# 2019 CONCACAF Champions League

The 2019 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2019 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 54th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Monterrey defeated UANL 2–1 on aggregate in the final to win their fourth title. As the winners of the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, they qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. Guadalajara were the title holders, but did not qualify for this tournament and were unable to defend their title.

## Qualification

A total of 16 teams participated in the CONCACAF Champions League:
* North American Zone: 9 teams (from three associations)
* Central American Zone: 5 teams (from five associations)
* Caribbean Zone: 1 team (from one association)
* Winners of the CONCACAF League (from one association, from either Central American Zone or Caribbean Zone)
Therefore, teams from either 9 or 10 out of the 41 CONCACAF member associations could participate in the CONCACAF Champions League.

### North America

The nine berths for the North American Football Union (NAFU) were allocated to the three NAFU member associations as follows: four berths each for Mexico and the United States, and one berth for Canada.
For Mexico, the champions and runners-up of the Liga MX Apertura and Clausura Liguilla (playoff) tournaments qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. If there was any team which were finalists of both tournaments, the vacated berth was reallocated using a formula, based on regular season records, that ensured that two teams qualified via each tournament.
For the United States, because of the restructuring of the CONCACAF Champions League starting from 2018, two teams each from the 2017 and 2018 seasons qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League:
* The champions of the MLS Cup, the championship match of the MLS Cup Playoffs, in 2017 and 2018
* The champions of the U.S. Open Cup, its domestic cup competition, in 2017 and 2018
This meant that the Supporters' Shield champions in 2017 and 2018, and the Eastern Conference or Western Conference regular season champions which were not Supporters' Shield champions in 2017 and 2018, which would have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League in the usual setup, were not guaranteed a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. If there was any team which qualified through multiple berths, or if there was any Canada-based MLS team which were champions of the 2017 or 2018 MLS Cup, the vacated berth was reallocated to the U.S.-based team with the best aggregate record over the 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons.
For Canada, the champions of the Canadian Championship, its domestic cup competition which awards the Voyageurs Cup, qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. While some Canada-based teams competed in MLS, they could not qualify through either the MLS regular season or playoffs.

### Central America

The five berths for the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) were allocated to five of the seven UNCAF member associations as follows: one berth for each of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. As all of the leagues of Central America employed a split season with two tournaments in one season, the champions with the better aggregate record (or any team which were champions of both tournaments) in the leagues of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Another 13 teams from Central America, which qualified through their domestic leagues, entered the CONCACAF League.
If teams from any Central American associations were excluded, they were replaced by teams from other Central American associations, with the associations chosen based on results from previous CONCACAF Champions League tournaments.

### Caribbean

The sole berth for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), which consisted of 31 member associations, was allocated via the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, the first-tier subcontinental Caribbean club tournament. Since 2018, the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship was open to teams from professional leagues. To qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship, teams had to finish as the champions or runners-up of their respective association's league in the previous season.
The champions of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. Another three teams from the Caribbean, which qualified through the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship or CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield (via a playoff), entered the CONCACAF League.

### CONCACAF League

Besides the 15 direct entrants of the CONCACAF Champions League, another 16 teams (13 from Central America and 3 from the Caribbean) entered the CONCACAF League, a tournament held from August to October prior to the CONCACAF Champions League. The champions of the CONCACAF League qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League.

## Teams

The following 16 teams (from nine associations) qualified for the tournament.
In the following table, the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best result count only those in the CONCACAF Champions League era starting from 2008–09 (not counting those in the era of the Champions' Cup from 1962 to 2008).
Qualified teams from North America (9 teams) :
| Association | Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) | Previous best (last) |
| Mexico (4 berths) | UANL | 2017 Apertura champions | 5th (2018) | Runners-up (2016–17) |
| Mexico (4 berths) | Santos Laguna | 2018 Clausura champions | 6th (2015–16) | Runners-up (2012–13) |
| Mexico (4 berths) | Monterrey | 2017 Apertura runners-up | 5th (2016–17) | Champions (2012–13) |
| Mexico (4 berths) | Toluca | 2018 Clausura runners-up | 4th (2013–14) | Runners-up (2013–14) |
| United States (4 berths) | Atlanta United FC | 2018 MLS Cup champions | 1st | Debut |
| United States (4 berths) | Sporting Kansas City | 2017 U.S. Open Cup champions | 4th (2016–17) | Quarter-finals (2013–14) |
| United States (4 berths) | Houston Dynamo | 2018 U.S. Open Cup champions | 5th (2013–14) | Quarter-finals (2012–13) |
| United States (4 berths) | New York Red Bulls | U.S. non-champions with best aggregate record in 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons | 5th (2018) | Semi-finals (2018) |
| Canada (1 berth) | Toronto FC | 2018 Canadian Championship champions | 6th (2018) | Runners-up (2018) |
Qualified teams from Central America (6 teams) :
| Association | Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) | Previous best (last) |
| Costa Rica (1 berth + CL winner) | Saprissa | Champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Clausura) | 8th (2018) | Semi-finals (2010–11) |
| Costa Rica (1 berth + CL winner) | Herediano | 2018 CONCACAF League champions | 9th (2018) | Semi-finals (2014–15) |
| El Salvador (1 berth) | Alianza | 2017 Apertura and 2018 Clausura champions | 3rd (2016–17) | Group stage (2016–17) |
| Guatemala (1 berth) | Guastatoya | 2018 Guatemalan CONCACAF Champions League playoff winners | 1st | Debut |
| Honduras (1 berth) | Marathón | Champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Clausura) | 5th (2012–13) | Quarter-finals (2009–10) |
| Panama (1 berth) | Independiente | Champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season (2018 Clausura) | 1st | Debut |
Qualified teams from Caribbean (1 team) :
| Association | Team | Qualifying method | App. (last) | Previous best (last) |
| Dominican Republic | Atlético Pantoja | 2018 CONCACAF Caribbean Club Championship champions | 1st | Debut |

### Notes

* ^ Guatemala (GUA): After the suspension of the National Football Federation of Guatemala was lifted by FIFA in June 2018, it was decided that the representative of Guatemala in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League would be decided by a two-legged playoff between Antigua GFC (2017 Apertura champions) and Guastatoya (2018 Clausura champions), which was won by Guastatoya. Under the original qualification method, Antigua GFC would have qualified as champions with better aggregate record in 2017–18 season.
* ^ United States (USA): Due to the tournament's restructuring from 2017–18, the United States was represented in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League by two teams each in the 2017 and 2018 seasons: the MLS Cup champions in 2017 and 2018, and the U.S. Open Cup champions in 2017 and 2018. This meant that the Supporters' Shield champions in 2017 and 2018, and the Eastern Conference and/or Western Conference regular season champions which were not Supporters' Shield champions in 2017 and 2018, which would have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League in the usual setup, were not guaranteed a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. If a team qualified through multiple berths, or if any of the MLS berths were taken by a Canada-based MLS team, the vacated berth was reallocated to the U.S. non-champions with the best aggregate record over the 2017 and 2018 MLS regular seasons. As the 2017 MLS Cup was won by the Canadian team Toronto FC, and Atlanta United won the MLS Cup 2018 after qualifying with the aggregate record from both 2017 and 2018 seasons a few weeks earlier, this berth was reallocated based on the above method to the New York Red Bulls.

## Draw

The draw for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League was held on 3 December 2018, 19:00 EST (UTC−5), at the Univision Studios in Miami, Florida, United States.
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 seeding of teams were based on the CONCACAF Club Index. Each team qualified for the CONCACAF League based on criteria set by the respective associations (e.g., tournament champions, runners-up, cup champions), resulting in an assigned slot (e.g., MEX1, MEX2) for each team. The CONCACAF Club Index, instead of ranking each team, was based on the on-field performance of the teams that have occupied the respective qualifying slots in the previous five editions of the CONCACAF Champions League. To determine the total points awarded to a slot in any single edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF used the following formula:
| Points per | Participation | Win | Draw | Stage advanced | Champions |
| Points per | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
The 16 teams were distributed in the pots as follows:
| Pot | Rank | Slot | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2018 | Total | Team |
| Pot 1 | 1 | MEX3 | 29 | 32 | 23 | 15 | 17 | 116 | Monterrey |
| Pot 1 | 2 | MEX1 | 22 | 11 | 33 | 27 | 12 | 105 | UANL |
| Pot 1 | 3 | MEX2 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 101 | Santos Laguna |
| Pot 1 | 4 | CAN1 | 10 | 23 | 8 | 22 | 21 | 84 | Toronto FC |
| Pot 1 | 5 | USA3 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 17 | 77 | Houston Dynamo |
| Pot 1 | 6 | MEX4 | 29 | 9 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 75 | Toluca |
| Pot 1 | 7 | USA4 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 65 | New York Red Bulls |
| Pot 1 | 8 | USA1 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 64 | Atlanta United FC |
| Pot 2 | 9 | PAN1 | 15 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 8 | 57 | Independiente |
| Pot 2 | 10 | USA2 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 56 | Sporting Kansas City |
| Pot 2 | 11 | CRC1 | 19 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 54 | Saprissa |
| Pot 2 | 12 | HON1 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 52 | Marathón |
| Pot 2 | 13 | GUA1 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 38 | Guastatoya |
| Pot 2 | 14 | SLV1 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 35 | Alianza |
| Pot 2 | 15 | CCC1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 26 | Atlético Pantoja |
| Pot 2 | 16 | SCL1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Herediano |

### Notes

* ^ $^{USA}$ The identity of the teams qualifying for two of the four slots for the United States (USA1 and USA4) was not known at the time of the draw, and was later determined based on the result of the 2018 MLS Cup on 8 December 2018. As Atlanta United FC were certain to participate in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League and be seeded in Pot 1 (qualifying for either USA1 or USA4) at the time of the draw, they were included in the draw and assigned a bracket position from Pot A by the draw. They later won the 2018 MLS Cup and qualified for USA1, and the New York Red Bulls qualified for USA4.

## Format

In the CONCACAF Champions League, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis.
* In the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, the away goals rule was applied if the aggregate score was tied after the second leg. If still tied, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations II, Article F).
* In the final, the away goals rule was not applied, and extra time would be played if the aggregate score was tied after the second leg. If the aggregate score was still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations II, Article G).

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows.
| | First leg | Second leg |
| Round of 16 | 19–21 February 2019 | 26–28 February 2019 |
| Quarter-finals | 5–6 March 2019 | 12–14 March 2019 |
| Semi-finals | 3–4 April 2019 | 10–11 April 2019 |
| Final | 23 April 2019 | 1 May 2019 |
Times are Eastern Time, as listed by CONCACAF (local times are in parentheses):
* Times up to 9 March 2019 (round of 16 and quarter-finals first legs) are Eastern Standard Time, i.e., UTC−5.
* Times thereafter (quarter-finals second legs and beyond) are Eastern Daylight Time, i.e., UTC−4.

## 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 |
| Guastatoya | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Houston Dynamo | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Houston Dynamo | 1 | 2 | 3 | Houston Dynamo | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | UANL | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Saprissa | 1 | 1 | 2 | UANL | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| UANL | 0 | 5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| UANL | 0 | 5 | 5 | | | | | UANL | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Santos Laguna | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | |
| Atlético Pantoja | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | Santos Laguna | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | |
| New York Red Bulls | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| New York Red Bulls | 2 | 3 | 5 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Santos Laguna | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Marathón | 2 | 0 | 2 | Santos Laguna | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Santos Laguna | 6 | 5 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Santos Laguna | 6 | 5 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | UANL | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Monterrey | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Alianza | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Monterrey | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Monterrey | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Monterrey | 0 | 1 | 1 | Monterrey | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Atlanta United FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| Herediano | 3 | 0 | 3 | Atlanta United FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta United FC | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Atlanta United FC | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | Monterrey | 5 | 5 | 10 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Sporting Kansas City | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | |
| Independiente | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Sporting Kansas City | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | |
| Toronto FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Toronto FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | Independiente | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sporting Kansas City | 3 | 2 | 5 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Toluca | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## 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 from 19–21 February, and the second legs were played from 26–28 February 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Marathón | 2–11 | Santos Laguna | 2–6 | 0–5 |
| Atlético Pantoja | 0–5 | New York Red Bulls | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| Saprissa | 2–5 | UANL | 1–0 | 1–5 |
| Guastatoya | 1–3 | Houston Dynamo | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 5–0 | Toluca | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Independiente | 5–1 | Toronto FC | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Herediano | 3–5 | Atlanta United FC | 3–1 | 0–4 |
| Alianza | 0–1 | Monterrey | 0–0 | 0–1 |

### Matches

Santos Laguna won 11–2 on aggregate.
New York Red Bulls won 5–0 on aggregate.
UANL won 5–2 on aggregate.
Houston Dynamo won 3–1 on aggregate.
Sporting Kansas City won 5–0 on aggregate.
Independiente won 5–1 on aggregate.
Atlanta United FC won 5–3 on aggregate.
Monterrey won 1–0 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 from 5–6 March, and the second legs were played from 12–14 March 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| New York Red Bulls | 2–6 | Santos Laguna | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| Houston Dynamo | 0–3 | UANL | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Independiente | 2–4 | Sporting Kansas City | 2–1 | 0–3 |
| Monterrey | 3–1 | Atlanta United FC | 3–0 | 0–1 |

### Matches

Santos Laguna won 6–2 on aggregate.
UANL won 3–0 on aggregate.
Sporting Kansas City won 4–2 on aggregate.
Monterrey won 3–1 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 Laguna | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 12 | Second leg |
| 2 (SF1) | UANL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | First leg |
| 1 (SF2) | Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 9 | Second leg |
| 2 (SF2) | Monterrey | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | First leg |

### Summary

The first legs were played from 3–4 April, and the second legs were played from 10–11 April 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| UANL | 5–3 | Santos Laguna | 3–0 | 2–3 |
| Monterrey | 10–2 | Sporting Kansas City | 5–0 | 5–2 |

### Matches

UANL won 5–3 on aggregate.
Monterrey won 10–2 on aggregate.

## Final

In the final (winner SF1 vs. winner SF2), the finalist which had the better performances in previous rounds hosted the second leg.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Host |
| 1 | Monterrey | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 13 | Second leg |
| 2 | UANL | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 12 | First leg |

### Summary

The first leg was played on 23 April, and the second leg was played on 1 May 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| UANL | 1–2 | Monterrey | 0–1 | 1–1 |

### Matches

Monterrey won 2–1 on aggregate.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round | By round |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | 1R1 | 1R2 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 |
| 1 | Enner Valencia | UANL | 7 | | 3 | 1 | | 2 | 1 | | |
| 2 | Julio Furch | Santos Laguna | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | | |
| 2 | Nicolás Sánchez | Monterrey | 5 | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Gerso Fernandes | Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 1 | 1 | | | | 2 | | |
| 4 | Krisztián Németh | Sporting Kansas City | 4 | 1 | 1 | | 2 | | | | |
| 6 | Javier Correa | Santos Laguna | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Romeesh Ivey | Independiente | 3 | 2 | | 1 | | | | | |
| 6 | Josef Martínez | Atlanta United FC | 3 | | 2 | | 1 | | | | |
| 6 | Dorlan Pabón | Monterrey | 3 | | | 1 | | 2 | | | |
| 6 | Daniel Royer | New York Red Bulls | 3 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | | |
| 6 | Diego Valdés | Santos Laguna | 3 | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | |
Source: CONCACAF

## Awards

| Award | Player | Club |
| Golden Ball | Nicolás Sánchez | Monterrey |
| Golden Boot | Enner Valencia | UANL |
| Golden Glove | Marcelo Barovero | Monterrey |
| Best Young Player | Jonathan González | Monterrey |
| Fair Play Award | — | Sporting Kansas City |
Team of the Tournament :
| Position | Player | Club |
| GK | Marcelo Barovero | Monterrey |
| DF | Miguel Layún | Monterrey |
| DF | Nicolás Sánchez | Monterrey |
| DF | Carlos Salcedo | UANL |
| DF | Jesús Dueñas | UANL |
| MF | Jesús Gallardo | Monterrey |
| MF | Rafael Carioca | UANL |
| MF | Carlos Rodríguez | Monterrey |
| MF | Luis Quiñones | UANL |
| FW | Enner Valencia | UANL |
| FW | Julio Furch | Santos Laguna |
| Manager: Diego Alonso ( Monterrey) |||