2018 CONCACAF League

2018 CONCACAF League
2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF League
Tournament details
Dates 31 July – 1 November 2018
Teams 16 (from 8 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 28
Goals scored 71 (2.54 per match)
Top scorer(s) Panama Edwin Aguilar
Costa Rica Yendrick Ruiz (5 goals each)

The 2018 CONCACAF League (officially the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) is the 2nd edition of the CONCACAF League, a football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.[1]

The winners of the 2018 CONCACAF League will qualify for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League to join the 15 direct entrants.[2] Olimpia are the title holders, but did not qualify for this tournament and are unable to defend their title, and consequently their streak of participating in all ten editions of the CONCACAF Champions League since 2008 has ended.

Qualification

A total of 16 teams participate in the CONCACAF League:

  • Central American Zone: 13 teams (from six associations; ordinarily from seven associations, but Guatemalan teams were excluded from this season's tournament)
  • Caribbean Zone: 3 teams (from two or three associations)

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

Central America

The 13 berths for the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) are allocated to the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: two berths for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua, and one berth for Belize.

All of the leagues of Central America employ a split season with two tournaments in one season, so the following teams qualify for the CONCACAF League:

  • In the league of Costa Rica, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the non-champions with the best aggregate record, qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the non-champions with the second best aggregate record qualify.
  • In the leagues of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments), qualify. If there is any team which are finalists of both tournaments, the runners-up with the worse aggregate record qualify. If there are any two teams which are finalists of both tournaments, the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record qualify.
  • In the league of Nicaragua, both champions qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments) qualify.
  • In the league of Belize, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which are champions of both tournaments) qualify.

If teams from any Central American associations are excluded, they are replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League tournaments. For this season, the two teams from Guatemala were excluded due to the suspension of their federation by FIFA and were replaced by an additional team each from Costa Rica and Panama.[3]

Caribbean

The three berths for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) are allocated via the Caribbean Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament open to the clubs of all 31 CFU member associations. Since 2018, the competition is divided into two tiers: the Tier 1 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship which is open to teams from professional leagues, and the Tier 2 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield which is open to teams from non-professional leagues.

To qualify for the Tier 1 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, teams have to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season, while to qualify for the Tier 2 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, teams have to finish as the champions of their respective association's league in the previous season.[4]

The runners-up and third-placed team of the Tier 1 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, and the winners of a play-off between the fourth-placed team of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship and the champions of the Tier 2 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield, qualify for the CONCACAF League. For the champions of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield to be eligible for the play-off, they must comply with the minimum CONCACAF Club Licensing requirements for the CONCACAF League.[5]

Teams

The following 16 teams (from eight associations) qualified for the tournament.

Qualified teams from Central America (13 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method App (Last) Previous Best (Last)
Costa Rica Costa Rica (2 + 1 berths)[Note GUA] Pérez Zeledón Champions with worse aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 1st N/A
Herediano Non-champions with best aggregate record in 2017–18 season 1st N/A
Santos de Guápiles Non-champions with 2nd best aggregate record in 2017–18 season 2nd (2017) Runners-up (2017)
Panama Panama (2 + 1 berths)[Note GUA] Universitario Champions with worse aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 2nd (2017) Quarter-finals (2017)
Árabe Unido Runners-up with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 2nd (2017) Semi-finals (2017)
Tauro Runners-up with worse aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Clausura) 1st N/A
El Salvador El Salvador (2 berths) Santa Tecla 2017 Apertura and 2018 Clausura runners-up 1st N/A
FAS Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 1st N/A
Honduras Honduras (2 berths) Real España Champions with worse aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 1st N/A
Motagua 2017 Apertura and 2018 Clausura runners-up 1st N/A
Nicaragua Nicaragua (2 berths) Walter Ferretti Champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura) 2nd (2017) Quarter-finals (2017)
Diriangén Champions with worse aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Clausura) 1st N/A
Belize Belize (1 berth) Belmopan Bandits Champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Closing) 2nd (2017) Round of 16 (2017)
Qualified teams from Caribbean (3 teams)
Association Team Qualifying method App (Last) Previous Best (Last)
Jamaica Jamaica Arnett Gardens 2018 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship runners-up 1st N/A
Portmore United 2018 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship third place 2nd (2017) Round of 16 (2017)
Martinique Martinique Club Franciscain 2018 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Tier 1–Tier 2 playoff winners 1st N/A
Notes
  1. ^ Guatemala (GUA): On 28 October 2016, FIFA suspended the National Football Federation of Guatemala for political interference by the Government of Guatemala. Until the suspension is lifted, Guatemalan teams are not permitted to participate in international competitions.[6] CONCACAF set the deadline of 31 March 2018 for the suspension to be lifted in order for Guatemalan teams to participate in the 2018 CONCACAF League,[7] and confirmed on 18 May 2018 that Guatemalan teams were expelled after the federation failed to be reinstated by FIFA.[3] The two Guatemalan teams which would have qualified for the CONCACAF League were: Antigua GFC, champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2017 Apertura champions), would have qualified directly to the Champions League. As a result, the two vacated berths were replaced by teams from Costa Rica (Santos de Guápiles) and Panama (Tauro), all entering the CONCACAF League as "wild card" teams, based on the performance of the Central American associations in the last five years, giving Costa Rica and Panama three berths each. Guatemala were ultimately reinstated by FIFA on 1 June 2018, and it was decided that the representative of Guatemala in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League would be decided by a two-legged playoff between Antigua GFC and Guastatoya.[8]

Draw

The draw for the 2018 CONCACAF League was held on 23 May 2018, 19:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the Pullman Hotel in Miami.[9][10]

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 were based on the CONCACAF Club Index. Each team qualified for the CONCACAF League based on criteria set by the respective associations (e.g., tournament champions, runners-up, cup champions), resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., CRC2, CRC3) for each team. The CONCACAF Club Index, instead of ranking each team, was based on the on-field performance of the teams that have occupied the respective qualifying slots in the previous five editions of the CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League. To determine the total points awarded to a slot in any single edition of the CONCACAF League (CL) or CONCACAF Champions League (CCL), CONCACAF used the following formula:

Points per Participation Win Draw Stage advanced Champions
2 (CL)
4 (CCL)
3 1 0.5 (CL)
1 (CCL)
2

The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:[11]

Pot Rank Slot 2013–14
CCL
2014–15
CCL
2015–16
CCL
2016–17
CCL
2017–18
CL+CCL
Total Team
Pot 1 1 CRC2 10 18 9 14 5 56 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón
2 PAN2 7 8 10 8 13 46 Panama Universitario
3 SLV2 11 5 6 5 11.5 38.5 El Salvador Santa Tecla
4 HON2 4 8 11 11 2 36 Honduras Real España
5 CCC2 4 10 7 5 2 28 Jamaica Arnett Gardens
6 NCA1 5 6 4 6 5 26 Nicaragua Walter Ferretti[NCA]
7 CCC3 4 4 5 4 5 22 Jamaica Portmore United
8 BLZ1 0 0 8 4 2 14 Belize Belmopan Bandits
Pot 2 9 PAN3 0 0 0 0 11 11 Panama Árabe Unido
10 NCA2 0 0 0 0 9.5 9.5 Nicaragua Diriangén[NCA]
11 SLV3 0 0 0 0 8.5 8.5 El Salvador FAS
12 HON3 0 0 0 0 2 2 Honduras Motagua
13 CRC3 0 0 0 0 2 2 Costa Rica Herediano
14 CCC4 0 0 0 0 2 2 Martinique Club Franciscain
15 CRC4 Wildcard team, automatically placed in Pot 2 Costa Rica Santos de Guápiles
16 PAN4 Wildcard team, automatically placed in Pot 2 Panama Tauro
Notes
  1. ^ a b NCA The identity of the teams qualifying for the slots Nicaragua 1 (NCA1) and Nicaragua 2 (NCA2) was not known at the time of the draw.

Format

In the CONCACAF League, the 16 teams play a single-elimination tournament. Each tie is played on a home-and-away two-legged basis.

  • In the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, the away goals rule will be applied, and if still tied, the penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (Regulations II, Article F).[2]
  • In the finals, the away goals rule will not be applied, and extra time will be played if the aggregate score is tied after the second leg. If the aggregate score is still tied after extra time, the penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (Regulations II, Article G).[2]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.

First leg Second leg
Round of 16 31 July – 2 August 2018 7–9 August 2018
Quarter-finals 21–23 August 2018 28–30 August 2018
Semi-finals 20 September 2018 27 September 2018
Finals 25 October 2018 1 November 2018

All times are Eastern Daylight Time, i.e., UTC−4, as listed by CONCACAF (local times are in parentheses).

Bracket

  Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
                                             
Costa Rica Herediano (a) 1 1 2  
El Salvador Santa Tecla 0 2 2  
  Costa Rica Herediano 3 2 5  
  Panama Universitario 0 1 1  
Nicaragua Diriangén 0 1 1
Panama Universitario 4 3 7  
  Costa Rica Herediano 2 0 2  
  Panama Árabe Unido 0 1 1  
El Salvador FAS 2 1 3  
Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón 1 1 2  
  El Salvador FAS 0 1 1
  Panama Árabe Unido 1 3 4  
Panama Árabe Unido 3 1 4
Jamaica Arnett Gardens 0 2 2  
  Costa Rica Herediano
  Honduras Motagua
Panama Tauro 1 1 2  
Honduras Real España 0 1 1  
  Panama Tauro 3 4 7
  Nicaragua Walter Ferretti 1 0 1  
Martinique Club Franciscain 1 0 1 (1)
Nicaragua Walter Ferretti (p) 0 1 1 (4)  
  Panama Tauro 2 0 2
  Honduras Motagua 1 2 3  
Honduras Motagua 2 1 3  
Belize Belmopan Bandits 0 0 0  
  Honduras Motagua 3 2 5
  Jamaica Portmore United 2 0 2  
Costa Rica Santos de Guápiles 1 2 3 (6)
Jamaica Portmore United (p) 2 1 3 (7)  

Round of 16

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

Summary

The first legs were played on 31 July – 2 August, and the second legs were played on 7–9 August 2018.[12]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Santos de Guápiles Costa Rica 3–3 (6–7 p) Jamaica Portmore United 1–2 2–1
Motagua Honduras 3–0 Belize Belmopan Bandits 2–0 1–0
Club Franciscain Martinique 1–1 (1–4 p) Nicaragua Walter Ferretti 1–0 0–1
Tauro Panama 2–1 Honduras Real España 1–0 1–1
Árabe Unido Panama 4–2 Jamaica Arnett Gardens 3–0 1–2
FAS El Salvador 3–2 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón 2–1 1–1
Diriangén Nicaragua 1–7 Panama Universitario 0–4 1–3
Herediano Costa Rica 2–2 (a) El Salvador Santa Tecla 1–0 1–2

Matches

Santos de Guápiles Costa Rica 1–2 Jamaica Portmore United
  • Arboine  80' (pen.)
Report
Portmore United Jamaica 1–2 Costa Rica Santos de Guápiles
Report
Penalties
7–6
Referee: Fernando Hernández (Mexico)

3–3 on aggregate. Portmore United won 7–6 on penalties.


Motagua Honduras 2–0 Belize Belmopan Bandits
  • López  47'
  • Galvaliz  78'
Report
Belmopan Bandits Belize 0–1 Honduras Motagua
Report
Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica)

Motagua won 3–0 on aggregate.


Club Franciscain Martinique 1–0 Nicaragua Walter Ferretti
Report
Walter Ferretti Nicaragua 1–0 Martinique Club Franciscain
  • Chávez  79'
Report
Penalties
4–1

1–1 on aggregate. Walter Ferretti won 4–1 on penalties.


Tauro Panama 1–0 Honduras Real España
Report
Real España Honduras 1–1 Panama Tauro
Report

Tauro won 2–1 on aggregate.


Árabe Unido Panama 3–0 Jamaica Arnett Gardens
Report
Arnett Gardens Jamaica 2–1 Panama Árabe Unido
Report
Referee: Gladwyn Johnson (Guyana)

Árabe Unido won 4–2 on aggregate.


FAS El Salvador 2–1 Costa Rica Pérez Zeledón
Report
  • Cazal  2'
Referee: Armando Villarreal (United States)
Pérez Zeledón Costa Rica 1–1 El Salvador FAS
  • López  62'
Report
  • Soto  90+5' (o.g.)
Referee: Oliver Vergara (Panama)

FAS won 3–2 on aggregate.


Diriangén Nicaragua 0–4 Panama Universitario
Report
Universitario Panama 3–1 Nicaragua Diriangén
  • Villarreal  5', 30'
  • Moreno  77'
Report
  • Ruiz  86'
Referee: Daneon Parchment (Jamaica)

Universitario won 7–1 on aggregate.


Herediano Costa Rica 1–0 El Salvador Santa Tecla
Report
Referee: Yadel Martínez (Cuba)
Santa Tecla El Salvador 2–1 Costa Rica Herediano
Report
Referee: Said Martínez (Honduras)

2–2 on aggregate. Herediano won on away goals.

Quarter-finals

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

  • QF1: Winner R16-1 vs. Winner R16-2
  • QF2: Winner R16-3 vs. Winner R16-4
  • QF3: Winner R16-5 vs. Winner R16-6
  • QF4: Winner R16-7 vs. Winner R16-8

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

Summary

The first legs were played on 21–23 August, and the second legs were played on 28–30 August 2018.[15]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Motagua Honduras 5–2 Jamaica Portmore United 3–2 2–0
Tauro Panama 7–1 Nicaragua Walter Ferretti 3–1 4–0
FAS El Salvador 1–4 Panama Árabe Unido 0–1 1–3
Herediano Costa Rica 5–1 Panama Universitario 3–0 2–1

Matches

Motagua Honduras 3–2 Jamaica Portmore United
Report
Portmore United Jamaica 0–2 Honduras Motagua
Report

Tauro Panama 3–1 Nicaragua Walter Ferretti
Report
  • Morais  22' (pen.)
Referee: Melvin Matamoros (Honduras)
Walter Ferretti Nicaragua 0–4 Panama Tauro
Report

FAS El Salvador 0–1 Panama Árabe Unido
Report
  • Gil  88'
Árabe Unido Panama 3–1 El Salvador FAS
Report

Árabe Unido won 4–1 on aggregate.


Herediano Costa Rica 3–0 Panama Universitario
Report
Referee: Erick Miranda (Mexico)
Universitario Panama 1–2 Costa Rica Herediano
Report

Herediano won 5–1 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

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

  • SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
  • SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4

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

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Host
1 Honduras Motagua 4 4 0 0 8 2 +6 12 2nd leg
2 Panama Tauro 4 3 1 0 9 2 +7 10 1st leg
1 Panama Árabe Unido 4 3 0 1 8 3 +5 9 2nd leg
2 Costa Rica Herediano 4 3 0 1 7 3 +4 9 1st leg
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Disciplinary points; 8) Drawing of lots (Regulations II, Article H).[2]

Summary

The first legs were played on 20 September, and the second legs were played on 27 September 2018.[16]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Tauro Panama 2–3 Honduras Motagua 2–1 0–2
Herediano Costa Rica 2–1 Panama Árabe Unido 2–0 0–1

Matches

Tauro Panama 2–1 Honduras Motagua
Report
Motagua Honduras 2–0 Panama Tauro
Report

Motagua won 3–2 on aggregate.


Herediano Costa Rica 2–0 Panama Árabe Unido
Report
Referee: Said Martínez (Honduras)
Árabe Unido Panama 1–0 Costa Rica Herediano
  • Palacios  20'
Report
Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

Herediano won 2–1 on aggregate.

Finals

In the finals (Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2), the finalists which have the better performance in previous rounds host the second leg.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Host
1 Honduras Motagua 6 5 0 1 11 4 +7 15 2nd leg
2 Costa Rica Herediano 6 4 0 2 9 4 +5 12 1st leg
Source: CONCACAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Disciplinary points; 8) Drawing of lots (Regulations II, Article H).[2]

Summary

The first leg will be played on 25 October, and the second leg will be played on 1 November 2018.[17]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Herediano Costa Rica F Honduras Motagua 25 Oct 1 Nov

Matches

Herediano Costa Rica v Honduras Motagua
Report
Motagua Honduras v Costa Rica Herediano
Report

Top goalscorers

  Team eliminated for this round.
Rank Player Team Goals By round
1R1 1R2 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2 F1 F2
1 Panama Edwin Aguilar Panama Tauro 5 1112
Costa Rica Yendrick Ruiz Costa Rica Herediano 122
3 Honduras Román Castillo Honduras Motagua 3 12
Honduras Juan Pablo Montes Honduras Motagua 21
Panama Sergio Moreno Panama Universitario 21
Panama Armando Polo Panama Tauro 111
Panama Óscar Villarreal Panama Universitario 12
8 Jamaica Jovan East Jamaica Portmore United 2 11
Jamaica Maalique Foster Jamaica Portmore United 11
Colombia Faber Gil Panama Árabe Unido 11
Panama Chin Hormechea Panama Árabe Unido 2
Honduras Kevin López Honduras Motagua 11
Paraguay Roberto Moreira Honduras Motagua 11
Panama Blas Pérez Panama Árabe Unido 2

Source:CONCACAF[18]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 All home matches of Nicaraguan teams Walter Ferretti and Diriangén are required to be played outside of their country due to security concerns caused by civil unrest in Nicaragua.[13][14]

References

  1. "Details revealed for newly launched Scotiabank CONCACAF League". CONCACAF League. 8 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Scotiabank CONCACAF League 2018 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF.
  3. 1 2 "Stage Set for Miami Draw for Second Edition of the Scotiabank Concacaf League". Scotiabank CONCACAF League. 18 May 2018.
  4. "CONCACAF Announces Expanded CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship for 2018". CONCACAF. 15 December 2017.
  5. "Dominican Republic Selected to Host Inaugural CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield". CONCACAF.com. 16 February 2018.
  6. "Suspension of the Guatemala Football Association". FIFA. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  7. "Deadlines Set for FEDEFUT". CONCACAF League. 9 November 2016.
  8. "Antigua y Guastatoya jugarán la "serie definitiva" para ir a la Liga de Concacaf 2019". publinews.gt. 27 June 2018.
  9. "Official Draw: Scotiabank Concacaf League 2018". Scotiabank CONCACAF League. 23 May 2018.
  10. "Draw Delivers Matchups for the Scotiabank CONCACAF League Round of 16 Matches". Scotiabank CONCACAF League. 23 May 2018.
  11. "Concacaf Club Index 2018" (PDF). CONCACAF.
  12. "Schedule Confirmed for Round of 16 Matches of the 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League". CONCACAF League. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  13. "2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League Matches and 2018 Central America Women's Qualifier to be Played Outside of Nicaragua". CONCACAF League. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  14. "Alternate Venues Confirmed for 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League Round of 16 Matches of CD Walter Ferretti and Diriangen FC". CONCACAF League. 22 June 2018.
  15. "2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League Quarterfinal Matchups and Kick Off Times Confirmed". CONCACAF League. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  16. "2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League Semifinal Matchups and Kick Off Times Confirmed". CONCACAF League. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  17. "2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League Final Set". CONCACAF League. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  18. "Statistics". CONCACAF League.
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