2014 Copa Centroamericana
| Central American Cup Tigo 2014 USA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United States[1] |
| Dates | 3–13 September[2] |
| Teams | 7 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Costa Rica (8th title) |
| Runners-up |
 Guatemala |
| Third place |
 Panama |
| Fourth place |
 El Salvador |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 27 (2.25 per match) |
| Attendance | 305,784 (25,482 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Marco Pappa (4 goals) |
| Best player |
Marco Pappa |
| Best goalkeeper |
Jaime Penedo |
| Fair play award |
Guatemala |
The 2014 Copa Centroamericana (also known as the Central American Cup Tigo 2014 USA for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th Copa Centroamericana, the regional championship for men's national association football teams in Central America. It was organized by the Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol or UNCAF, and took place in the United States.
Overview
In January 2013, UNCAF tentatively announced that the competition would be hosted in the United States, specifically California and Texas.[3] Eduardo Li, the President of the Costa Rican FA and Vice-President of UNCAF said that the competition is to celebrate 25 years of UNCAF.[4] The announcement became official in January 2014, and it was announced that the competition would take place in September 2014.
Following the announcement, UNCAF President Rafael Tinocco said that September 2014 was chosen because "September is the month of independence" and that there are nine days in September on the FIFA International Match Calendar which would allow national associations to choose their first choice players.[5] Tinocco also stated that the competition would be hosted outside of the Central American region, and hosted in United States due to the "money factor".[5]
The top four teams would qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The fifth place team would advance to a play-off against the fifth place team from the 2014 Caribbean Cup tournament to determine which other nation will qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[6] This is the first time that the two overall fifth-placed teams compete to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, previously five teams from Central America and four from the Caribbean have qualified for the Confederation's competition.
The winner of the tournament would qualify for the Copa América Centenario, a 16-team tournament of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF national teams to be held in the United States in 2016.[7]
FIFA calendar issue
Two of the four competition dates fall outside of the FIFA International Match Calendar's "international window" for September 2014. Any two dates between 1 and 9 September at least three days apart were allocated as possible fixture dates in the window,[8] meaning that the fixtures that took place on 3 and 7 September would be able to have a first choice selection available as clubs would be unable to reject call-ups, while the fixtures that took place on 10 and 13 September (including the final) would require the players' clubs to agree that players could participate.[9][10]
Teams
All seven UNCAF member national teams participated in the tournament.
| Team | UNCAF Nations Cup / Copa Centroamericana appearances |
Previous best performance | FIFA Ranking at start of event |
|---|---|---|---|
 Belize |
10th | Fourth Place (2013) | 162 |
| Costa Rica (Title holders) |
13th | Champion (1991, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013) | 15 |
| El Salvador |
13th | Third Place (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2013) | 127 |
| Guatemala |
12th | Champion (2001) | 134 |
 Honduras |
13th | Champion (1993, 1995, 2011) | 43 |
 Nicaragua |
13th | Fifth Place (2009) | 175 |
| Panama |
12th | Champion (2009) | 63 |
Bold indicates that the corresponding team was hosting the event.
Venues
In May and June 2014, UNCAF announced that the following venues would host the tournament:
- The RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. hosted the three matches of the first day of group stage on 3 September.[11][12]
- The Cotton Bowl in Dallas hosted the three matches of the second day of group stage on 7 September.[13][14]
- The BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston hosted the three matches of the last day of group stage on 10 September.[15][16]
- The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles hosted the final, third-place and fifth-place matches on 13 September.[17][18]
| Washington | Dallas | Houston | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFK Memorial Stadium | Cotton Bowl | BBVA Compass Stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| 38°53′23″N 76°58′18″W / 38.889722°N 76.971667°W | 32°46′47″N 96°45′35″W / 32.779722°N 96.759722°W | 29°45′08″N 95°21′09″W / 29.752199°N 95.352415°W | 34°00′51″N 118°17′16″W / 34.014167°N 118.287778°W |
| Capacity: 19,467† | Capacity: 92,100 | Capacity: 22,000 | Capacity: 93,607 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Squads
Officials
The following officials were selected for the tournament:[19]
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Group stage
The draw for the group stage was made on 29 January 2014.[20] The schedule was announced on 17 July 2014.[21][22] Changes to the schedule were made on 18 August.[23]
Tiebreakers
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[24][25]
- Greater number of points in matches between the tied teams.
- Greater goal difference in matches between the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points).
- Greater number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams (if more than two teams finish equal on points).
- Greater goal difference in all group matches.
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches.
- Drawing of lots.
| Legend |
|---|
| Group winners advance to the final and qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Group runners-up advance to the third place match and qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Group third-placed teams advance to the fifth place match |
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | Final and Gold Cup |
| 2 | El Salvador |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Third place match and Gold Cup |
| 3 | Honduras |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | Fifth place match |
| 4 | Belize |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
| Honduras |
2–0 | Belize |
|---|---|---|
James  35' (o.g.)Smith 37' (o.g.) |
Report |
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,516[26] Referee: Sandy Vásquez (Dominican Republic) |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa Rica |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | Final and Gold Cup |
| 2 | Panama |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Third place match and Gold Cup |
| 3 | Nicaragua |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 | Fifth place match |
Final stage
In the final stage, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, the match is determined by a penalty shoot-out (no extra time is played).[29]
Fifth place match
Honduras advanced to represent the Central American Football Union at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification play-off, where they will play against French Guiana, the 2014 Caribbean Cup fifth-placed team. The winner of the play-off will qualify for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[31]
Third place match
| El Salvador |
0–1 | Panama |
|---|---|---|
| Report | R. Torres 5' |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Attendance: 41,969[30] Referee: Jair Marrufo (United States) |
Final
      Guatemala
|
    Costa Rica
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Costa Rica qualified for the Copa América Centenario.
| 2014 Copa Centroamericana Champions |
|---|
Costa Rica Eighth title |
Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[32]
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Golden Ball | Marco Pappa |
| Golden Boot | Marco Pappa |
| Golden Glove | Jaime Penedo |
| Fair Play | Guatemala |
| Man of the Match – Final | Bryan Ruiz |
Goalscorers
- 4 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goals
- Jeromy James (playing against Honduras)
- Elroy Smith (playing against Honduras)
Final ranking
| Rank | Team | Prize money (U.S. Dollars)[33] |
|---|---|---|
 |
Costa Rica |
$60,000 |
 |
Guatemala |
$40,000 |
 |
Panama |
$30,000 |
| 4 | El Salvador |
$25,000 |
| 5 | Honduras |
$20,000 |
| 6 | Nicaragua |
$15,000 |
| 7 | Belize |
$10,000 |
References
- ↑ "Copa Centroamericana En Estado Unidos Por Unanimidad" (in Spanish). UNCAF.net. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ "UNCAF's Central American Cup to be Held in the United States in Late Summer 2014". CONCACAF.com. May 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Copa Centroamericana 2015 se jugaría en Estados Unidos" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- ↑ "La próxima Copa Centroamericana será en Estados Unidos" (in Spanish). Radio Monumental. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
- 1 2 "El Salvador será sede eliminatorio UNCAF" (in Spanish). fesfut.org.sv. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ Williams, Sean. "Jamaica to host 2014 Caribbean Cup". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ "It's official: Copa América will be held on US soil in special centennial tournament in 2016". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ↑ "International Match Calendar" (pdf). FIFA. April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ "International Match Calendar" (pdf). FIFA. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ Annexe 1, art. 1 par. 6 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players states that "It is not compulsory to release players outside an international window" ("Circular no. 1437" (pdf). FIFA. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.).
- ↑ "Central American Cup 2014 to Open in Washington, D.C. with Triple-Header". CONCACAF.com. June 7, 2014.
- ↑ "La Copa Centroamericana 2014 Comenzará En Washington" (in Spanish). UNCAF. June 7, 2014.
- ↑ "Dallas to Host Group Stage of Central American Cup 2014 at Historic Cotton Bowl". CONCACAF.com. June 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Dallas Será Sede De Partidos De La Copa Centroamericana 2014" (in Spanish). UNCAF. June 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Houston to Host Central American Cup 2014 Matches". CONCACAF.com. June 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Houston Será Sede De Partidos De La Copa Centroamericana 2014" (in Spanish). UNCAF. June 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to Host Central American Cup 2014 USA Final on September 13". CONCACAF.com. May 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Los Ángeles Será La Sede De La Final De La Copa Centroamericana 2014" (in Spanish). UNCAF. May 27, 2014.
- ↑ "2014 Copa Centroamericana (UNCAF) - Selected Officials". FIFA Referees News. September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Copa UNCAF será en septiembre y en EUA" (in Spanish). La Prensa Grafica. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ "Schedule Announced for Central American Cup 2014 to Be Played in the U.S. this September". CONCACAF.com. 17 July 2014.
- ↑ "Listos Grupos Y Calendario Para Copa Centroamericana" (in Spanish). UNCAF.net. 18 July 2014.
- ↑ "Kickoff Times Adjusted for Opening and Final Rounds of Central American Cup Tigo 2014 USA". CONCACAF.com. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ↑ "Reglamento Copa Centroamericana 2014". UNCAF.
- ↑ "Central American Cup: Tie-break Procedure". CONCACAF.com. September 9, 2014.
- 1 2 3 UNCAF on Twitter
- 1 2 3 UNCAF on Twitter
- 1 2 3 UNCAF on Twitter
- ↑ "Reglamento Copa Centroamericana 2014". UNCAF.
- 1 2 3 UNCAF on Twitter
- ↑ Free Kick (Issue #6). CONCACAF. Jun–Jul 2014. p. 7. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "CCA: Award Winners". CONCACAF.com. September 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Reglamento Copa Centroamericana 2014". UNCAF.
External links
- Copa Centroamericana, UNCAFut.com (Spanish)
- Central American Cup, CONCACAF.com