1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Tournament details
Dates	August 22, 1971 – April 19, 1972
Teams	22 (from 12 associations)
Final positions
Champions	Cruz Azul (3rd title)
Runners-up	Alajuelense
	← 1970 1972 → All statistics correct as of On January 6, 2012.

The 1971 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 7th 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. It was played from August 22, 1971, till April 19, 1972, under the home/away match system.

The teams were split into 3 zones (North American, Central American and Caribbean), each one qualifying two teams to the final tournament, played for the first time in a group system. After the end of the group, a playoff match had to be played because two teams ended with the same points in the lead of the group. This tournament included the Rochester Lancers, the only team from the original North American Soccer League to take part.

Cruz Azul from Mexico won the final, and became for the third time in its history became CONCACAF champion.^[1]^[2]

North American Zone

October 3, 1971	Elizabeth	0–0	Cruz Azul	Elizabeth, United States
				Stadium: Farcher's Grove

October 13, 1971	Cruz Azul	2–0 (2–0 agg.)	Elizabeth	Mexico City, Mexico
				Stadium: Estadio Azteca
Note: Elizabeth S.C. forfeit

Elizabeth S.C. forfeit.

Cruz Azul advanced to the CONCACAF Final Tournament.

September 19, 1971	Rochester Lancers	4–1	Pembroke Hamilton	Rochester, United States
				Stadium: Aquinas Memorial Stadium
Note: ^[3]

September 26, 1971	Pembroke Hamilton	3–1 (4–5 agg.)	Rochester Lancers	Hamilton, Bermuda
				Stadium: Bermuda National Stadium
Note: ^[4]

Rochester Lancers advanced to the CONCACAF Final Tournament.

Central American Zone

Preliminary round

August 22, 1971	Diriangén	0–5	Comunicaciones	Diriamba, Nicaragua
			Omar Larrosa Enrique Mendoza Hector Tambasco	Stadium: Estadio Colegio La Salle

August 29, 1971	Comunicaciones	10–1 (15–1 agg.)	Diriangén	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Hernán Godoy Omar Larrosa			Stadium: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores

Comunicaciones advanced to the First Round.

First round

August 22, 1971	Aurora	2–1	Atlético Marte	San Salvador, El Salvador
	Alex Frank Edgar Gonzalez			Stadium: Estadio Jorge "El Mágico" González

August 29, 1971	Atlético Marte	1–1 (2–3 agg.)	Aurora	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Sergio Mendez		Edgar Gonzalez	Stadium: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores

Aurora advanced to the Second Round.

September 19, 1971	Motagua	0–3	Saprissa	Tegucigalpa, Honduras
			Hernán Morales 10' Fernando Hernández 18' Edgar Marín 60'	Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino Referee: Ramón Molinero (GUA)

September 26, 1971	Saprissa	2–0 (5–0 agg.)	Motagua	San José, Costa Rica
	Odir Jacques 22' 65'			Stadium: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá Referee: Ramón Molinero (GUA)

Saprissa advanced to the Second Round.

September 26, 1971	Comunicaciones	5–2	FAS	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Omar Larrosa Oscar Molina Hugo Torres		David Cabrera Ricardo “la Tuca” Gómez	Stadium: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores

October 3, 1971	FAS	0–3 (2–8 agg.)	Comunicaciones	Santa Ana, El Salvador
			Hernán Godoy Peter Sandoval Hugo Torres	Stadium: Estadio Óscar Quiteño

Comunicaciones advance to the second round

September 26, 1971	Olimpia	0–0	Alajuelense	Tegucigalpa, Honduras
				Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino

October 12, 1971	Alajuelense	1–0 (1–0 agg.)	Olimpia	Alajuela, Costa Rica
	Walter Elizondo			Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Attendance: 5,775

Alajuelense advanced to the Second Round.

Second round

November 7, 1971	Aurora	1–2	Comunicaciones	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Rolando Valdez		Oscar Molina	Stadium: Estadio del Ejército

November 14, 1971	Comunicaciones	1–0 (3–1 agg.)	Aurora	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	(o.g.)			Stadium: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores

Comunicaciones advance to the Final Tournament

November 14, 1971	Saprissa	1–5	Alajuelense	Heredia, Costa Rica
	Carlos Solano 52'		Mario Vega 27' Alfredo Piedra 47' Chávez 49' Victor Ruiz 65' Oscar Cordero 88'	Stadium: Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero

November 21, 1971	Alajuelense	0–3 (5–4 agg.)	Saprissa	Alajuela, Costa Rica
			Francisco Hernández 5' Jaime Grant 10' 48'	Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto

Alajuelense advanced to the Final Tournament

Caribbean Zone

September 30, 1971	Transvaal	3–1	Thomas United
			Pierre

October 5, 1971

Thomas United

0–3
(1–6 agg.)

Transvaal

Transvaal advanced to the Final Tournament

Estrella

w.o.

Aigle Noir

Estrella advance to the Final Tournament

CONCACAF Final Tournament

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Cruz Azul	5	3	2	0	17	4	+13	8	Forced to a playoff
2	Alajuelense	5	4	0	1	8	5	+3	8	Forced to a playoff
3	Comunicaciones (H)	5	2	1	2	15	7	+8	5
4	Rochester Lancers	5	2	1	2	6	5	+1	5
5	Transvaal	5	1	2	2	3	8	−5	4
6	Estrella	5	0	0	5	1	21	−20	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
(H) Hosts

After the end of the group stage a playoff match had to be played due to Cruz Azul and Alajuelense ended with the same points in the lead of the group.
The final tournament was played in Guatemala City.

	Rochester Lancers	2–0	Transvaal	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Eli Durante Carlos Dell’Omodarme			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 42,000

March 16, 1972	Comunicaciones	7–0	Estrella	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Héctor Tambasco Carlos Guzmán Enrique Mendoza Antonio Rojas Oscar Molina			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 42,000

March 14, 1972	Alajuelense	2–1	Estrella
	Emilio Valle		Ismael Croes

March 14, 1972	Cruz Azul	1–1	Transvaal	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Octavio Muciño		Edwin Schal	Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium

March 16, 1972	Cruz Azul	1–1	Rochester Lancers	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Manfred Seissler		José Luis Desachy	Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 25,000

March 16, 1972	Comunicaciones	3–1	Transvaal	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Héctor Tambasco		Edwin Schal	Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 25,000

March 20, 1972	Rochester Lancers	2–0	Estrella	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Francisco Escos Charlie Mitchell			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 20,000

March 20, 1972	Comunicaciones	1–2	Alajuelense	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Antonio Rojas		Walter Elizondo	Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 20,000

March 22, 1972	Alajuelense	2–0	Transvaal	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Roy Saénz Emilio Valle			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 6,000

March 22, 1972	Cruz Azul	9–0	Estrella	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Octavio Muciño Cesareo Victorino Alberto Gómez Fernando Bustos Antonio Munguía			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium

March 23, 1972	Cruz Azul	3–1	Alajuelense
	Fernando Busto Octavio Muciño		Carlos Mejía

March 23, 1972	Comunicaciones	3–1	Rochester Lancers
	Oscar Molina Peter Sandoval		Manfred Seissler

March 26, 1972	Transvaal	1–0	Estrella	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Edwin Schal			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 1,500

March 26, 1972	Alajuelense	1–0	Rochester Lancers	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Walter Elizondo			Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 40,000

March 26, 1972	Cruz Azul	3–1	Comunicaciones	Guatemala City, Guatemala
	Octavio Muciño Javier Guzmán		Oscar Molina	Stadium: Mateo Flores Stadium Attendance: 40,000

Playoff

April 19, 1972

Playoff

Cruz Azul	5–1	Alajuelense
Bustos 16' Vera 25', 60' Muciño 70', 75' (pen.)		Villalobos 43'

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Referee: Henry Dandawer (USA)

Team details

Cruz Azul

Alajuelense


GK	Miguel Marín
DF	Marco Antonio Ramírez
DF	Javier Guzmán
DF	Alberto Quintano
DF	Javier Sánchez
MF	Jesús Prado
MF	Héctor Pulido
MF	Antonio Munguía	75'
FW	Fernando Bustos	72'
FW	Octavio Muciño
FW	Eladio Vera
Substitutions:
MF	Antonio Gutiérrez	72'
FW	Cesáreo Victorino	75'
Manager:
Raúl Cárdenas


GK		Roberto Tyrrel
DF		Luis Castro
DF		Walter Elizondo
DF		José Cedeño
DF		José M. Agüero
MF		Álvaro Vega
MF		Oscar Cordero
MF		Juan José Gámez
MF		Roy Sáenz
FW		Rolando Villalobos
FW		William Quiroz
Manager:
Juan Colecchio

Champion

CONCACAF Champions' Cup 1971 Champion
Cruz Azul Third title

References

^ Copa de Campeones 1971 by Jim Goloboy and Karel Stokkermans on the RSSSF
^ "Tercera Copa de Campeones CONCACAF 1971" on Reino Azul (blogsite), April 26, 2014
^ Rickey, Jim (September 20, 1971). "Lancers Rout Bermuda, 4-1; DeRosa Says He's Quitying". Democrat and Chronicle. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
^ "Lancers Win in Overtime". Democrat and Chronicle. September 27, 1971. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved March 14, 2022.

[1] Copa de Campeones 1971 by Jim Goloboy and Karel Stokkermans on the RSSSF

[2] "Tercera Copa de Campeones CONCACAF 1971" on Reino Azul (blogsite), April 26, 2014

[3] Rickey, Jim (September 20, 1971). "Lancers Rout Bermuda, 4-1; DeRosa Says He's Quitying". Democrat and Chronicle. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved March 14, 2022.

[4] "Lancers Win in Overtime". Democrat and Chronicle. September 27, 1971. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved March 14, 2022.

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