The CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011 was a highlight of the year for football throughout North America and Central America, as both regions brought their top clubs to battle it out on an open field in a contest that resulted in regional champions emerging swiftly.
The Group Stage: A Stage of Drama
The 24 teams were split up into eight groups of three, with the top two in each group advancing to the knockout stage. Monterrey (MEX), Santos Laguna (MEX), LA Galaxy (USA), and Olimpia Answer 86524 will be the favorites to get through but there are always surprises at this stage.
Monterrey showed its class quickly, completing the group stage undefeated in Group A. Then, the likes of Humberto Suazo and Aldo de Nigris steered them to pole position in their section as a well-rounded outfit. Be it their play Mazan, Passion, or Calibre the Mexican club was exceptional on all fronts, and any team that faced them would not have bet against victors.
Santos Laguna, also a Mexican power, finished at the top of Group B. Supersub Christian Benítez drove Santos to the summit of their group and into knockout rounds. Santos had a hard time against Columbus Crew (USA) and Municipal (Guatemala), but despite the efforts of both, in those moments they managed to beat him.
GROUP D LA Galaxy continue to frustrate with their mix in the middle, while Vancouver presented few difficulties. David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and the Galaxy had been picked as favorites going into group play but they were bounced before any other clubs played a game to their fans’ dismay.
The Knockout Stage – Real Football Begins
The three-game group stage was followed by the knockout rounds, where teams from different groups could match up and compete in a quarterfinal game. By being knockout, the competition was made more intense — with teams coming up against each other in home-and-away legs that could only have one loser.
Monterrey beat Toluca in the quarters, flexing their ability to win leaning spectacularly on tactics. It was not easy for the Rayados, Toluca taking them to extra time but ultimately succumbing 2-0 in total after Monterrey had shown their versatility and attacking power.
Santos Laguna was -4 winners on aggregate over Columbus Crew (fraud won the wild, high-scoring contest) — into semis, Christian Benítez led the pack for Santos as they rang up five goals at home and advanced 5-3 on aggregate to meet Seattle in a one-game semifinal.
The match between two teams that have passionate fan bases and rich histories Olimpia (Honduras) vs. Sapirissa(Costa Rica), was held to be a standout of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011 quarterfinals. Olimpia won their first leg 1-0 away and then held on despite falling to a late defeat in the second leg, advancing after tying both legs of the tie with Real Espana, while Alajuelense battled to a scoreless home draw against Motagua.
Semifinals: Mexican Domination
When the semifinals dawned, however, it was almost certain that a Mexican club would lift the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2011. Monterrey vs Cruz Azul:Semi-final first leg Once again, it was drama-filled and of the highest quality for an all-Mexican affair.
American Exports: Suazo props up Monterrey _ again_ with a second-leg brace in a win at Cruz Azul Monterrey, however. Put in a defensive shift of their own which was just as mighty on the flipside to help take them through in the latter stages against Cruz Azul.
The other semifinal of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011 consisted of Santos Laguna vs. Olimpia. A heavy favorite overall coming into the tie, Santos faced a type of Olimpia team that simply refused to be put away. Santos scraped through the first leg at home 3-1, respectively, to head into the second leg with an advantage from the opening encounter. Olimpia gave it one last effort in the return match, but Santos won 4-2 on aggregate after a penalty shootout and reached Monte for what promised to be a thrilling final. Grey.
Final: Monterrey’s Day In The Sun
Monterrey and Santos Laguna will play the 2011 CONCACAF Champions Cup final in an all-Mexican matchup that promises to be thrilling. After all both teams had demonstrated their chops throughout the event, fitting with this day of ticks and margins.
Monterrey wins CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011The final first leg was played at the Estadio Tecnológico in Monterrey, where a total locality showed up with Mariano Trujillo as their only fearsome starter. Humberto Suazo played the hero here, adding another important goal that completed a 2-0 victory which sent feckless Racing back to Argentina for its date with destiny in front of their white-hankie-waving supporters.
For the rematch back at Estadio Corona, Santos Laguna needed to break through MonterrEy’s resistance. However, Monterrey clung on to earn a 1-1 draw that sealed the final at 3-2 in their favor.
This win served to award Monterrey the much-waited championship of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011, their first title in all history. It also gave them a chance to play on a global stage, as they would be representing the CONCACAF region in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Different players of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011 Edition
The Chilean forward was the star of the show, providing Monterrey with a goal-scorer that made all the difference in this tournament. And his showings in both the sem and The Final were crucial to their campaign — clinical, lethal.
Christian Benítez (Santos Laguna):The Ecuadorian striker proved the most dangerous element for Santos but was one of the lead scorers in the tournament. The pace, the power, and accuracy in finishing — an asset his side could not do without.
2011 CONCACAF Champions Cup Legacy
So the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2011 was a turning point in the history of one of football’s most elite clubs and went a long way to further entrench Mexican control over international club competitions. The win for Monterrey started them on what would be a dominant history in the competition, as they won it several more times over subsequent years.
The 2011 version of the CONCACAF Champions Cup is but one example that still lives on in infamy for JustSports24, a timeless encapsulation of what makes football, North and Central American style- talented driven to acquire glory at any cost.
