2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League
| Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City hosted the second leg Final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 26, 2008 – April 30, 2009 |
| Teams | 24 (from 13 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Mexico Atlante (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Mexico Cruz Azul |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 77 |
| Goals scored | 223 (2.9 per match) |
| Attendance | 539,397 (7,005 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mexico Javier Orozco (7 goals) |
← 2008 (Champions' Cup) 2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League was the 44th edition of the premier association football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. This was the first iteration of the competition to be known as CONCACAF Champions League, having been previously known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
The championship began on August 26, 2008, and it concluded on May 12, 2009.[1] Atlante of Mexico won the championship after defeating Cruz Azul, also from Mexico in the final. As champions, they represented CONCACAF in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.
Qualification
[edit ]
24 teams from 13 nations participated in the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League from the North American , Central American , and Caribbean zones. Nine of the teams came from North America, twelve from Central America, and three from the Caribbean. Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008-09 competition:[2]
Teams in bold qualify directly for the group stage.
1 New England was both the 2007 U.S. Open Cup winners and the 2007 MLS Cup runners-up, so Chivas USA claimed USA4 as the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield runners-up.
2 Saprissa was both the 2007 Invierno and 2008 Verano winners, so Alajuelense has claimed CRC2 as the 2008 Verano runners-up.
3 Luis Ángel Firpo was both the 2007 Apertura and 2008 Clausura winners, so Isidro Metapán has claimed SLV2 as the 2008 Clausura runners-up.
4 San Francisco was both the 2007 Clausura and 2008 Apertura winners, so Tauro has claimed PAN2 as the 2008 Apertura runners-up.
Format
[edit ]There was a two-legged preliminary round for 16 clubs, with the eight winners advancing to the group stage. They were joined by the other eight teams who were seeded directly into the group stage. The clubs involved in the group stage were placed into four groups of four with each team playing the others in its group in both home and away matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, which will consist of two-legged ties. The final round, to be held in late April 2009, was also two-legged. Also, unlike the previously contested CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the away goals rule is used in the CONCACAF Champions League, but does not apply after a tie goes into extra time.[3]
Schedule
[edit ]| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Preliminary | June 11, 2008 (New York, US) |
August 26–29, 2008 | September 2–4, 2008 |
| Group Stage | Matchday 1 | August 16–18, 2008 | ||
| Matchday 2 | August 23–25, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 3 | September 30–October 2, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 4 | October 7–9, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 5 | October 21–23, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 6 | October 28–30, 2008 | |||
| Championship round | Quarterfinals | December 10, 2008 | February 24–26, 2009 | March 3–5, 2009 |
| Semifinals | March 17–18, 2009 | April 7–8, 2009 | ||
| Final | April 22, 2009 | May 12, 2009 | ||
Preliminary round
[edit ]The draw for the preliminary round was held on 11 June 2008 in New York City. The first legs of the preliminary round were played 26–28 August 2008, while the second legs were played 2–4 September 2008.[4]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalapa Guatemala | 1–5 | Panama San Francisco | 1–0 | 0–5 |
| Joe Public Trinidad and Tobago | 6–1 | United States New England Revolution | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Alajuelense Costa Rica | 2–3 | Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Islanders | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Cruz Azul Mexico | 12–0 | Belize Hankook Verdes | 6–0 | 6–0 |
| Harbour View Jamaica | 0–3 | Mexico UNAM | N/A [5] | 0–3 |
| Tauro Panama | 3–1 | United States Chivas USA | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Montreal Impact Canada | 1–0 | Nicaragua Real Estelí | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Isidro Metapán El Salvador | 3–4 | Honduras Marathón | 2–2 | 1–2 |
The effects of Hurricane Gustav led to the cancellation of the first leg of the Harbour View - UNAM tie, and as a result the tie was contested as a single match.[6]
Group stage
[edit ]The Group Stage draw was held on 11 June 2008 in New York City and was unveiled on 16 June 2008.[4] Winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarterfinals.[3]
Group A
[edit ]
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- Cruz Azul were ranked ahead of Saprissa based on head-to-head record, which is the first tiebreaker.[3]
Group B
[edit ]
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Group C
[edit ]
|
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- Atlante were ranked ahead of Montreal Impact based on head-to-head record, which is the first tiebreaker.[3]
Group D
[edit ]
|
|
- Puerto Rico Islanders were ranked ahead of Tauro based on head-to-head record, which is the first tiebreaker.[3]
Championship round
[edit ]The draw for the championship round was held on 10 December 2008. In each round, teams will play their opponent once at home and once away. The four group winners from the group stage will play the second leg at home in the quarterfinals. The order of the home and away matches for the semifinals and Finals were determined at the draw.
In all rounds, if two teams are tied after both legs then two 15-minute halves of extra time are played. If the two teams are still tied on total goals after extra time, a penalty shootout determines the winner.
Bracket
[edit ]Quarterfinals
[edit ]The first legs of the quarterfinals were played from 24 February 2009 to 26 February 2009, while the second legs were played from 3 March 2009 to 5 March 2009.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Dynamo United States | 1–4 | Mexico Atlante | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Montreal Impact Canada | 4–5 | Mexico Santos Laguna | 2–0 | 2–5 |
| Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto Rico | 3–1 | Honduras Marathón | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Cruz Azul Mexico | 2–0 | Mexico UNAM | 1–0 | 1–0 |
Semifinals
[edit ]The first legs of the semifinals were played on 17 March and 18 March 2009, while the second legs were played on 7 April and 8 April 2009.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto Rico | 3–3 (2–4 p) | Mexico Cruz Azul | 2–0 | 1–3 (aet) |
| Santos Laguna Mexico | 3–4 | Mexico Atlante | 2–1 | 1–3 |
Final
[edit ]The two-legged Final was played on 22 April and 12 May 2009. The second leg was originally scheduled for 29 April, but was postponed until 12 May by CONCACAF due to concerns over an outbreak of Swine Flu in Mexico.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruz Azul Mexico | 0–2 | Mexico Atlante | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09 champions |
|---|
| Mexico |
| Atlante Second title |
Top goalscorers
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "CONCACAF Champions League Officially Launched" (Press release). CONCACAF. 2008年01月28日. Archived from the original on 2008年06月14日. Retrieved 2008年01月28日.
- ^ "Qualifying Format Unveiled for 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League" (Press release). CONCACAF. 2008年05月14日. Archived from the original on 2008年12月26日. Retrieved 2008年05月14日.
- ^ a b c d e "CONCACAF Champions League Regulations 2008/2009" (PDF) (Press release). CONCACAF. Retrieved 2008年07月27日.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ a b "Preliminary round match-ups unveiled for 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League" (Press release). CONCACAF. 2008年06月11日. Archived from the original on 2008年06月14日. Retrieved 2008年06月11日.
- ^ "CONCACAF Champions League match rescheduled due to Hurricane Gustav" (Press release). CONCACAF. 2008年08月28日. Archived from the original on 2008年09月03日. Retrieved 2008年08月28日.
- ^ "CONCACAF Champions League match between Harbour View - Pumas UNAM canceled" (Press release). CONCACAF. 2008年08月29日. Archived from the original on 2008年09月03日. Retrieved 2008年08月29日.
