2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League

The 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League is the 4th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 47th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament began on July 26, 2011 and finished with the second leg of the final April 25, 2012.[1]

2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
Tournament details
DatesJuly 26, 2011 – April 25, 2012
Teams24 (from 12 associations)
Final positions
Champions Monterrey (2nd title)
Runners-up Santos Laguna
Tournament statistics
Matches played78
Goals scored242 (3.1 per match)
Attendance674,305 (8,645 per match)
Top scorer(s) Oribe Peralta
Humberto Suazo
(7 goals each)
Best player(s) Oribe Peralta

Defending champions Monterrey won the title, and qualified as the CONCACAF representative at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup.

Qualification

Twenty-four teams participated in the 2011–12 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.[2]

Teams could be disqualified and replaced by a team from a different country if the club didn't have an available stadium that met CONCACAF regulations for safety. If a club's own stadium failed to meet the set standards then it could find a suitable replacement stadium within its own country. However, if it was still determined that the club could not provide the adequate facilities then it ran the risk of being replaced.

North America

A total of nine clubs from the North American Football Union participated in the Champions League. Mexico and the United States were allocated four spots, the most of any CONCACAF nation, while Canada was granted one spot in the tournament.

In Mexico, the winners of the Mexican Primera División Apertura and Clausura tournaments earned direct berths into the Group Stage of the Champions League, while the tournament runners-up earned berths into the Preliminary Round.

For the United States, three of its four spots were allocated through the Major League Soccer regular season and playoffs, while the fourth spot was allocated to the winner of the domestic cup competition, the U.S. Open Cup. The U.S. Open Cup winner, along with the MLS Cup runner-up, earned berths into the Preliminary Round of the tournament. The winner of the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup were given byes into the Group Stage.

The winners of Canada's domestic cup competition, the Canadian Championship, earned the lone Canadian berth into the tournament, entering in the Preliminary Round.

Central America

Twelve clubs from the Central American Football Union qualified to the Champions League. If one or more clubs was precluded, it was supplanted by a club from another Central American federation. The reallocation would be based on results from previous Champions League tournaments.

For the Central American representatives that qualified via split seasons, in nations that played a playoff to determine a national champion, the winners gained the nation's top spot. In nations that didn't utilize such methods, total points over both seasons, followed by other tiebreakers, determined which team gained the nation's top spot. The top teams from the leagues of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Panama entered the Group Stage, while their second teams entered the Preliminary Round. The two teams from the league of El Salvador and the sole representatives from the leagues of Nicaragua and Belize entered the Preliminary Round.

Caribbean

Three berths in the Champions League's Preliminary Round were allocated to the top three finishers of the CFU Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament for clubs from nations of the Caribbean Football Union. In order for a Caribbean club to qualify for the CFU Club Championship, they needed to finish as the champions (or in some cases, runners-up) in their respective nation's top league in the previous season.

If any Caribbean club was precluded, it was supplanted by the fourth-place finisher from the CFU Club Championship.

Teams

Teams in bold qualified directly for the Group Stage.

Association Club Qualifying method App Last App
North America (9 teams)
Mexico
4 berths		 Monterrey 2010 Apertura champion 2nd 2010–11
UNAM 2011 Clausura champion 3rd 2009–10
Santos Laguna 2010 Apertura runner-up 3rd 2010–11
Morelia 2011 Clausura runner-up 1st None
United States
4 berths		 Colorado Rapids MLS Cup 2010 champions 1st None
Los Angeles Galaxy 2010 MLS Supporters' Shield champion 2nd 2010–11
FC Dallas MLS Cup 2010 runners-up 1st None
Seattle Sounders FC 2010 U.S. Open Cup champions 2nd 2010–11
Canada
1 berth		 Toronto FC 2011 Canadian Championship champions 3rd 2010–11
Central America (12 teams)
Honduras
3 berths		 Real España 2010 Apertura champions 2nd 2009–10
Motagua 2011 Clausura champions 2nd 2010–11
Olimpia 2010 Apertura runner-up and 2011 Clausura runners-up1 4th 2010–11
Costa Rica
2 berths		 Alajuelense 2010 Invierno champions and 2011 Verano champions 2nd 2008–09
Herediano 2010 Invierno runners-up (runners-up with better aggregate record) 2nd 2009–10
Guatemala
2 berths		 Comunicaciones 2010 Apertura champions and 2011 Clausura champions 2nd 2009–10
Municipal 2010 Apertura runners-up and 2011 Clausura runners-up 3rd 2010–11
Panama
2 berths		 Tauro 2010 Apertura champions 3rd 2010–11
San Francisco 2011 Clausura champions 4th 2010–11
El Salvador
2 berths		 Isidro Metapán 2010 Apertura champions 4th 2010–11
Alianza 2011 Clausura champions 1st None
Nicaragua
1 berth		 Real Estelí Champions with better aggregate record in 2010–11 season 2nd 2008–09
Caribbean (3 teams)
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Islanders 2011 CFU Club Championship champions 4th 2010–11
Haiti Tempête 2011 CFU Club Championship runners-up 1st None
Guyana Alpha United 2011 CFU Club Championship third place 1st None
  • Number of appearances and last appearance count only those in the Champions League era starting from 2008–09 (not counting those in the era of the Champions' Cup from 1962 to 2008).

1 Berth originally awarded to Belize (Belize Defence Force) but Belize failed CONCACAF stadium requirements, so the spot vacated was awarded to Honduras (Olimpia) based on performance from last season.[3]

Format

Like the previous editions, the tournament is divided into three phases:[4]

  • In the Preliminary Round, 16 teams are drawn into eight two-legged home-and-away ties, with each tie containing one team from Pot A and one team from Pot B. The eight winners qualify for the Group Stage to join the eight teams which directly enter the Group Stage.
  • In the Group Stage, 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four playing in a round-robin home-and-away format, with each group containing two direct entries (one team from Pot A and one team from Pot B) and two Preliminary Round winners. The top two teams from each group advance to the Quarterfinals of the Championship Round.
  • In the Championship Round, the eight teams play in a knockout tournament, with each tie played in two-legged home-and-away format.

Teams from the same association (excluding "wildcard" teams which replace a team from another association) may not be drawn with each other in the Preliminary Round and Group Stage, but may be drawn with each other in the Championship Round, where the only restriction is that in the quarterfinals, a group winner has to be drawn with the runner-up of another group and also host the second leg.

For the two-legged ties of the Preliminary Round and Championship Round, the away goals rule is used, but not after a tie enters extra time, and so a tie is decided by penalty shootout if the aggregate score is level after extra time.

Group Stage
Pot A Monterrey UNAM Colorado Rapids Los Angeles Galaxy
Pot B Alajuelense Real España Comunicaciones Tauro
Preliminary Round
Pot A Santos Laguna Morelia FC Dallas Seattle Sounders FC
Herediano Motagua Isidro Metapán Toronto FC
Pot B Municipal San Francisco Alianza Real Estelí
Olimpia Puerto Rico Islanders Tempête Alpha United

Schedule
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary Round Preliminary May 18, 2011
(New York, USA)[5]		 July 26–28, 2011 August 2–4, 2011
Group Stage Matchday 1 August 16–18, 2011
Matchday 2 August 23–25, 2011
Matchday 3 September 13–15, 2011
Matchday 4 September 20–22, 2011
Matchday 5 September 27–29, 2011
Matchday 6 October 18–20, 2011
Championship Round Quarterfinals November 8, 2011
(New York, USA)[6]		 March 6–8, 2012 March 13–15, 2012
Semifinals March 27–29, 2012 April 3–5, 2012
Final April 17–19, 2012 April 24–26, 2012

Preliminary round
Main article: 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round

The draw for the Preliminary Round and the Group Stage was held on May 18, 2011.[7] The first legs of the Preliminary Round were played July 26–28, 2011, while the second legs were played August 2–4, 2011.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Motagua 4–2 Municipal 4–0 0–2
Morelia 7–0 Tempête 5–0 2–0
Isidro Metapán 3–3 (a) Puerto Rico Islanders 2–0 1–3
Santos Laguna 4–3 Olimpia 3–1 1–2
Alianza 0–2 FC Dallas 0–1 0–1
Toronto FC 4–2 Real Estelí 2–1 2–1
San Francisco 1–2 Seattle Sounders FC 1–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)
Herediano 10–2 Alpha United 8–0 2–2

Group stage
Main article: 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage

The Group Stage were played in 6 matchdays during August–October 2011: August 16–18, August 23–25, September 13–15, September 20–22, September 27–29, and October 18–20.[7] The top two teams of each group advanced to the Championship Round.[4]

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts LA MOR ALA MOT
Los Angeles Galaxy 6 4 0 2 8 4 +4 12[lower-alpha 1] 2–1 2–0 2–0
Morelia 6 4 0 2 11 5 +6 12[lower-alpha 1] 2–1 2–1 4–0
Alajuelense 6 4 0 2 8 6 +2 12[lower-alpha 1] 1–0 1–0 1–0
Motagua 6 0 0 6 2 14 −12 0 0–1 0–2 2–4
Source:
Notes:
  1. Tiebreakers: Los Angeles Galaxy, Morelia and Alajuelense are ranked by their head-to-head records.

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts SAN MET COL REA
Santos Laguna 6 4 1 1 16 6 +10 13 6–0 2–0 3–2
Isidro Metapán 6 3 0 3 10 15 −5 9 2–0 1–3 3–2
Colorado Rapids 6 2 1 3 9 12 −3 7 1–4 3–2 1–2
Real España 6 1 2 3 9 11 −2 5 1–1 1–2 1–1
Source:

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts UNAM TOR DAL TAU
UNAM 6 3 2 1 8 2 +6 11 4–0 0–1 1–0
Toronto FC 6 3 1 2 7 7 0 10 1–1 0–1 1–0
FC Dallas 6 2 1 3 6 11 −5 7 0–2 0–3 1–1
Tauro 6 1 2 3 7 8 −1 5 0–0 1–2 5–3
Source:

Group D
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts MON SEA COM HER
Monterrey 6 4 0 2 11 4 +7 12 0–1 3–1 1–0
Seattle Sounders FC 6 3 1 2 10 7 +3 10 1–2 4–1 0–1
Comunicaciones 6 2 1 3 8 13 −5 7 1–0 2–2 2–0
Herediano 6 2 0 4 6 11 −5 6 0–5 1–2 4–1
Source:

Championship Round
Main article: 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League Championship Round

Bracket

The draw for the Championship Round was held on November 8, 2011.[8] In the quarterfinals, the group winners were assured of playing the second leg at home, and were drawn against the group runners-up, with the only restriction being that they could not face the same team that they played in the Group Stage (and thus they could face a team from the same association).[4]

  Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                   
Morelia 1 1 2  
Monterrey 3 4 7  
  Monterrey 3 1 4  
  UNAM 0 1 1  
Isidro Metapán 2 0 2
UNAM 1 8 9  
  Monterrey 2 1 3
  Santos Laguna 0 2 2
Toronto FC 2 2 4  
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 1 3  
  Toronto FC 1 2 3
  Santos Laguna 1 6 7  
Seattle Sounders FC 2 1 3
Santos Laguna 1 6 7  

Quarter-finals

The first legs of the quarter-finals were played March 6–8, 2012, and the second legs were played March 13–15, 2012.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Seattle Sounders FC 3–7 Santos Laguna 2–1 1–6
Isidro Metapán 2–9 UNAM 2–1 0–8
Toronto FC 4–3 Los Angeles Galaxy 2–2 2–1
Morelia 2–7 Monterrey 1–3 1–4

Semi-finals

The first legs of the semi-finals were played March 28, 2012, and the second legs were played April 4, 2012.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Toronto FC 3–7 Santos Laguna 1–1 2–6
Monterrey 4–1 UNAM 3–0 1–1

Final
Main article: 2012 CONCACAF Champions League Final

The first leg of the final was played April 18, 2012, and the second leg was played April 25, 2012.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Monterrey 3–2 Santos Laguna 2–0 1–2
CONCACAF Champions League
2011–12 Champion
Monterrey
Second Title

Top goalscorers
RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Humberto Suazo Monterrey7
Oribe Peralta Santos Laguna
3 Jorge Barbosa Herediano6
Herculez Gomez Santos Laguna
Joao Plata Toronto FC
6 Darío Carreño Monterrey5
Ryan Johnson Toronto FC
Cristian Suárez Santos Laguna
9 Martín Bravo UNAM4
Aldo de Nigris Monterrey
Eduardo Herrera UNAM
Darwin Quintero Santos Laguna
Paolo Suárez Isidro Metapán

Source:[9]

Awards

For the first time, CONCACAF awarded a Golden Boot trophy to the top scorer and a Golden Ball trophy to the player of the tournament. Humberto Suazo won the Golden Boot over Oribe Peralta by the tie-breaker of scoring more goals over the two-leg final.[10] Oribe Peralta won the Golden Ball, determined by a combination of fan and media votes.[11]

References
  1. "2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League Schedule" (PDF). CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  2. "Qualifying 2011/2012". CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20.
  3. "Olimpia awarded fourth straight CCL berth". CONCACAF.com. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  4. "CONCACAF Champions League Regulations 2011/2012" (PDF). CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  5. "Champions League draw set for May 18". CONCACAF.com. April 11, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  6. "CCL Championship Round draw set for November 8". CONCACAF.com. November 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  7. "CCL draw pits Monterrey vs. Comunicaciones". CONCACAF.com. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  8. "CCL Championship Round draw held in NYC". CONCACAF.com. November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  9. "Champions League 2011/2012 — Topscorers". CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  10. "CCL - Golden Boot: Humberto Suazo (Monterrey)". CONCACAF.com.
  11. "CCL - Golden Ball: Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna)". CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
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