PHOTO CREDIT: Club America Instagram
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) tonight confirmed the semifinal pairings for the 2014/15 edition of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the region’s premier competition for clubs.
Following the results of a thrilling quarterfinal phase, in which semifinal passes were on the line to the very end across the Confederation, Impact de Montreal and LD Alajuelense claimed tickets on one side of the bracket, while Club America and CS Herediano will dispute the other semifinal, all vying for the right to represent the Confederation at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.
Like the quarterfinals, both semifinal matchups will be played in home-and-away format.
The exact schedule for semifinal play is as follows:
1st Leg – March 17-18:
Tuesday, March 17, 10:00pm ET (8:00 Local) — CS Herediano vs Club América @ Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, Heredia, CRC
Wednesday, March 18, 8:00pm ET (8:00 local) – Impact de Montreal vs. LD Alajuelense @ Stade Olympique, Montreal, CAN
2nd Leg – April 7-9:
Tuesday, April 7, 10:00pm ET (8:00 Local) — LD Alajuelense vs. Impact de Montreal @ Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, CRC
Wednesday, April 8, 10:00pm ET (9:00 Local) — Club América vs CS Herediano @ Estadio Azteca, México City, MEX
The winner of each of the semifinal pairings will advance to the final round, to be played over two legs in the final two weeks of April.
For logistical reasons, potential home and away teams and stadiums for each leg of the competition are determined at the beginning of the knockout stage, with winner of the pairing featuring the higher seeded team carrying over that seeding to the next round.
Thus, CD Alajuelense (8), which participated in the 1 vs. 8 quarterfinal matchup against DC United (1), now carries the No. 1 seed and is a home team for the second leg of the semifinal, along with Club America (2). The winner of the CD Alajuelense vs. Impact de Montreal semifinal pairing will carry the top seed into the final, and host the second leg of the 2014/15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League final in the last week of April.
The final four teams have emerged from an original field of 24, which kicked off group play last August in the quest to replace defending champion Cruz Azul as the region’s club champion.
