2011 World Football Challenge

The 2011 World Football Challenge was the second World Football Challenge event, a series of friendly football matches played in the United States and Canada in July and August.

2011 World Football Challenge
Herbalife World Football Challenge
The 2011 logo for the World Football Challenge
CountryCanada
United States
Teams13 (from 2 federations)
Champions Real Madrid[1]
Runners-up Manchester United
Matches played14
Goals scored42 (3 per match)
Attendance583,764 (41,697 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Cristiano Ronaldo
(4 goals)
2009
2012

Participants

The 2011 tournament increased in scale from the 2009 incarnation, bringing in thirteen teams from seven different countries. All the teams were either a member of the UEFA or CONCACAF federations. The field was highlighted by Spanish league and European champions Barcelona and English champion Manchester United. Club América was the only team that returned from the 2009 competition.

This tournament for the first time also included five teams from Major League Soccer, the top-flight league for the host countries, United States and Canada. As another first, there were games played outside the United States, at Empire Field in Vancouver and BMO Field in Toronto.

North American clubs that competed in 2011 included Chicago Fire, Guadalajara, Club América, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Four representatives from Europe's top leagues of England and Spain, all of whom won their country's blue ribbon competitions in the 2010–11 season joined the North American clubs, those being: Spanish and European champions Barcelona, FA Cup winners Manchester City, Premier League champions Manchester United and Copa del Rey winners Real Madrid.

TeamLocationConfederationProfessional LeagueNotes
Manchester UnitedManchester, EnglandUEFAPremier League2010–11 Premier League champions
New England RevolutionFoxborough, MassachusettsCONCACAFMajor League Soccer2010 North American SuperLiga runner-up
Real MadridMadrid, SpainUEFALa Liga2010–11 Copa del Rey holders
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles, CaliforniaCONCACAFMajor League Soccer2010 MLS Supporters' Shield holders
Club AméricaMexico City, MexicoCONCACAFPrimera División de México2011 Primera División de México Clausura Liguilla quarter-finalists
Manchester CityManchester, EnglandUEFAPremier League2010–11 FA Cup holders
Vancouver Whitecaps FCVancouver, British ColumbiaCONCACAFMajor League Soccer2011 Canadian Championship runner-up
GuadalajaraGuadalajara, MexicoCONCACAFPrimera División de México2011 Primera División de México Clausura Liguilla semi-finalists
Chicago FireChicago, IllinoisCONCACAFMajor League Soccer2009 North American SuperLiga runner-up
Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaCONCACAFMajor League Soccer
JuventusTurin, ItalyUEFASerie A
BarcelonaBarcelona, SpainUEFALa Liga2010–11 La Liga and 2010–11 UEFA Champions League winners
Sporting CPLisbon, PortugalUEFAPrimeira Liga

Event rules

The event rules differed considerably from the 2009 event, due to differences in the number of teams.

Match rules

Match rules followed the Laws of the Game, with a few notable exceptions.[2]

  • In the event of a tie after the regulation 90 minutes, a penalty shootout immediately followed. These penalties did not accrue points in the table as a regulation goal or penalty would.
  • Cautions and sending offs did not carry into the next competitive game, however, a player may have been suspended for their club's next WFC match.
  • Teams had a roster of 25 players, and clubs were able to substitute eleven players during the course of the match rather than the standard three.

Table setup

The format was a single table, accruing points as follows:

  • Three points for a regulation victory
  • Two points for a penalty shootout victory
  • One point for a penalty shootout loss
  • No points for a regulation loss
  • One point for each goal scored (up to three per match)

Sporting CP, who played only one game, did not accrue points, but their opponent, Juventus, were able to in their matchup. The five Major League Soccer teams were split up into two different "clubs" for the purposes of the table, the MLS Eastern Conference (containing the Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, and Philadelphia Union), and the MLS Western Conference (containing the Los Angeles Galaxy, who played two games, and the Vancouver Whitecaps). Each of the other seven clubs played three games and accrued points as normal.[2]

Table tiebreakers

In the event of a tie in the final table standings, the following tiebreakers were used in order:[2]

  1. Regulation goal difference
  2. Most goals for in regulation
  3. Fewest goals against in regulation
  4. Most goals scored in regulation in one match
  5. Drawing of lots

Standings

Pos Team Pld W PKW PKL L GF GA GD BP Pts
1 Real Madrid (C) 3 3 0 0 0 9 2 +7 8 17
2 Manchester United 3 3 0 0 0 9 3 +6 8 17
3 Manchester City 3 2 1 0 0 5 2 +3 5 13
4 Juventus 3 2 0 0 1 3 2 +1 3 9
5 Barcelona 3 1 0 0 2 4 6 2 4 7
6 Guadalajara 3 1 0 0 2 4 5 1 3 6
7 MLS Western[lower-alpha 1] 3 0 0 1 2 3 7 4 3 4
8 MLS Eastern[lower-alpha 2] 3 0 0 0 3 3 9 6 3 3
9 Club América 3 0 0 0 3 0 5 5 0 0
Source: World Football Challenge Standings[3]
Note: Sporting CP played only one game and did not accrue points.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. MLS Western Conference composed of one game by the Vancouver Whitecaps and two games by the Los Angeles Galaxy
  2. MLS Eastern Conference composed of one game each by the New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, and Chicago Fire

Matches

All times are in the EDT time zone (UTC−4) (Local Times in parentheses).[4]
New England Revolution1–4Manchester United
Mansally  56' Report Owen  51'
Macheda  54', 61'
Park  80'
Attendance: 51,523
Referee: Mark Geiger

Club América0–2Manchester City
Report McGivern  17'
Wright-Phillips  27'
AT&T Park, San Francisco
Attendance: 11,250
Referee: Hilario Grajeda

Los Angeles Galaxy1–4Real Madrid
Cristman  67' Report Callejón  31'
Joselu  40'
Ronaldo  53'
Benzema  58'
Attendance: 56,211
Referee: Jorge González

Vancouver Whitecaps FC1–2Manchester City
Sanvezzo  30' Report Guidetti  68'
Wright-Phillips  84'
Attendance: 24,074

Guadalajara0–3Real Madrid
Report Ronaldo  73', 76' (pen.), 82'
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Attendance: 38,211

Chicago Fire1–3Manchester United
Gibbs  13' Report Rooney  66'
Rafael  75'
Nani  82'
Attendance: 61,308
Referee: Terry Vaughn

Juventus1–2Sporting CP
Del Piero  80' Report Djaló  13', 36'
Attendance: 10,028
Referee: Drew Fischer

Philadelphia Union1–2Real Madrid
M. Farfan  80' Report Callejón  2'
Özil  11'
Attendance: 57,305
Referee: Alex Prus


Juventus1–0Club América
Pasquato  42' Report
Attendance: 20,859
Referee: Jorge González

Juventus1–0Guadalajara
Quagliarella  12' Report
Attendance: 16,124
Referee: Mark Kadlecik

Barcelona1−2Manchester United
Thiago  70' Report Nani  22'
Owen  76'
Attendance: 81,807

Barcelona1–4Guadalajara
Villa  3' Report Fabián  60', 63'
Casillas  72'
Verduzco  90+3'
Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens
Attendance: 70,080
Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Barcelona2–0Club América
Villa  24'
Keita  90'
Report
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington
Attendance: 60,087

Top goalscorers

Rank Name Team Goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 4
2 José Callejón Real Madrid 2
Yannick Djaló Sporting 2
Marco Fabián Guadalajara 2
Federico Macheda Manchester United 2
Nani Manchester United 2
Michael Owen Manchester United 2
David Villa Barcelona 2
Shaun Wright-Phillips Manchester City 2
10 Mario Balotelli Manchester City 1
Karim Benzema Real Madrid 1
Giovani Casillas Guadalajara 1
Adam Cristman Los Angeles Galaxy 1
Alessandro Del Piero Juventus 1
Michael Farfan Philadelphia Union 1
Cory Gibbs Chicago Fire 1
John Guidetti Manchester City 1
Park Ji-sung Manchester United 1
Joselu Real Madrid 1
Seydou Keita Barcelona 1
Mike Magee Los Angeles Galaxy 1
Kenny Mansally New England Revolution 1
Ryan McGivern Manchester City 1
Mesut Özil Real Madrid 1
Cristian Pasquato Juventus 1
Fabio Quagliarella Juventus 1
Rafael Manchester United 1
Wayne Rooney Manchester United 1
Camilo Sanvezzo Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1
Thiago Barcelona 1
José Verduzco Guadalajara 1

Media coverage

References

  1. "El Real Madrid se adjudica el World Football Challenge". AS. AS.com.
  2. "World Football Challenge Rules of Competition". MLS. Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  3. "World Football Challenge Standings". MLS. Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  4. "World Football Challenge Schedule". MLS. Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
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