1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | United States |
| City | Washington, D.C. |
| Dates | 13 August – 24 August |
| Teams | 8 (from 6 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Cruz Azul (5th title) |
| Runners-up |
 Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Goals scored | 27 (3.38 per match) |
The 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 33rd 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 determined that year's club champion of association football in the CONCACAF region.
The teams were split into 3 zones (North, Central and Caribbean). The North American zone qualified 3 teams direct into the quarterfinals and 2 teams played a play-off to get a 4th spot in the quarterfinals. The Central American zone played a regional tournament to get 3 spots in the quarterfinal. The winner of the Caribbean zone got a place in the quarterfinals.
1997 was the first year that teams from the United States' premier league, Major League Soccer, took part in the Champions' Cup. The competitors in the MLS Cup, both winner and runner-up, were each given berths in the tournament.
All but two of the eight games played in the final tournament were played in Washington, D.C.. The final was won by Cruz Azul, who captured their fifth Champions' Cup title with a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy.[1]
Preliminary Regional playoffs
North American Zone
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
4 - 1 | Santos Laguna
|
- Los Angeles Galaxy advance to the quarterfinal.
Central American Zone
Preliminary Round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A.F.C. Euro Kickers  |
5 - 6 |  Diriangén FC |
4 - 2 | 1 - 4 |
First Round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CS Cartaginés  |
9 - 2 | Tauro |
5 - 0 | 4 - 2 |
FAS  |
2 - 2 3-5 (pen) |
 CSD Comunicaciones |
1 - 1 | 1 - 1 |
| Xelajú MC |
2 - 0 |  Real Verdes |
0 - 0 | 2 - 0 |
| Juventus |
4 - 2 |  Real CD España |
0 - 1 | 4 - 1 |
| Luis Ángel Firpo |
4 - 1 | Olimpia |
0 - 0 | 4 - 1 |
| Diriangén FC |
4 - 5 | Alajuelense |
3 - 2 | 1 - 3 |
Second Round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juventus |
2 - 8 | CSD Comunicaciones |
0 - 3 | 2 - 5 |
| Xelajú MC |
2 - 3 | C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo |
2 - 1 | 0 - 2 |
| CS Cartaginés |
4 - 1 | L.D. Alajuelense |
0 - 0 | 4 - 1 |
- Comunicaciones, Luis Ángel Firpo and Cartaginés advance to the quarterfinal.
Caribbean Zone
Group 1
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
L'Etoile de Morne-à-l'Eau  |
0 - 0 |  Notre Dame SC
|
United Petrotrin  |
2 - 0 |  Omai Gold Seekers
|
| Omai Gold Seekers |
0 - 2 | Notre Dame SC
|
| United Petrotrin |
7 - 1 | L'Etoile de Morne-à-l'Eau
|
| Omai Gold Seekers |
1 - 1 | L'Etoile de Morne-à-l'Eau
|
| United Petrotrin |
5 - 0 | Notre Dame SC
|
Group 2
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
SV Transvaal  |
1 - 0 |  Stubborn Youth SC
|
Seba United  |
2 - 0 | Club Franciscain
|
| Club Franciscain |
1 - 0 | SV Transvaal
|
| Seba United |
5 - 1 | Stubborn Youth SC
|
| Club Franciscain |
3 - 2 | Stubborn Youth SC
|
| Seba United |
2 - 0 | SV Transvaal
|
Qualifying playoff
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| United Petrotrin |
2 - 1 | Seba United
|
- United Petrotrin advance to the quarterfinal.
Quarterfinal Qualified teams
North American zone
- Major League Soccer: D.C. United - 1996 MLS Cup winner Los Angeles Galaxy - 1996 MLS Cup Runner Up
- Primera División de México: Guadalajara - 1997 Verano winner Cruz Azul - 1997 Invierno winner
Central American zone
- Central American Qualifiers: C.S. Cartaginés - Second Round Series winner C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo - Second Round Series winner CSD Comunicaciones - Second Round Series winner
Caribbean zone
- Caribbean Football Union (CFU): United Petrotrin - 1997 CFU Club Championship winner
Bracket
| Quarterinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| D.C. United |
1 | |||||||||
| United Petrotrin |
0 | |||||||||
| D.C. United |
0 | |||||||||
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
1 | |||||||||
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
2 | |||||||||
| Luis Ángel Firpo |
0 | |||||||||
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
3 | |||||||||
| Cruz Azul |
5 | |||||||||
| Guadalajara |
1 | |||||||||
| Cartaginés |
0 | |||||||||
| Guadalajara |
2 | Third place | ||||||||
| Cruz Azul |
3 | |||||||||
| Cruz Azul |
5 | |||||||||
| D.C. United |
2 | |||||||||
| Comunicaciones |
0 | |||||||||
| Guadalajara |
2 | |||||||||
Quarterfinals
1997-08-12 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
2 – 0 | C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo |
|---|---|---|
Welton  45'Hurtado 78' |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
1997-08-12 |
| D.C. United |
1 – 0 | United Petrotrin |
|---|---|---|
| Etcheverry 84' |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
Semifinals
1997-08-22 |
| D.C. United |
0 – 1 | Los Angeles Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Jones 10' |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
1997-08-22 |
| Guadalajara |
2 – 3 | Cruz Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Sánchez 86' (pen.) Martínez 90' |
Sánchez 26' (OG) Yegros 36'Adomaitis 77' |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
Third Place Match
1997-08-24 |
| D.C. United |
2 – 2 | Guadalajara |
|---|---|---|
| Díaz Arce 40' Iroha 89' |
Acosta 55' Sánchez 86' (pen.) |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
- Third place was shared.
Final
1997-08-24 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy |
3 – 5 | Cruz Azul |
|---|---|---|
| Hurtado 8', 14' Campos 78' |
Galindo 30' (pen.) Rodríguez 31'Adomaitis 36'Hermosillo 62', 66' |
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C. - United States |
Champion
| CONCACAF Champions' Cup 1997 Winners |
|---|
|
| Deportivo Cruz Azul Fifth Title |
References
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