2015 CONCACAF Champions League Final

The 2015 CONCACAF Champions League Final was the final of the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, the 7th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 50th edition of the premium football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

2015 CONCACAF Champions League Final
Event2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
América Montreal Impact
5 3
on aggregate
First leg
América Montreal Impact
1 1
DateApril 22, 2015
VenueEstadio Azteca, Mexico City
RefereeHéctor Rodríguez (Honduras)
Attendance56,783
Second leg
Montreal Impact América
2 4
DateApril 29, 2015
VenueOlympic Stadium, Montreal
RefereeHenry Bejarano (Costa Rica)
Attendance61,004

The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Mexican team América and Canadian team Montreal Impact. The first leg was hosted by América at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on April 22, 2015, while the second leg was hosted by Montreal Impact at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on April 29, 2015.[1] The winner earned the right to represent CONCACAF at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the quarterfinal stage.[2]

After a 1–1 first leg,[3] América won the second leg 4–2 to win their sixth overall CONCACAF club title.[4]

Background

For only the second time in seven seasons of the CONCACAF Champions League, the final featured a non-Mexican team, with the only previous occasion where it was not an all-Mexican final being in 2011, where Real Salt Lake lost to Monterrey.[5][6]

This was the first final of América in the CONCACAF Champions League era, but they had won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup title five times (1977, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2006). They were aiming to equal Cruz Azul's record of six CONCACAF club titles which was set in last year's final.

Montreal Impact was the first Canadian team to reach a CONCACAF club final. They were aiming to become the first non-Mexican team to win in the CONCACAF Champions League era, and the third Major League Soccer team to win the CONCACAF club title after D.C. United (1998) and LA Galaxy (2000).

Road to the final
Further information: 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

América Round Montreal Impact
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
Bye Matchday 1 FAS 1–0 (H)
Puerto Rico Bayamón 6–1 (H) Matchday 2 FAS 3–2 (A)
Comunicaciones 1–1 (A) Matchday 3 Bye
Puerto Rico Bayamón 10–1 (A) Matchday 4 New York Red Bulls 1–0 (H)
Bye Matchday 5 Bye
Comunicaciones 2–0 (H) Matchday 6 New York Red Bulls 1–1 (A)
Group 8 winner
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 América 4 3 1 0 19 3 +16 10 Advance to championship stage
2 Comunicaciones 4 2 1 1 8 3 +5 7
3 Puerto Rico Bayamón 4 0 0 4 2 23 −21 0
Source: CONCACAF
 Final standings Group 3 winner
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Montreal Impact 4 3 1 0 6 3 +3 10 Advance to championship stage
2 New York Red Bulls 4 1 2 1 3 2 +1 5
3 FAS 4 0 1 3 2 6 −4 1
Source: CONCACAF
Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg Championship stage Opponent Agg. 1st leg 2nd leg
Saprissa 5–0 3–0 (A) 2–0 (H) Quarterfinals Pachuca 3–3 (a) 2–2 (A) 1–1 (H)
Herediano 6–3 0–3 (A) 6–0 (H) Semifinals Alajuelense 4–4 (a) 2–0 (H) 2–4 (A)

Rules

The final was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. The away goals rule would be used if the aggregate score was level after normal time of the second leg, but not after extra time, and so the final would be decided by penalty shoot-out if the aggregate score was level after extra time of the second leg.[2]

Matches

First leg

Montreal Impact took the lead in the 16th minute after Ignacio Piatti received a pass from Dominic Oduro to shoot home inside the penalty area. América equalized in the 89th minute, as half-time substitute Oribe Peralta, who was subbed on for Martinez, headed in Rubens Sambueza's free kick. Shortly after the equalizer, Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball Paul Aguilar, however, replays show that Aguilar jumped in front of the ball as Bush was kicking it away. Aguilar then proceeded to punch Bush in the face, which went unpunished. This yellow card was crucial, as it suspended Bush for the second leg of the final.[3][7][8]

América 1–1 Montreal Impact
Peralta  88' Report Piatti  16'
Attendance: 56,783[9][10][11]
América
Montreal Impact
GK23 Moisés Muñoz
DF22 Paul Aguilar 89'
DF4 Erik Pimentel
DF12 Pablo Aguilar
DF6 Miguel Samudio
MF5 Cristian Pellerano 70'
MF10 Osvaldo Martínez 45' 46'
MF11 Michael Arroyo
MF14 Rubens Sambueza (c)
FW3 Darwin Quintero
FW9 Darío Benedetto 80'
Substitutions:
GK1 Hugo González
MF8 Moisés Velasco
DF15 Osmar Mares
MF21 José Guerrero 70'
FW24 Oribe Peralta 46'
FW28 Martín Zúñiga 80'
DF30 Zaid Veyna
Manager:
Gustavo Matosas
GK1 Evan Bush 89'
DF6 Hassoun Camara 66'
DF5 Bakary Soumaré
DF23 Laurent Ciman
DF25 Donny Toia
MF15 Andrés Romero 88'
MF14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c) 75'
MF16 Calum Mallace
MF11 Dilly Duka 71' 71'
FW10 Ignacio Piatti 16'
FW7 Dominic Oduro
Substitutions:
DF3 Eric Miller 66'
MF8 Patrice Bernier 75'
DF51 Maxim Tissot 71'
MF55 Wandrille Lefèvre
FW99 Jack McInerney
GK41 John Smits
FW13 Kenny Cooper
Manager:
Frank Klopas
Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, hosted the first leg.

Assistant referees:[12]
Cristian Ramírez (Honduras)
Oscar Velásquez (Honduras)
Fourth official:
Armando Castro (Honduras)

Second leg

Montreal Impact took the lead in the 8th minute, after Andrés Romero received Ignacio Piatti's pass, dribbled on goal and scored. Darío Benedetto had a golden chance just a few minutes later when he had a seemingly open goal from 4 yards out, but his shot hit the crossbar and the Impact cleared the ball away. Piatti had a great chance to extend the lead for Montreal midway through the first half, but Moisés Muñoz made a great save for Club America. The lead lasted until the 50th minute, as Darío Benedetto equalized for América with a scissor kick from Osvaldo Martínez's cross. América took the lead in the 65th minute, when Darwin Quintero headed the ball across goal for Oribe Peralta to head it in. Benedetto increased América's lead two minutes later as he stabbed in a cross from Miguel Samudio, and completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute with a curling shot after another assist from Quintero. Jack McInerney added a consolation goal in the 88th minute as he scored from Piatti's pass.[4][13]

Montreal Impact 2–4 América
Romero  8'
McInerney  88'		 Report Benedetto  50', 67', 81'
Peralta  65'
Attendance: 61,004[14]
Montreal Impact
América
GK30 Kristian Nicht
DF14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c)
DF5 Bakary Soumaré 25'
DF23 Laurent Ciman 63'
DF25 Donny Toia 70'
MF15 Andrés Romero 36'
MF16 Calum Mallace 78'
MF10 Ignacio Piatti
MF33 Marco Donadel 67'
MF11 Dilly Duka
FW7 Dominic Oduro 69'
Substitutions:
GK40 Maxime Crépeau
DF51 Maxim Tissot 70'
DF3 Eric Miller
MF8 Patrice Bernier 78'
MF55 Wandrille Lefèvre
FW99 Jack McInerney 67'
FW13 Kenny Cooper
Manager:
Frank Klopas
GK23 Moisés Muñoz
DF22 Paul Aguilar
DF17 Ventura Alvarado
DF12 Pablo Aguilar 34'
DF6 Miguel Samudio
MF3 Darwin Quintero 82'
MF21 José Guerrero 28'
MF10 Osvaldo Martínez 36'
MF14 Rubens Sambueza (c) 87'
FW24 Oribe Peralta 84'
FW9 Darío Benedetto 67'
Substitutions:
GK1 Hugo González
DF4 Erik Pimentel
DF15 Osmar Mares 87'
MF5 Cristian Pellerano
MF11 Michael Arroyo 84'
FW27 José Madueña 82'
FW28 Martín Zúñiga
Manager:
Gustavo Matosas
Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hosted the second leg.

Assistant referees:[15]
Leonel Leal (Costa Rica)
Octavio Jara (Costa Rica)
Fourth official:
Jefrrey Solís (Costa Rica)

References
  1. "Scotiabank CCL final dates, times set". CONCACAF.com. April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  2. "CONCACAF Champions League 2014–15 Regulations" (PDF). CONCACAF.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  3. "Peralta lifts Club America to draw with Montreal". CONCACAF.com. April 22, 2015.
  4. "Club America wins SCCL title". CONCACAF.com. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  5. "SCCL finals at a glance". CONCACAF.com. April 20, 2015.
  6. "SCCL final facts & figures". CONCACAF.com. April 21, 2015.
  7. http://www.mlssoccer.com/ccl/news/article/2015/04/27/champions-league-montreal-looking-all-options-keeper-evan-bush-fumes-over-cc
  8. "Club América vs Montreal Impact Highlights". Youtube. April 22, 2015.
  9. http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/index.php?/page/articles.html/_/24th-minute/best-concacaf-champions-leaguecup-of-all-time-r5219
  10. http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2015/04/bleu-blanc-noir-mosaic-wednesday-night
  11. http://m.terra.com.mx/noticia?n=2cfe3c164ff932addb9ce04cf12feddav1jsRCRD
  12. "Cuarteto arbitral de Honduras designado para el partido de ida de la Final de la SCCL" (in Spanish). UNCAF. April 19, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  13. "Montreal Impact vs Club América Highlights". Youtube. April 29, 2015.
  14. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/impacts-concacaf-champions-league-trophy-chances-dashed-after-home-defeat/article24178935/
  15. "Cuarteto arbitral de Costa Rica designado para el partido final de la SCCL" (in Spanish). UNCAF. April 17, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
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