A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 26, 2008 – April 30, 2009 |
| Teams | 24 (from 13 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Atlante (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Cruz Azul |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 77 |
| Goals scored | 223 (2.9 per match) |
| Attendance | 539,397 (7,005 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Javier Orozco (7 goals) |
The 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League was the 44th edition of the premier association football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. This was the first iteration of the competition to be known as CONCACAF Champions League, having been previously known as the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
The championship began on August 26, 2008, and it concluded on May 12, 2009.[1] Atlante of Mexico won the championship after defeating Cruz Azul, also from Mexico in the final. As champions, they represented CONCACAF in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.
Qualification
Brown: Group A; 
Red: Group B; 
Orange: Group C; 
Yellow: Group D.24 teams from 13 nations participated in the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League from the North American, Central American, and Caribbean zones. Nine of the teams came from North America, twelve from Central America, and three from the Caribbean. Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008-09 competition:[2]
Teams in bold qualify directly for the group stage.
1 New England was both the 2007 U.S. Open Cup winners and the 2007 MLS Cup runners-up, so Chivas USA claimed USA4 as the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield runners-up.
2 Saprissa was both the 2007 Invierno and 2008 Verano winners, so Alajuelense has claimed CRC2 as the 2008 Verano runners-up.
3 Luis Ángel Firpo was both the 2007 Apertura and 2008 Clausura winners, so Isidro Metapán has claimed SLV2 as the 2008 Clausura runners-up.
4 San Francisco was both the 2007 Clausura and 2008 Apertura winners, so Tauro has claimed PAN2 as the 2008 Apertura runners-up.
Format
There was a two-legged preliminary round for 16 clubs, with the eight winners advancing to the group stage. They were joined by the other eight teams who were seeded directly into the group stage. The clubs involved in the group stage were placed into four groups of four with each team playing the others in its group in both home and away matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, which will consist of two-legged ties. The final round, to be held in late April 2009, was also two-legged. Also, unlike the previously contested CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the away goals rule is used in the CONCACAF Champions League, but does not apply after a tie goes into extra time.[3]
| Group Stage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pot A | Atlante
|
Santos Laguna
|
 Houston Dynamo
|
D.C. United
|
| Pot B |  Saprissa
|
 Olimpia
|
 Municipal
|
 Luis Ángel Firpo
|
| Preliminary round | ||||
| Pot A | Universidad Nacional
|
Cruz Azul
|
New England Revolution
|
Chivas USA
|
| Alajuelense
|
Marathón
|
 San Francisco
|
 Montreal Impact
| |
| Pot B | Jalapa
|
Isidro Metapán
|
Tauro
|
 Hankook Verdes
|
 Real Estelí
|
 Harbour View
|
 Joe Public
|
 Puerto Rico Islanders
| |
Schedule
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | Preliminary | June 11, 2008 (New York, US) |
August 26–29, 2008 | September 2–4, 2008 |
| Group Stage | Matchday 1 | August 16–18, 2008 | ||
| Matchday 2 | August 23–25, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 3 | September 30–October 2, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 4 | October 7–9, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 5 | October 21–23, 2008 | |||
| Matchday 6 | October 28–30, 2008 | |||
| Championship round | Quarterfinals | December 10, 2008 | February 24–26, 2009 | March 3–5, 2009 |
| Semifinals | March 17–18, 2009 | April 7–8, 2009 | ||
| Final | April 22, 2009 | May 12, 2009 | ||
Preliminary round
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 11 June 2008 in New York City. The first legs of the preliminary round were played 26–28 August 2008, while the second legs were played 2–4 September 2008.[4]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalapa
|
1–5 | San Francisco
|
1–0 | 0–5 |
| Joe Public
|
6–1 | New England Revolution
|
2–1 | 4–0 |
| Alajuelense
|
2–3 | Puerto Rico Islanders
|
1–1 | 1–2 |
| Cruz Azul
|
12–0 | Hankook Verdes
|
6–0 | 6–0 |
| Harbour View
|
0–3 | UNAM
|
N/A[5] | 0–3 |
| Tauro
|
3–1 | Chivas USA
|
2–0 | 1–1 |
| Montreal Impact
|
1–0 | Real Estelí
|
1–0 | 0–0 |
| Isidro Metapán
|
3–4 | Marathón
|
2–2 | 1–2 |
The effects of Hurricane Gustav led to the cancellation of the first leg of the Harbour View - UNAM tie, and as a result the tie was contested as a single match.[6]
Group stage
The Group Stage draw was held on 11 June 2008 in New York City and was unveiled on 16 June 2008.[4] Winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarterfinals.[3]
Group A
|
|
- Cruz Azul were ranked ahead of Saprissa based on head-to-head record, which is the first tiebreaker.[3]