June 3 – Concacaf’s senior men’s club competition may have a different name, being rebranded as the Champions Cup, but the grip over the confederation’s top club competition by Mexican clubs remains the same.
CF Pachuca from Liga MX beat the MLS’s Columbus Crew 3-0 at the weekend to win the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Final and secure a spot at the expanded Club World Cup in the US in 2025.
They join both Monterrey and Leon of Mexico as well as Seattle Sounders from the MLS as Concacaf’s Club World Cup representatives. Pachuca will also play in the final seven-team version of the competition later this year.
It is the sixth time that Pachuca have lifted Concacaf’s blue riband club competition title.
Venezuelan Salomon Rondon opened the scoring for Pachuca in the 12th minute, chipping Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
Emilio Rodriguez extended the lead for the home side in the 32’ with a left-footed strike inside the box on a counter attack. Rondon scored his second (and ninth in the Champions Cup) in the 67th minute.
Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy accepted defeat but also rued his team’s missed chances. “A 3-0 is a 3-0,” he said. “We had a lot of chances to score. We just didn’t finish.”
His team were also battling a stomach bug. “My players gave it their all even though they were sick. The whole team has had diarrhoea since yesterday, including the coaching staff,” said Nancy.
Concacaf Champions Cup Award winners
Golden Boot: Salomon Rondon (CF Pachuca)
Young Player of the Tournament: Emilio Rodriguez (CF Pachuca)
Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew)
Most Valuable Player: Salomon Rondon (CF Pachuca)
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