# 2017 CONCACAF League

The 2017 CONCACAF League (officially the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) was the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF League, a football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The tournament was created as part of a new CONCACAF club competition platform consisting of two tournaments (CONCACAF League and CONCACAF Champions League) and a total of 31 teams competing during the season (an increase from the previous 24 teams), with 16 teams competing in the CONCACAF League from August to October, and the winner of the CONCACAF League joining the 15 direct entrants competing in the CONCACAF Champions League from February to April. Details of the inaugural edition of the CONCACAF League was confirmed on 8 May 2017.
Olimpia defeated Santos de Guápiles in the final, and qualified for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.

## Qualification

A total of 16 teams participate in the CONCACAF League:
* Central American Zone: 13 teams (from six associations; ordinarily from seven associations, but Guatemalan teams were excluded from this season's tournament)
* Caribbean Zone: 3 teams (from two or three associations)
Therefore, teams from either 8 or 9 out of the 41 CONCACAF member associations may participate in the CONCACAF League.

### Central America

The 13 berths for the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) are allocated to the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: two berths for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua, and one berth for Belize.
All of the leagues of Central America employ a split season with two tournaments in one season, so the following teams qualify for the CONCACAF League:
* In the league of Costa Rica, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the non-champions with the best aggregate record, qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the non-champions with the second best aggregate record qualify.
* In the leagues of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, the champions with the worse aggregate record, and the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments), qualify. If there is any team which are finalists of both tournaments, the runners-up with the worse aggregate record qualify. If there are any two teams which are finalists of both tournaments, the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record qualify.
* In the league of Nicaragua, both champions qualify. If there is any team which are champions of both tournaments, the runners-up with the better aggregate record (or any team which are runners-up of both tournaments) qualify.
* In the league of Belize, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which are champions of both tournaments) qualify.
If teams from any Central American associations are excluded, they are replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF Champions League tournaments. For this season, the two teams from Guatemala were excluded due to the suspension of their federation by FIFA and were replaced by an additional team each from Panama and Honduras.

### Caribbean

The three berths for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) are allocated via the Caribbean Club Championship, a subcontinental tournament open to the clubs of all 31 CFU member associations. To qualify for the Caribbean Club Championship, teams have to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season, but professional teams may also be selected by their associations if they play in the league of another country.
The runners-up, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the Caribbean Club Championship qualify for the CONCACAF League.

## Teams

The following 16 teams (from eight associations) qualified for the tournament.
Qualified teams from Central America (13 teams) :
| Association | Team | Qualifying method |
| Costa Rica (2 berths) | Alajuelense | Non-champions with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season |
| Costa Rica (2 berths) | Santos de Guápiles | Non-champions with 2nd best aggregate record in 2016–17 season |
| Honduras (2 + 1 berths) | Honduras Progreso | Runners-up with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2017 Clausura) |
| Honduras (2 + 1 berths) | Platense | Runners-up with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura) |
| Honduras (2 + 1 berths) | Olimpia | Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura) |
| Panama (2 + 1 berths) | Árabe Unido | Champions with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura) |
| Panama (2 + 1 berths) | Plaza Amador | 2016 Apertura runners-up |
| Panama (2 + 1 berths) | Chorrillo | Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura) |
| El Salvador (2 berths) | Alianza | 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura runners-up |
| El Salvador (2 berths) | Águila | Semi-finalists with best aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura) |
| Nicaragua (2 berths) | Real Estelí | 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura champions |
| Nicaragua (2 berths) | Walter Ferretti | 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura runners-up |
| Belize (1 berth) | Belmopan Bandits | 2016 Opening and 2017 Closing champions |
Qualified teams from Caribbean (3 teams) :
| Association | Team | Qualifying method |
| Trinidad and Tobago | San Juan Jabloteh | 2017 Caribbean Club Championship runners-up |
| Jamaica | Portmore United | 2017 Caribbean Club Championship third place |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Central | 2017 Caribbean Club Championship fourth place |

### Notes

* ^ Costa Rica (CRC): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Costa Rica passed to the non-champions with the second best aggregate record, Santos de Guápiles.
* ^ Guatemala (GUA): On 28 October 2016, FIFA suspended the National Football Federation of Guatemala for political interference by the Government of Guatemala. Until the suspension is lifted, Guatemalan teams are not permitted to participate in international competitions. CONCACAF set the deadline of 1 May 2017 for the suspension to be lifted in order for Guatemala's teams to participate in this season's tournaments, and expelled all Guatemalan teams on 5 May 2017 after the federation failed to be reinstated by FIFA. The two Guatemalan teams which would have qualified for the CONCACAF League were: Antigua GFC, champions with worse aggregate record in 2016–17 season (2016 Apertura champions) Guastatoya, 2017 Clausura runners-up Moreover, Municipal (2017 Clausura champions and 2016 Apertura runners-up) would have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League as champions with better aggregate record in 2016–17 season, and Herediano, which would have qualified for the first Costa Rican berth in the CONCACAF League, were moved from the CONCACAF League to the CONCACAF Champions League to replace them. As a result, the three vacated berths were replaced by teams from Costa Rica (Santos de Guápiles), Honduras (Olimpia), and Panama (Chorrillo), all entering the CONCACAF League as "wild card" teams, based on the performance of the Central American associations in the last five years, giving Honduras and Panama three berths each.
* ^ Honduras (HON): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Honduras passed to the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record, Olimpia.
* ^ Panama (PAN): The "wild card" berth reallocated from Guatemala to Panama passed to the semi-finalists with the best aggregate record, Chorrillo.

## Draw

The draw for the 2017 CONCACAF League was held on 31 May 2017, 19:00 EDT (UTC−4), at the Hilton Miami Airport Hotel in Miami, Florida, United States, and was streamed on YouTube.
The draw determined each tie in the round of 16 (numbered 1 through 8) between a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, each containing eight teams. The "Bracket Position Pots" (Pot A and Pot B) contained the bracket positions numbered 1 through 8 corresponding to each tie. The teams from Pot 1 were assigned a bracket position from Pot A and the teams from Pot 2 were assigned a bracket position from Pot B. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other in the round of 16 except for "wildcard" teams which replaced a team from another association.
The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:
| Pot | Slot | Team |
| Pot 1 | CRC3 | Alajuelense |
| Pot 1 | PAN2 | Árabe Unido |
| Pot 1 | PAN3 | Plaza Amador |
| Pot 1 | HON2 | Honduras Progreso |
| Pot 1 | SLV2 | Alianza |
| Pot 1 | NCA1 | Real Estelí |
| Pot 1 | BLZ1 | Belmopan Bandits |
| Pot 1 | CFU2 | San Juan Jabloteh |
| Pot 2 | CRC4 | Santos de Guápiles (wildcard) |
| Pot 2 | PAN4 | Chorrillo (wildcard) |
| Pot 2 | HON3 | Platense |
| Pot 2 | HON4 | Olimpia (wildcard) |
| Pot 2 | SLV3 | Águila |
| Pot 2 | NCA2 | Walter Ferretti |
| Pot 2 | CFU3 | Portmore United |
| Pot 2 | CFU4 | Central |

## Format

In the CONCACAF League, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations, II. D. Tie-Breaker Procedures).

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.
| | First leg | Second leg |
| Round of 16 | 1–3 August 2017 | 8–10 August 2017 |
| Quarter-finals | 15–17 August 2017 | 22–24 August 2017 |
| Semi-finals | 13–14 September 2017 | 21 September 2017 |
| Final | 19 October 2017 | 26 October 2017 |
All times were Eastern Daylight Time, i.e., UTC−4 (local times were in parentheses).

## Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Santos de Guápiles | 6 | 2 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Juan Jabloteh | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Juan Jabloteh | 2 | 1 | 3 | Chorrillo | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Santos de Guápiles | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Chorrillo | 1 | 1 | 2 | Santos de Guápiles | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Honduras Progreso | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Honduras Progreso | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | Árabe Unido | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Santos de Guápiles | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Central | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | Santos de Guápiles | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Árabe Unido | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Árabe Unido | 2 | 3 | 5 | Águila | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Árabe Unido | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Águila (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | Árabe Unido | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Real Estelí | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Real Estelí | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | | | | | | | | | | Olimpia (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (4) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Santos de Guápiles | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) |
| Olimpia | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Santos de Guápiles | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) |
| Alajuelense | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Alajuelense | 0 | 0 | 0 | Alianza | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Olimpia | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Platense | 1 | 1 | 2 | Olimpia | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Alianza | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Alianza | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | Plaza Amador | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Olimpia | 7 | 1 | 8 | | | | | |
| Portmore United | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | | | | | | | | | Olimpia | 7 | 1 | 8 | | | | | |
| Plaza Amador (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (5) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Plaza Amador (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (5) | Walter Ferretti | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Plaza Amador | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Walter Ferretti | 4 | 1 | 5 | Plaza Amador | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Belmopan Bandits | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Round of 16

In the round of 16, the matchups were decided by draw: R16-1 through R16-8. The teams from Pot 1 in the draw hosted the second leg.

### Summary

The first legs were played on 1–3 August, and the second legs were played on 8–10 August 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Santos de Guápiles | 8–3 | San Juan Jabloteh | 6–2 | 2–1 |
| Chorrillo | 2–0 | Honduras Progreso | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Central | 1–5 | Árabe Unido | 1–2 | 0–3 |
| Águila | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Real Estelí | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Olimpia | 3–0 | Alajuelense | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Platense | 2–4 | Alianza | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Portmore United | 1–1 (4–5 p) | Plaza Amador | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Walter Ferretti | 5–1 | Belmopan Bandits | 4–1 | 1–0 |

### Matches

Santos de Guápiles won 8–3 on aggregate.
Chorrillo won 2–0 on aggregate.
Árabe Unido won 5–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Águila won 4–3 on penalties.
Olimpia won 3–0 on aggregate.
Alianza won 4–2 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Plaza Amador won 5–4 on penalties.
Walter Ferretti won 5–1 on aggregate.

## Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:
* QF1: Winner R16-1 vs. Winner R16-2
* QF2: Winner R16-3 vs. Winner R16-4
* QF3: Winner R16-5 vs. Winner R16-6
* QF4: Winner R16-7 vs. Winner R16-8
The winners of round of 16 matchups 1, 3, 5, 7 hosted the second leg.

### Summary

The first legs were played on 15–17 August, and the second legs were played on 22–24 August 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Chorrillo | 0–2 | Santos de Guápiles | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Águila | 1–2 | Árabe Unido | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Alianza | 2–3 | Olimpia | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Walter Ferretti | 1–2 | Plaza Amador | 0–0 | 1–2 |

### Matches

Santos de Guápiles won 2–0 on aggregate.
Árabe Unido won 2–1 on aggregate.
Olimpia won 3–2 on aggregate.
Plaza Amador won 2–1 on aggregate.

## Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the matchups were determined as follows:
* SF1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2
* SF2: Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4
The semi-finalists in each tie which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Host |
| 1 (SF1) | Santos de Guápiles | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | 2nd leg |
| 2 (SF1) | Árabe Unido | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | 1st leg |
| 1 (SF2) | Olimpia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | 2nd leg |
| 2 (SF2) | Plaza Amador | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 7 | 1st leg |

### Summary

The first legs were played on 13–14 September, and the second legs were played on 21 September 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Árabe Unido | 0–1 | Santos de Guápiles | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Plaza Amador | 2–8 | Olimpia | 1–7 | 1–1 |

### Matches

Santos de Guápiles won 1–0 on aggregate.
Olimpia won 8–2 on aggregate.

## Final

In the final (Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2), the finalists which had the better performance in previous rounds hosted the second leg.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Host |
| 1 | Santos de Guápiles | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 16 | 2nd leg |
| 2 | Olimpia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | 1st leg |

### Summary

The first leg was played on 19 October, and the second leg was played on 26 October 2017.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Olimpia | 1–1 (4–1 p) | Santos de Guápiles | 0–1 | 1–0 |

### Matches

1–1 on aggregate. Olimpia won 4–1 on penalties.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round |
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | 1R1 | 1R2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 |
| 1 | Roger Rojas | Olimpia | 5 | | 1 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | | |
| 2 | Carlo Costly | Olimpia | 4 | 1 | | | 2 | 1 | | | |
| 2 | Carlos Small | Árabe Unido | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Michaell Chirinos | Olimpia | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | 1 |
| 4 | Bernardo Laureiro | Walter Ferretti | 3 | 2 | | | 1 | | | | |
| 4 | Rodolfo Zelaya | Alianza | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 7 | Renán Addles | Árabe Unido | 2 | | 2 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Kenny Cunningham | Santos de Guápiles | 2 | 1 | | | | | 1 | | |
| 7 | Starling Matarrita | Santos de Guápiles | 2 | 1 | | | 1 | | | | |
| 7 | José Murillo | Plaza Amador | 2 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | |
| 7 | Osvaldo Rodríguez | Santos de Guápiles | 2 | 1 | | 1 | | | | | |
Source:CONCACAF

## Awards

| Award | Player | Team |
| Golden Ball | Michaell Chirinos | Olimpia |
| Golden Boot | Roger Rojas | Olimpia |
| Golden Glove | Bryan Morales | Santos de Guápiles |
| Best Young Player | Kevin Álvarez | Olimpia |
| Fair Play Award | — | Santos de Guápiles |
Best XI :
| Position | Player | Team |
| GK | Bryan Morales | Santos de Guápiles |
| DF | Youstin Salas | Santos de Guápiles |
| DF | Kevin Álvarez | Olimpia |
| DF | Juan Diego Madrigal | Santos de Guápiles |
| DF | Edder Monguio | Santos de Guápiles |
| MF | Alexander López | Olimpia |
| MF | Wílmer Azofeifa | Santos de Guápiles |
| MF | Michaell Chirinos | Olimpia |
| MF | Kenny Cunningham | Santos de Guápiles |
| FW | Roger Rojas | Olimpia |
| FW | Carlos Small | Árabe Unido |