2015 CONCACAF Champions League Finals

2015 CONCACAF Champions League Finals

Event	2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
América Montreal Impact 5 3
on aggregate
First leg
América Montreal Impact 1 1
Date	April 22, 2015
Venue	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Referee	Héctor Rodríguez (Honduras)
Attendance	56,783
Second leg
Montreal Impact América 2 4
Date	April 29, 2015
Venue	Olympic Stadium, Montreal
Referee	Henry Bejarano (Costa Rica)
Attendance	61,004

The 2015 CONCACAF Champions League Finals 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.

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 finals

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 v Montreal Impact

April 22, 2015 20:00 UTC−5

América	1–1	Montreal Impact
Peralta  88'	Report	Piatti  16'

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance: 56,783[9][10][11] Referee: Héctor Rodríguez (Honduras)

América

Montreal Impact

GK 23 Moisés Muñoz DF 22 Paul Aguilar  89' DF 4 Erik Pimentel DF 12 Pablo Aguilar DF 6 Miguel Samudio MF 5 Cristian Pellerano  70' MF 10 Osvaldo Martínez  45'  46' MF 11 Michael Arroyo MF 14 Rubens Sambueza (c) FW 3 Carlos Quintero FW 9 Darío Benedetto  80' Substitutions: GK 1 Hugo González MF 8 Moisés Velasco DF 15 Osmar Mares MF 21 José Guerrero  70' FW 24 Oribe Peralta  46' FW 28 Martín Zúñiga  80' DF 30 Zaid Veyna Manager: Gustavo Matosas

GK 1 Evan Bush  89' DF 6 Hassoun Camara  66' DF 5 Bakary Soumaré DF 23 Laurent Ciman DF 25 Donny Toia MF 15 Andrés Romero  88' MF 14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c)  75' MF 16 Calum Mallace MF 11 Dilly Duka  71'  71' FW 10 Ignacio Piatti  16' FW 7 Dominic Oduro Substitutions: DF 3 Eric Miller  66' MF 8 Patrice Bernier  75' DF 51 Maxim Tissot  71' MF 55 Wandrille Lefèvre FW 99 Jack McInerney GK 41 John Smits FW 13 Kenny Cooper Manager: Frank Klopas

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, hosted the first leg.

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 Carlos 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 v América

April 29, 2015 20:00 UTC−4

Montreal Impact	2–4	América
Romero  8' McInerney  88'	Report	Benedetto  50', 67', 81' Peralta  65'

Olympic Stadium, Montreal Attendance: 61,004[14] Referee: Henry Bejarano (Costa Rica)

Montreal Impact

América

GK 30 Kristian Nicht DF 14 Nigel Reo-Coker (c) DF 5 Bakary Soumaré  25' DF 23 Laurent Ciman  63' DF 25 Donny Toia  70' MF 15 Andrés Romero  36' MF 16 Calum Mallace  78' MF 10 Ignacio Piatti MF 33 Marco Donadel  67' MF 11 Dilly Duka FW 7 Dominic Oduro  69' Substitutions: GK 40 Maxime Crépeau DF 51 Maxim Tissot  70' DF 3 Eric Miller MF 8 Patrice Bernier  78' MF 55 Wandrille Lefèvre FW 99 Jack McInerney  67' FW 13 Kenny Cooper Manager: Frank Klopas

GK 23 Moisés Muñoz DF 22 Paul Aguilar DF 17 Ventura Alvarado DF 12 Pablo Aguilar  34' DF 6 Miguel Samudio MF 3 Carlos Quintero  82' MF 21 José Guerrero  28' MF 10 Osvaldo Martínez  36' MF 14 Rubens Sambueza (c)  87' FW 24 Oribe Peralta  84' FW 9 Darío Benedetto  67' Substitutions: GK 1 Hugo González DF 4 Erik Pimentel DF 15 Osmar Mares  87' MF 5 Cristian Pellerano MF 11 Michael Arroyo  84' FW 27 José Antonio Madueña  82' FW 28 Martín Zúñiga Manager: Gustavo Matosas

Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, hosted the second leg.

References

External links

• CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF.com