1973 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

1973 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Tournament details
Dates1 June 1973 – 10 January 1974
Teams16 (from 9 associations)
Final positions
Champions Transvaal
(1st title)
Runners-up Saprissa
1972
1974

The 1973 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 9th edition of the top international club competition organized by CONCACAF for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It determined the 1973 continental football champions in the CONCACAF region. The tournament was originally scheduled to be played by 16 teams of 9 national associations, from 1 June to 3 August 1973 with the matches in the tournament played under the home/away match, but a final series was set up for 8 and 10 January 1974, after no team from either of the other two sections participated.

The teams were split into three zones (North American, Central American and Caribbean), each one qualifying the winner to participate in the final tournament. As no clubs entered in the North American section, the winner of the two remaining zones gained the qualification to the final, but both Central American teams withdrew; therefore the final was scratched and the Caribbean winner, Transvaal from Suriname, won the tournament, becoming CONCACAF champion for the first time.

North American Zone

The zone was cancelled as no clubs entered.

Central American Zone

First round

Torneo Centroamericano de Concacaf 1973

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Vida 0–3 Saprissa 0–2 0–1
Municipal 1–01 Olimpia 0–0 1–0
Alajuelense 4–0 Águila 3–0 1–02
Comunicaciones 1–0 Juventud Olímpica 0–0 1–0

Saprissa, Alajuelense and Comunicaciones advanced to the Central American Zone second round.
1 CSD Municipal later withdrew.
2 The match was abandoned in the 68th minute with Alajuelense leading 1–0 due to torrential rain which flooded the pitch; the result was allowed to stand.

1 June 1973 Vida 0–2 Saprissa San Pedro Sula
Carlos Solano
Gerardo Solano
Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán
24 June 1973 Saprissa 1–0
(3–0 agg.)
Vida San Juan de Tibás
Gerardo Solano Stadium: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá

Saprissa advanced to the Second Round


25 July 1973 Olimpia 0–1
(0–1 agg.)
Municipal Tegucigalpa
Leonardo McNish Stadium: Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés

Municipal advanced to the Second Round


24 June 1973 Alajuelense 3–0 Águila Alajuela
Roy Saénz
Walter Elizondo
Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
29 June 1973 Águila 0–1
(0–4 agg.)
Alajuelense San Salvador
Walter Elizondo Stadium: Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González

Alajuelense advanced to the Second Round


Comunicaciones advance to the Second Round

Second round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Deportivo Santa Cecilia1 1–8 Alajuelense 0–5 1–3
Comunicaciones 1–4 Saprissa 1–0 0–4

1Deportivo Santa Cecilia replaced Municipal, who withdrew.

3 August 1973 Alajuelense 5–0 Deportivo Santa Cecilia Alajuela, Costa Rica
Richard González
Alfredo Piedra
Roy Sáenz
Javier Jimenez
Stadium: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
10 September 1973 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1–3
(1–8 agg.)
Alajuelense Diriamba, Nicaragua
Gerardo Barrios Alfonso Obregón
Javier Jimenez
Stadium: Estadio La Salle

Alajuelense advanced to the Third Round


15 October 1973 Saprissa 4–0
(4–1 agg.)
Comunicaciones San Juan de Tibás, Costa Rica
Wilberth Barquero
Hernán Morales
Gerardo Solano
Carlos Solano
Stadium: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Attendance: 5,586

Saprissa advanced to the Third Round

Third round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Alajuelense 0–2 Saprissa 0–1 0–1

Saprissa won the series, but later withdrew.

Caribbean Zone

First round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Robinhood 2–4 Jong Colombia 2–3 0–1
Transvaal 14–0 Universidad Católica 8–0 6–0
Devonshire Colts 6–5 North Village CC 3–1 3–4

Bye: S.V. SUBT

15 July 1973 Jong Colombia 0–1
(2–4 agg.)
Robinhood
Nil
24 June 1973 Transvaal 8–0 Universidad Católica Paramaribo’s National Stadion
Edwin Schal
Theo Klein
Musanto
Corte
Nortan
Own goal
Nil
28 June 1973 Universidad Católica 0–6
(0–14 agg.)
Transvaal Paramaribo’s National Stadion
Nil Edwin Schal
Klein
Hedley
Del Prado

Second round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
SUBT 3–9 Transvaal 2–5 1–4
Jong Colombia w/o1 Devonshire Colts

1 Devonshire Colts withdrew.

12 July 1973 SUBT 2–5 Transvaal Willemstad
Wiene Schal
Humphrey Castillion
Theo Klein
Wesley Bundel
Transvaal 4–1
(9–3 agg.)
SUBT
Wiene Schal
Humphrey Castillion
Theo Klein
Vanenburg

Third round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Transvaal 4–2 Jong Colombia 2–1 2–1
4 August 1973 Jong Colombia 1–2
(2–4 agg.)
Transvaal
TBD George Headley
Edwin Schal

Fourth round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Transvaal 7–3 Devonshire Colts 4–2 3–1

1 Devonshire Colts were reinstated as all other clubs from the Central Zone withdrew, since the Northern Zone had been cancelled due to no clubs having entered.

8 January 1974 Transvaal 4–2 Devonshire Colts
Wiene Schal
Wensley Bundel
Theo Klein
Humphrey Castillion
Lambert
Darrel
10 January 1974 Transvaal 3–1
(7–3 agg.)
Devonshire Colts
Theo Klein
Wiene Schal
Roy Vanenburg
Lambert

Final round

The final match was not held and Transvaal, winners of the Caribbean Zone, were declared CONCACAF champions after the winners of the Central American Zone Saprissa withdrew on 15 December 1973.

Champions

Transvaal
1st title

References

  1. ^ Copa de Campeones 1973 on the RSSSF