2018 CONCACAF Champions League explained

Tourney Name:CONCACAF Champions League
Year:2018
Other Titles:2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League
Size:275
Caption:The Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico hosted the second leg of the final.
Dates:20 February – 25 April
Num Teams:16
Associations:8
Count:2
Second Other: Toronto FC
Matches:30
Goals:84
Top Scorer: Sebastian Giovinco
Jonathan Osorio
(4 goals each)
Player: Sebastian Giovinco
Goalkeeper: Rodolfo Cota
Young Player: Rodolfo Pizarro
Fair Play: New York Red Bulls
Prevseason:2016–17
Nextseason:2019

The 2018 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 10th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 53rd edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The format of the tournament was changed as part of a new CONCACAF club competition platform consisting of two tournaments (CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League) and a total of 31 teams competing during the season (an increase from the previous 24 teams), with 16 teams competing in the newly created CONCACAF League from August to October, and the winners of the CONCACAF League joining the 15 direct entrants competing in the CONCACAF Champions League from February to April.[2] As a result, the 2018 edition was played using a new format that included the removal of the group stage, a reduction in participating teams from 24 to 16, and a total reduction in matches from 62 to 30.

Guadalajara defeated Toronto FC in the final to win their second CONCACAF club title and their first in the Champions League era, and qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.[3] Pachuca won the previous tournament but did not qualify for this tournament and were unable to defend their title.

Qualification

A total of 16 teams participated in the CONCACAF Champions League:

9 teams (from three associations)

5 teams (from four associations; ordinarily from five associations, but Guatemalan teams were excluded from this season's tournament)

1 team (from one association)

Therefore, teams from either 8 or 9 out of the 41 CONCACAF member associations could participate in the CONCACAF Champions League.

North America

The nine berths for the North American Football Union (NAFU) were allocated to the three NAFU member associations as follows: four berths each for Mexico and the United States, and one berth for Canada.

For Mexico, the champions and runners-up of the Liga MX Apertura and Clausura Liguilla (playoff) tournaments qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. If there was any team which were finalists of both tournaments, 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, four teams qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League, three through the Major League Soccer (MLS) season and one through its domestic cup competition:

If there was any team which qualified through multiple berths, or if there was any Canada-based MLS team which were champions of the MLS Cup, the Supporters' Shield, or conference regular season, the vacated berth was reallocated to the U.S.-based team with the best MLS regular season record not yet qualified.

For Canada, the champions of the Canadian Championship, its domestic cup competition which awards the Voyageurs Cup, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. While some Canada-based teams competed in MLS, they could not qualify through either the MLS regular season or playoffs. In line with the launch of the new format, which placed the Canadian representative directly in the CONCACAF Champions League beginning in early 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association announced in March 2017 that a special one-match playoff between the 2016 champions Toronto FC and the 2017 champions would be played on 9 August 2017 in Toronto to determine who would qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, except in the case that Toronto FC won the 2017 edition, in which the playoff would be unnecessary and Toronto FC would qualify automatically.[4] As Toronto FC did later win the 2017 Canadian Championship, the playoff was not played.

Central America

The five berths for the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) were allocated to five of the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: one berth for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. As all of the leagues of Central America employed a split season with two tournaments in one season, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which were champions of both tournaments) in the leagues of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League.

If teams from any Central American associations were excluded, they were replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF Champions League tournaments. For this season, the team from Guatemala was excluded due to the suspension of their federation by FIFA and was replaced by an additional team from Costa Rica.

Caribbean

The sole berth for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) was allocated via the Caribbean Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament open to the clubs of all 31 CFU member associations. To qualify for the Caribbean Club Championship, teams had 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. The champions of the Caribbean Club Championship qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League.

CONCACAF League

Besides the 15 direct entrants of the CONCACAF Champions League, another 16 teams (13 from Central America and 3 from the Caribbean) entered the CONCACAF League, a tournament held from August to October prior to the CONCACAF Champions League.[5] The champions of the CONCACAF League qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League.

Teams

The following 16 teams (from eight 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).

Qualified teams from North America (9 teams)
width=15%Associationwidth=15%Teamwidth=45%Qualifying methodwidth=10%width=15%Previous best
UANL2016 Apertura champions and 2017 Clausura runners-up4th Runners-up
Guadalajara2017 Clausura champions2nd Group stage
América2016 Apertura runners-up4th Champions
TijuanaNon-finalists with best regular season record in 2017 Clausura2nd Semi-finals
Seattle Sounders FC2016 MLS Cup champions5th Semi-finals
FC Dallas2016 MLS Supporters' Shield and 2016 U.S. Open Cup champions3rd Semi-finals
New York Red Bulls2016 MLS Eastern Conference regular season champions4th Quarter-finals
Colorado Rapids2016 MLS Supporters' Shield runners-up2nd Group stage
Toronto FC2016 Canadian Championship and 2017 Canadian Championship champions5th Semi-finals
Qualified teams from Central America (6 teams)
width=15%Associationwidth=15%Teamwidth=45%Qualifying methodwidth=10%width=15%Previous best
SaprissaChampions with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Invierno)7th Semi-finals
HeredianoChampions with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2017 Verano)8th Semi-finals
Motagua2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura champions4th Group stage
Olimpia2017 CONCACAF League champions10th Quarter-finals
TauroChampions with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2017 Clausura)6th Group stage
Santa Tecla2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura champions2nd Group stage
Qualified teams from Caribbean (1 team)
width=15%Associationwidth=15%Teamwidth=45%Qualifying methodwidth=10%width=15%Previous best
Cibao2017 Caribbean Club Championship champions1stDebut
Notes

Draw

The draw for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League was held on 18 December 2017, 19:00 EST (UTC−5), at the Univision Studios in Miami,[6] [7] and was streamed on YouTube.[8]

The draw determined each tie in the round of 16 (numbered 1 through 8) between a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, each containing eight teams. The "Bracket Position Pots" (Pot A and Pot B) contained the bracket positions numbered 1 through 8 corresponding to each tie. The teams from Pot 1 were assigned a bracket position from Pot A and the teams from Pot 2 were assigned a bracket position from Pot B. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other in the round of 16 except for "wildcard" teams which replaced a team from another association.

The seeding of teams was based on the new CONCACAF Club Index.[9] Each team qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League based on criteria set by the respective associations (e.g., tournament champions, runners-up, cup champions), resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., MEX1, MEX2) for each team. The CONCACAF Club Index, instead of ranking each team, was based on the on-field performance of the teams that had occupied the respective qualifying slots in the previous five editions of the CONCACAF Champions League. To determine the total points awarded to a slot in any single edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF used the following formula:[10]

The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:

PotRankSlot2012–132013–142014–152015–162016–17TotalTeam
Pot 11110 América
2109 UANL
3103 Guadalajara
4101 Tijuana
576 New York Red Bulls
673 Toronto FC
773 Seattle Sounders FC
871 FC Dallas
Pot 2971 Colorado Rapids
1065 Saprissa
1162 Herediano (wildcard)
1256 Motagua
1353 Tauro
1432 Santa Tecla
1527 Cibao
16000000 Olimpia

Format

In the CONCACAF Champions League, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations, II. D. Tie-Breaker Procedures).[3]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.

RoundFirst legSecond leg
Round of 1620–22 February 201827 February – 1 March 2018
Quarter-finals6–7 March 201813–14 March 2018
Semi-finals3–4 April 201810 April 2018
Final17 April 201825 April 2018

Times up to 10 March 2018 (round of 16 and quarter-finals first legs) were Eastern Standard Time, i.e., UTC−5, thereafter (quarter-finals second legs and beyond) times were Eastern Daylight Time, i.e., UTC−4 (local times are in parentheses).

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the matchups were decided by draw: R16-1 through R16-8. The teams from Pot 1 in the draw hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played from 20 to 22 February, and the second legs were played from 27 February – 1 March 2018.[11]

Matches

Guadalajara won 7–0 on aggregate.----Seattle Sounders FC won 5–2 on aggregate.----New York Red Bulls won 3–1 on aggregate.----Tijuana Xolos won 2–1 on aggregate.----UANL won 5–3 on aggregate.----Toronto FC won 2–0 on aggregate.----3–3 on aggregate. Tauro won on away goals.----América won 6–2 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

The winners of round of 16 matchups 1, 3, 5, 7 hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played from 6–7 March, and the second legs were played from 13 to 14 March 2018.[12]

Matches

Guadalajara won 3–1 on aggregate.----New York Red Bulls won 5–1 on aggregate.----4–4 on aggregate. Toronto FC won on away goals.----América won 7–1 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:

The semi-finalists in each tie which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first legs were played on 3–4 April, and the second legs were played on 10 April 2018.[13]

Matches

Guadalajara won 1–0 on aggregate.----Toronto FC won 4–2 on aggregate.

Final

See main article: 2018 CONCACAF Champions League final.

In the final (Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2), the finalist which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.

Summary

The first leg was played on 17 April, and the second leg was played on 25 April 2018.[14]

Matches

3–3 on aggregate. Guadalajara won 4–2 on penalties.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoalsBy round
    
1 Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC41111
Jonathan Osorio Toronto FC1111
3 Jozy Altidore Toronto FC3111
Cecilio Domínguez América21
Henry Martín América12
Mateus Uribe América21
Bradley Wright-Phillips New York Red Bulls12
8 Edwin Aguilar Tauro211
Oswaldo Alanís Guadalajara11
Jairo Arrieta Herediano11
André-Pierre Gignac UANL2
Andrés Ibargüen América11
Nicolás Lodeiro Seattle Sounders FC11
José Macías Guadalajara11
Gerson Mayen Santa Tecla2
Alan Pulido Guadalajara11
Eduardo Vargas UANL11
Enner Valencia UANL2

Awards

AwardPlayerTeam
Golden Ball[15] Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC
Golden Boot[16] Jonathan Osorio Toronto FC
Golden Glove[17] Rodolfo Cota Guadalajara
Best Young Player[18] Rodolfo Pizarro Guadalajara
Fair Play Award[19] New York Red Bulls
Goal of the Tournament[20] Alan Pulido Guadalajara
Best XI[21]
PositionPlayerTeam
GK Rodolfo Cota Guadalajara
align=center rowspan=4DF Oswaldo Alanís Guadalajara
Alejandro Mayorga Guadalajara
Michael Amir Murillo New York Red Bulls
Edwin Hernández Guadalajara
align=center rowspan=4MF Jonathan Osorio Toronto FC
Mateus Uribe América
Nicolás Lodeiro Seattle Sounders FC
Isaác Brizuela Guadalajara
align=center rowspan=2FW Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC
Rodolfo Pizarro Guadalajara

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scotiabank Joins CONCACAF as Official Partner. CONCACAF.com. 9 December 2014. 13 April 2018. 8 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180708133735/http://www.concacaf.com/article/scotiabank-joins-concacaf-as-official-partner. dead.
  2. Web site: CONCACAF Club Competitions Platform Expansion FAQs. CONCACAF.com. 10 April 2018. 3 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180903114215/http://www.concacaf.com/en/static-pages/concacaf-club-competitions-platform-expansion-fa-qs. dead.
  3. Web site: Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League 2018 Regulations – English Edition. CONCACAF. 8 February 2018. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208124123/https://res.cloudinary.com/concacaf-production/image/upload/v1517893047/championsleage-prod/assets/2018_Scotiabank_CONCACAF_Champions_League_Regulations.pdf. dead.
  4. Web site: Canadian Championship Kicks off 10th Edition in May with more Canadian Content. CanadaSoccer.com. 9 March 2017. 3 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103130059/https://www.canadasoccer.com/canadian-championship-kicks-off-10th-edition-in-may-with-more-canadian-content-p160637%26t%3Dchampionship_article. dead.
  5. Web site: Details revealed for newly launched Scotiabank CONCACAF League. CONCACAF League. 8 May 2017. 10 April 2018. 17 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190617154846/https://www.concacafleague.com/en/league-news-manual/details-revealed-for-newly-launched-scotiabank-concacaf-league. dead.
  6. Web site: Stage set for 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Draw. CONCACAF.com. 29 November 2017. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182838/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/news/stage-set-for-2018-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league-draw. 8 February 2018. dead.
  7. Web site: Draw Delivers Electrifying Matchups for the SCCL Round of 16 Matches. CONCACAF.com. 19 December 2017. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182844/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/news/draw-delivers-electrifying-matchups-for-the-sccl-round-of-16-matches. 8 February 2018. dead.
  8. Web site: Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League 2018 – OFFICIAL DRAW. CONCACAF. 19 December 2017. 18 December 2017.
  9. Web site: Q&A: Club Index for 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Draw. CONCACAF.com. 29 November 2017. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182852/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/news/q-a-club-index-for-2018-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league-draw. 8 February 2018. dead.
  10. Web site: CONCACAF Club Index 2018. CONCACAF.com. 5 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171202102738/http://www.concacaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CONCACAF-Club-Ranking-for-the-2018-Champions-League-Draw_BRANDED.pdf. 2 December 2017. dead. mdy-all.
  11. Web site: Schedule Set for the Home-and-Away Round of 16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Matches. CONCACAF.com. 22 December 2017. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208182812/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/news/schedule-set-for-the-home-and-away-round-of-16-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league-matches. 8 February 2018. dead.
  12. Web site: Quarterfinal Matchups Set for 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. CONCACAF.com. 2 March 2018.
  13. Web site: Semifinal Dates and Kickoff Times Set for 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. CONCACAF.com. 15 March 2018. 16 March 2018. 27 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127120135/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/article/semifinal-dates-and-kickoff-times-set-for-2018-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league. dead.
  14. Web site: Final Kickoff Times Set for 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. CONCACAF. 12 April 2018.
  15. Web site: Sebastian Giovinco – 2018 SCCL Golden Ball. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 30 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180730140501/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/golden-ball. dead.
  16. Web site: Jonathan Osorio earns the 2018 SCCL Golden Boot Award. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033134/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/golden-boot. dead.
  17. Web site: Golden Glove. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033022/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/golden-glove. dead.
  18. Web site: Young Player Award. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807063351/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/young-player-award. dead.
  19. Web site: Fair Play Award. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033142/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/fair-play-award. dead.
  20. Web site: Goal of the Tournament presented by Rocket League. CONCACAF.com. 25 April 2018. 26 April 2018. 7 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033127/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/video/rocket-league/goal-of-the-tournament-presented-by-rocket-league. dead.
  21. Web site: 2018 SCCL - Best XI. CONCACAF. 26 April 2018. 12 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140446/https://www.concacafchampionsleague.com/en/article/2018-sccl-best-xi. dead.