Eight teams through to knockout rounds as a new Confederation champion will be crowned in 2015

Miami (Thursday, October 23, 2014) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) this evening confirmed the matchups and dates for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League 2014/15.

With Deportivo Saprissa’s pulsating 2-0 victory at home over Sporting Kansas City on Thursday night, the last of the eight group winners of the 2014 Group Phase was determined. Saprissa is joined by two other Costa Rican sides – CS Herediano and LD Alajuelense – in the quarterfinal round.

Club Deportivo Olimpia of Honduras joins the Costa Rican threesome to make for four total UNCAF teams in the knockout phase.

Rounding out the quarterfinal field are two Mexican teams, four-time Confederation champion and 2009/10 CCL winner CF Pachuca, and five-time Confederation champion Club America.

Two more teams from North America finalize the eight team field: Canadian champion Impact de Montreal and 1998 CONCACAF champion DC United – the quarterfinals’ top seed and the only club to navigate the group phase without dropping points.

Following the completion of group play, the eight group-topping teams were ranked 1-8, based on the number of points they achieved in the group stage, and using goal difference as the tie-breaker among teams tied with the same amount of points. Those rankings yielded four pairings: 1-8, 2-7, 3-6 and 4-5, now set to face off in the quarterfinals early next year.

Rankings

DC United (USA) – 12 points, +5 GD

Club America (MEX) – 10 points, +16 GD

CS Herediano (CRC) – 10 points, +7 GD

Impact de Montreal (CAN) – 10 points, +3 GD

Club Pachuca (MEX) – 9 points, +9 GD

Olimpia (HON) – 9 points, +7 GD

Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) – 7 points, +3 GD

LD Alajuelense (CRC) – 6 points, +1 GD

CONCACAF Champions League 2014/15 Quarterfinals – Home Leg

– LD Alajuelense (CRC) vs. DC United (USA)

– Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) vs. Club America (MEX)

– Olimpia (HON) vs. CS Herediano (CRC)

– Club Pachuca (MEX) vs. Impact de Montreal (CAN)

CONCACAF Champions League 2014/15 Quarterfinals – Away Leg

– DC United (USA) vs. LD Alajuelense (CRC)

– Club America (MEX) vs. Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)

– CS Herediano (CRC) vs. Olimpia (HON)

– Impact de Montreal (CAN) vs. Club Pachuca (MEX)

The provisional range of dates for the first leg of each of the semifinals is February 24-26, 2015. The return legs will be played from March 3-5, next year. Exact dates and times will be announced by CONCACAF in the near future.

The CONCACAF Champions League is the region’s most prestigious club tournament, qualifying its champion directly to the FIFA Club World Cup. Current Confederation champion Cruz Azul FC, winner of the 2013/14 CONCACAF Champions League, will participate in the 2014 edition of the Club World Cup in Morocco later this year.

IMAGE: www.sportingkc.com