same team won both tournaments, the runner-up with the better aggregate record also qualified), or the champion with the better aggregate record qualified if there was only one available berth.

If one or more clubs was precluded, it was supplanted by a club from another Central American association. The reallocation was based on results from previous Champions League tournaments.

Caribbean edit

Three teams from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualified to the Champions League. The three berths, in Pot 1, were allocated to the top three finishers of the CFU Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament open to clubs from the 31 CFU member associations. In order for a team to qualify for the CFU Club Championship, they usually needed to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season, but professional teams could also be selected by their associations if they played in the league of another country.

If any Caribbean club was precluded, it was supplanted by the fourth-place finisher from the CFU Club Championship.

Teams edit

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 the CONCACAF Champions League era starting from 2008–09 (not counting those in the era of the Champions' Cup from 1962 to 2008).

Association Team Pot Qualifying method App Last App Previous Best
North America (9 teams)
  Mexico
4 berths
UANL 3 2015 Apertura champions 3rd 2015–16 Runners-up
(2015–16)
Pachuca 2016 Clausura champions 3rd 2014–15 Champions
(2009–10)
UNAM 2015 Apertura runners-up 4th 2011–12 Semifinals
(2 times)
Monterrey 2016 Clausura runners-up 4th 2012–13 Champions
(3 times)
  United States
4 berths
Portland Timbers 2015 MLS Cup champions 2nd 2014–15 Group stage
(2014–15)
New York Red Bulls 2015 MLS Supporters' Shield champions 3rd 2014–15 Group stage
(2014–15)
FC Dallas 2015 MLS Western Conference regular season champions 2nd 2011–12 Group stage
(2011–12)
Sporting Kansas City 2015 U.S. Open Cup champions 3rd 2014–15 Quarterfinals
(2013–14)
  Canada
1 berth
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 2015 Canadian Championship champions 2nd 2015–16 Group stage
(2015–16)
Central America (12 teams)
  Costa Rica
2 berths
Saprissa 2 2015 Invierno champions 6th 2015–16 Semifinals
(2010–11)
Herediano 2016 Verano champions 7th 2015–16 Semifinals
(2014–15)
  Honduras
2 berths
Honduras Progreso 2015 Apertura champions 1st N/A N/A
Olimpia 2016 Clausura champions 9th 2015–16 Quarterfinals
(2 times)
  Guatemala
2 berths
Antigua 2015 Apertura champions 1st N/A N/A
Suchitepéquez 2016 Clausura champions 1st N/A N/A
  Panama
2 berths
Árabe Unido 2015 Apertura champions 5th 2015–16 Quarterfinals
(2 times)
Plaza Amador 1 2016 Clausura champions 1st N/A N/A
  El Salvador
2 berths
Alianza 2015 Apertura champions 2nd 2011–12 Preliminary round
(2011–12)
Dragón 2016 Clausura champions 1st N/A N/A
  Nicaragua
1 berth
Real Estelí Champions with better aggregate record in 2015–16 season 6th 2014–15 Group stage
(3 times)
  Belize
1 berth
Police United Champions with better aggregate record in 2015–16 season 1st N/A N/A
Caribbean (3 teams)
  Trinidad and Tobago
2 teams
Central 1 2016 CFU Club Championship champions 2nd 2015–16 Group stage
(2015–16)
W Connection 2016 CFU Club Championship runners-up 5th 2015–16 Group stage
(4 times)
  Haiti
1 team
Don Bosco 2016 CFU Club Championship third place 1st N/A N/A

Draw edit

The draw for the tournament was held on May 30, 2016, 20:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.[5][6][7]

The 24 teams were drawn into eight groups of three, with each group containing one team from each of the three pots. 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 teams from Mexico and the United States had to be drawn into separate groups.[3]

The allocation of teams to each pot was based on the results of the last four editions of the competition under the current format:[5]

  • Pot 1 contained the second team from Panama, two teams from El Salvador, one team each from Nicaragua and Belize, and three teams from the Caribbean.
  • Pot 2 contained two teams each from Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala, the first team from Panama, and one team from Canada.
  • Pot 3 contained four teams each from Mexico and the United States.
Pot 1
  Plaza Amador   Alianza   Dragón   Real Estelí
  Police United   Central   W Connection   Don Bosco
Pot 2
  Herediano   Saprissa   Olimpia   Honduras Progreso
  Suchitepéquez   Antigua   Árabe Unido   Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Pot 3
  UANL   Pachuca   UNAM   Monterrey
  Portland Timbers   New York Red Bulls   FC Dallas   Sporting Kansas City

Schedule edit

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

Stage Round First leg Second leg
Group stage Matchday 1 August 2–4, 2016
Matchday 2 August 16–18, 2016
Matchday 3 August 23–25, 2016
Matchday 4 September 13–15, 2016
Matchday 5 September 27–29, 2016
Matchday 6 October 18–20, 2016
Knockout stage Quarter-finals February 21–23, 2017 February 28 – March 2, 2017
Semi-finals March 14–15, 2017 April 4–5, 2017
Final April 18, 2017 April 26, 2017

Group stage edit

In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners of each group advanced to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage.

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification UNA HON WCO
1   UNAM 4 3 0 1 15 5 +10 9 Quarter-finals 2−0 8−1
2   Honduras Progreso 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7 2–1 1–0
3   W Connection 4 0 1 3 4 14 −10 1 2–4 1–1
Source: CONCACAF

Group B edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SAP POR DRA
1   Saprissa 4 2 2 0 11 3 +8 8 Quarter-finals 4–2 6−0
2   Portland Timbers 4 2 1 1 7 7 0 7 1−1 2–1
3   Dragón 4 0 1 3 2 10 −8 1 0−0 1–2
Source: CONCACAF

Group C edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VAN SKC CEN
1   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 4 0 0 10 2 +8 12 Quarter-finals 3–0 4–1
2   Sporting Kansas City 4 1 1 2 6 8 −2 4 1–2 3–1
3   Central 4 0 1 3 4 10 −6 1 0–1 2–2
Source: CONCACAF

Group D edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ÁRA MON DON
1   Árabe Unido 4 4 0 0 12 5 +7 12 Quarter-finals 2–1 2–0
2   Monterrey 4 2 0 2 9 5 +4 6 2–3 3–0
3   Don Bosco 4 0 0 4 2 13 −11 0 2–5 0–3
Source: CONCACAF

Group E edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAC OLI POL
1   Pachuca 4 3 1 0 19 4 +15 10 Quarter-finals 1–0 3–0
2   Olimpia 4 2 1 1 13 6 +7 7 4–4 4–0
3   Police United 4 0 0 4 1 23 −22 0 0–11 1–5
Source: CONCACAF

Group F edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NYR ALI ANT
1   New York Red Bulls 4 2 2 0 5 1 +4 8 Quarter-finals 1–0 3–0
2   Alianza 4 1 2 1 5 4 +1 5 1–1 1–1
3   Antigua 4 0 2 2 2 7 −5 2 0–0 1–3
Source: CONCACAF

Group G edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification UAN HER PLA
1   UANL 4 3 0 1 9 3 +6 9 Quarter-finals 3–0 3–1
2   Herediano 4 1 1 2 4 7 −3 4 1–3 2–0
3   Plaza Amador 4 1 1 2 3 6 −3 4 1–0 1–1
Source: CONCACAF

Group H edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DAL SUC EST
1   FC Dallas 4 2 2 0 8 4 +4 8 Quarter-finals 0–0 2–1
2   Suchitepéquez 4 1 2 1 4 6 −2 5 2–5 1–0
3   Real Estelí 4 0 2 2 3 5 −2 2 1–1 1–1
Source: CONCACAF

Knockout stage edit

In the knockout stage, the eight teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg. The away goals rule was used if the aggregate score was level after normal time of the second leg, but not after extra time, and so a tie was decided by penalty shoot-out if the aggregate score was level after extra time of the second leg (Regulations, II. D. Tie-Breaker Procedures).[3]

Seeding edit

The qualified teams were seeded 1–8 in the knockout stage according to their results in the group stage.

Seed Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 C   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 4 0 0 10 2 +8 12
2 D   Árabe Unido 4 4 0 0 12 5 +7 12
3 E   Pachuca 4 3 1 0 19 4 +15 10
4 A   UNAM 4 3 0 1 15 5 +10 9
5 G   UANL 4 3 0 1 9 3 +6 9
6 B   Saprissa 4 2 2 0 11 3 +8 8
7 H   FC Dallas 4 2 2 0 8 4 +4 8
8 F   New York Red Bulls 4 2 2 0 5 1 +4 8
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 (Regulations, II. D. Tie-Breaker Procedures).[3]

Bracket edit

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
               
5   UANL 1 3 4
4   UNAM 1 0 1
5   UANL 2 2 4
1   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 1 1
8   New York Red Bulls 1 0 1
1   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 2 3
5   UANL 1 0 1
3   Pachuca 1 1 2
7   FC Dallas 4 1 5
2   Árabe Unido 0 2 2
7   FC Dallas 2 1 3
3   Pachuca 1 3 4
6   Saprissa 0 0 0
3   Pachuca 0 4 4

Quarter-finals edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
New York Red Bulls   1–3   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–1 0–2
FC Dallas   5–2   Árabe Unido 4–0 1–2
Saprissa   0–4   Pachuca 0–0 0–4
UANL   4–1   UNAM 1–1 3–0

Semi-finals edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
UANL   4–1   Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–0 2–1
FC Dallas   3–4   Pachuca 2–1 1–3

Final edit

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
UANL   1–2   Pachuca 1–1 0–1

Top goalscorers edit

Rank Player Club Goals
1   Hirving Lozano   Pachuca 8
2   Franco Jara   Pachuca 6
3   José González   Árabe Unido 5
  Cristian Techera   Vancouver Whitecaps FC
5   Óscar Guerrero   Alianza 4
6   Kellyn Acosta   FC Dallas 3
  Marvin Angulo   Saprissa
  Rolando Blackburn   Saprissa
  Edwin Cardona   Monterrey
  Carlo Costly   Olimpia
  Eduardo Herrera   UNAM
  Víctor Moncada   Honduras Progreso
  Alfonso Nieto   UNAM
  Yendrick Ruiz   Herediano
  Jonathan Urretaviscaya   Pachuca

Source: CONCACAF.com[8]

Awards edit

Award Player Team
Golden Ball[9]   Franco Jara   Pachuca
Golden Boot[10]   Hirving Lozano   Pachuca
Golden Glove[11]   Alfonso Blanco   Pachuca
Best Young Player[12]   Hirving Lozano   Pachuca
Fair Play Award   FC Dallas
Week Player of the week Goalkeeper of the week
Player Team Player Team
Group stage
Week 1   Luis Quintana[13]   UNAM   Justo Lorente[14]   Real Estelí
Week 2   Marvin Angulo[15]   Saprissa   Manuel Sosa[16]   Suchitepéquez
Week 3   Yoel Bárcenas[17]   Árabe Unido   Keith Allen[18]   Police United
Week 4   Hirving Lozano[19]   Pachuca   Miguel Lloyd[20]   Árabe Unido
Week 5   Cristian Techera[21]   Vancouver Whitecaps FC   Woodrow West[22]   Honduras Progreso
Week 6   Fidel Martínez[23]   UNAM   James Elan[24]   Don Bosco
Knockout stage
Week 7   Matías Britos[25]   UNAM   Alfonso Blanco[26]   Pachuca
Week 8   Jonathan Urretaviscaya[27]   Pachuca   Alfonso Blanco[28]   Pachuca
Week 9   Eduardo Vargas[29]   UANL   Chris Seitz[30]   FC Dallas
Week 10   Javier Aquino[31]   UANL   David Ousted[32]   Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Prize money edit

The four semi-finalists received prize money from CONCACAF.[33]

Round No. of clubs
receiving money
Prize money
per club
Champions 1 $500,000
Runners-up 1 $300,000
Semi-finalists 2 $200,000
Total 4 $1,200,000

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Scotiabank Joins CONCACAF as Official Partner". CONCACAF.com. December 9, 2014.
  2. ^ "Official Logo Unveiled for Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League". CONCACAF.com. February 10, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League 2016–17 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  4. ^ "Whitecaps FC placed in Pot 2 for 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League draw". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. May 23, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Official Draw Confirmed for the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League". CONCACAF. May 23, 2016. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "Official Draw: Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League 2016-17". CONCACAF. May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  7. ^ "Miami Beach Draw Produces Matchups for 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage". CONCACAF. May 30, 2016. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "CONCACAF Champions League – Statistics". CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  9. ^ "Jara named Scotiabank CCL Golden Ball winner". CONCACAF.com. April 27, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Pachuca's Lozano captures SCCL Golden Boot". CONCACAF.com. April 27, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Pachuca's Blanco grasps SCCL Golden Glove". CONCACAF.com. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "Pachuca's Lozano wins Scotiabank Best Young Player Award". CONCACAF.com. April 27, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Player of the Week #SCCLWeekly – August 2-4, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  14. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly August 2-4, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  15. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly August 16-18, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  16. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly August 16-18, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  17. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly August 23-25, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  18. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly August 23-25, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  19. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly September 13-15, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  20. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly September 13-15, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  21. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly September 27-29, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  22. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly September 27-29, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  23. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly October 18-20, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  24. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly October 18-20, 2016". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  25. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly February 21-23, 2017". CONCACAF. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  26. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly February 21-23, 2017". CONCACAF. February 24, 2017. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  27. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly February 28-March 2, 2017". CONCACAF. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly February 28-March 2, 2017". CONCACAF. March 3, 2017. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  29. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly March 14-15, 2017". CONCACAF. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  30. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly March 14-15, 2017". CONCACAF. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  31. ^ "Player of the Week – #SCCLWeekly April 4-5, 2017". CONCACAF. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  32. ^ "Goalkeeper of the Week – #SCCLWeekly April 4-5, 2017". CONCACAF. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  33. ^ "Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League to Benefit from New Prize Money Structure Starting in 2016/17 Season". CONCACAF.com. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

External links edit