2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

The 2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, also known as the 2002 FC Champions Cup, was the 37th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It featured a league format with 16 clubs. As part of the expansion, the quarterfinal stage for the current Champions Cup was moved to the first months of the 2002. Those clubs that had already qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the 2001 CONCACAF Champions' Cup were moved directly into the new league format.

2002 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Tournament details
DatesFebruary 3 – September 18
Teams16 (from 7 associations)
Final positions
Champions Pachuca (1st title)
Runners-up Monarcas Morelia
Tournament statistics
Matches played29
Goals scored74 (2.55 per match)
Top scorer(s) Alex Fernandes
Juan Arango
(4 goals)

To facilitate the shift to the new cycle of qualifying rounds in the latter half of one year and the league stage in the first half of the following, the decision was taken to use the current competition as the transition period and fold those clubs already qualified into the league format.

In addition, the winner and runner-up of the 2001 CONCACAF Giants Cup (Club América and D.C. United) was also merged into the first edition to provide both of those clubs the opportunity to compete for a spot in the 2003 FIFA Club World Championship, as they would have done under the previous competition system. This was convenient, as one of the qualifying MLS teams, Miami Fusion F.C., was folded after the 2001 season despite winning the MLS Supporters' Shield that year.

Club Comunicaciones, Tauro FC and Alajuelense, were elected as the top Central American non-qualifiers for the 2001 CONCACAF Champions Cup and finally the 2001 MLS Cup champions San Jose Earthquakes and the Mexican 2001 Invierno season champions Pachuca.

Originally, 4 groups of 4 teams each, to be drawn in December or January, were planned, but at the end of November, CONCACAF changed plans once again and decided to play the tournament in a two-legs knock-out format, without a group stage.

Because of this, the tournament's name was changed from CONCACAF Champions League back to CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The two finalists were supposed to qualify for the cancelled 2003 FIFA World Club Championship.

C.F. Pachuca won the tournament, their first in club history, against Monarcas Morelia in the final.[1]

Qualified teams

North American zone

Morelia – 2000 Invierno champion
Pachuca – 2001 Invierno champion
Santos Laguna – 2001 Verano champion
Club América – 2001 Giants Cup champion
Kansas City Wizards – 2000 MLS Cup champion and 2000 MLS Supporters' Shield winner
Chicago Fire – 2000 MLS Cup runner-up
San Jose Earthquakes – 2001 MLS Cup champion
D.C. United – 2001 Giants Cup runner-up

Central American zone

Municipal – UNCAF champion
Saprissa – UNCAF runner-up
Olimpia – UNCAF third place
Comunicaciones – UNCAF fourth place
Tauro – UNCAF semifinal qualifier
Alajuelense – UNCAF semifinal qualifier

Caribbean zone

Defence Force – 2001 CFU Club Championship finalist
W Connection – 2001 CFU Club Championship finalist

Bracket
  First knockout round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                         
  Morelia 2 1 3  
  Saprissa 0 1 1  
    Morelia 2 1 3  
    Chicago Fire 0 2 2  
  Municipal 0 0 0
  Chicago Fire 1 2 3  
    Morelia 6 1 7  
    Kansas City Wizards 1 1 2  
  Tauro 1 2 3  
  Santos Laguna 1 4 5  
    Santos Laguna 2 0 2
    Kansas City Wizards 1 2 3  
  W Connection 0 0 0
  Kansas City Wizards 1 2 3  
    Morelia 0
    Pachuca 1
 Comunicaciones 4 1 5  
 D.C. United 0 2 2  
    Comunicaciones 2 0 2
    Alajuelense 3 3 6  
 Alajuelense 1 2 3
 Club América 0 0 0  
    Alajuelense 2 0 2
    Pachuca 1 2 3  
 Defence Force 1 0 1  
 Pachuca 0 4 4  
    Pachuca 3 0 3
    S.J. Earthquakes 0 1 1  
 Olimpia 0 1 1
 S.J. Earthquakes 1 3 4  

First round

First leg and Second leg matches were played between February 3, 2002 and March 27, 2002.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
LD Alajuelense 3–0 Club América 1–0 2–0
Comunicaciones 5–2 D.C. United 4–0 1–2
C.F. Pachuca 4–1 Defence Force 0–1 4–0
San Jose Earthquakes 4–1 Olimpia 1–0 3–1
Monarcas Morelia 3–1 Deportivo Saprissa 2–0 1–1
Municipal 0–3 Chicago Fire 0–1 0–2
Tauro F.C. 3–5 Santos Laguna 1–1 2–4
W Connection 0–3 Kansas City Wizards 0–1 0–2

Quarterfinals

First leg and Second leg matches were played between April 14, 2002 and April 24, 2002.

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Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Comunicaciones 2–6 LD Alajuelense 2–3 0–3
C.F. Pachuca 3–1 San Jose Earthquakes 3–0 0–1
Monarcas Morelia 3–2 Chicago Fire 2–0 1–2
Santos Laguna 2–3 Kansas City Wizards 2–1 0–2

Semifinals

First leg and Second leg matches were played between August 7, 2002 and August 28, 2002.

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Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
LD Alajuelense 2–3 Pachuca 2–1 0–2
Monarcas Morelia 7–2 Kansas City Wizards 6–1 1–1

Final
Morelia 0–1 Pachuca
Report  48' Silvani
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Felipe Ramos Rizo

Champions
CONCACAF Champions' Cup
2002 Winners
C.F. Pachuca
First Title

Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Alex Fernandes Monarcas Morelia 4
Juan Arango C.F. Pachuca 4
3 Dema Kovalenko Chicago Fire 3
Milton Núñez Comunicaciones 3
Eduardo Lillingston Santos Laguna 3
6 Pedro Jiménez Santos Laguna 2
Sandro Alfaro LD Alajuelense 2
Erick Jimenez LD Alajuelense 2
Chris Brown Kansas City Wizards 2
Wilmer Lopez LD Alajuelense 2
Franz Torres Monarcas Morelia 2
Antonio Gonzalez Monarcas Morelia 2
Andrés Chitiva C.F. Pachuca 2
Sergio Santana C.F. Pachuca 2
Walter Silvani C.F. Pachuca 2
22 Various 1

References
  1. http://www.concacaf.com/viewCompetition.aspx?id=61%5B%5D
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