The 2017 Copa Centroamericana (English: 2017 Central American Cup) was the 14th and last edition of the Copa Centroamericana, the biennial international men's football championship of the Central American region organized by the Central American Football Union (UNCAF).[1] The tournament was hosted in Panama between 13–22 January 2017.[2]
| Central American Cup 2017 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |  Panama |
| Dates | 13–22 January 2017 |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Honduras (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Panama |
| Third place |  El Salvador |
| Fourth place |  Costa Rica |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 27 (1.8 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Eddie Hernández (3 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Jorge Claros |
| Best young player | Roberto Domínguez |
| Best goalkeeper | José Calderón |
| Fair play award | Costa Rica |
The top four teams qualified for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, while the fifth-placed team advanced to a play-off against the fifth-placed team from the 2017 Caribbean Cup for the final Gold Cup berth.
The tournament was played in round-robin format as a result of Guatemala not being able to participate due to FIFA's suspension of the National Football Federation of Guatemala.[3]
Entrants
Six of the seven UNCAF members were eligible to participate in the tournament.
| Team | UNCAF Nations Cup / Copa Centroamericana appearances | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking at start of event |
|---|---|---|---|
 Belize | 11th | 4th place (2013) | 163 |
| Costa Rica | 14th | Champions (1991, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2014) | 17 |
| El Salvador | 14th | 3rd place (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2013) | 138 |
| Honduras | 14th | Champions (1993, 1995, 2011) | 75 |
 Nicaragua | 14th | 5th place (2009) | 111 |
| Panama | 13th | Champions (2009) | 58 |
On 28 October 2016, FIFA suspended the National Football Federation of Guatemala for political interference by the Government of Guatemala. Until the suspension is lifted, Guatemalan teams are not permitted to participate in international competitions.[4] CONCACAF had set the deadline of 9 December 2016 for the suspension to be lifted, otherwise by rule, Guatemala would be disqualified from the 2017 Copa Centroamericana, and any revision to the tournament format would be discussed once the deadline had passed.[5] The suspension was not lifted before the deadline, so Guatemala could not participate in the competition.[6]
Venue
All matches were played at Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City.
| Panama City | |
|---|---|
| Estadio Rommel Fernández | |
| Capacity: 32,000 | |
 |
Original draw
The original format of the competition was to be a group stage (one group of four teams and one group of three teams) followed by a knockout stage (fifth-placed match, semi-finals, third-placed match and final). The draw for the competition with the original format took place on 25 October 2016, 18:00 UTC−5, at the Hotel Sortis in Panama City, Panama.[7][8]
| Pot | Team |
|---|---|
| Hosts (A1) | Panama |
| Title holders (B1) | Costa Rica |
| Pot 1 (A3 or A4) | |
| Belize | |
| Nicaragua | |
| Pot 2 (A2, B2 or B3) | El Salvador |
 Guatemala | |
| Honduras |
The original draw results were:[9]
A change in format was announced on 10 December 2016 following FIFA's decision not to lift the suspension of the National Football Federation of Guatemala.[10]
Squads
Each team squad had to have a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 23 players, two of whom must be goalkeepers.[11]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honduras (C) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 13 | Qualification to 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | Panama (H) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 10 | |
| 3 | El Salvador | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Nicaragua | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | Advance to 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup CFU–UNCAF play-off |
| 6 |  Belize | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points in matches between tied teams; 5) Goal difference in matches between tied teams; 6) Goals scored in matches between tied teams; 7) Drawing of lots (Regulations Article 8.4).[12]
(C) Champions; (H) Hosts
Matches
Matchday 1
| Panama | 0–0 | Belize |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Matchday 2
| Belize | 0–3 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| El Salvador | 1–2 | Honduras |
|---|---|---|
Zelaya  10' | Report | Castillo 62', 90+1' |
Matchday 3
| El Salvador | 3–1 | Belize |
|---|---|---|
| Report | McCaulay 43' |
| Costa Rica | 0–0 | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Matchday 4
| Honduras | 1–1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Andino 17' | Report | Calvo 59' |
| Panama | 1–0 | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|
| Arroyo 82' | Report |
Matchday 5
| Belize | 0–1 | Honduras |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Hernández 56' |
| El Salvador | 1–0 | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| Herrera 54' | Report |
| Panama | 1–0 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper 67' | Report |
Goalscorers
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goals
Henry Figueroa (playing against Nicaragua)
Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[13]
- Golden Ball: Jorge Claros
- Golden Boot: Eddie Hernández (3 goals)
- Golden Glove:
José Calderón - Young player award:
Roberto Domínguez - Fair play award:
Jhonny Acosta - Best XI:[14]
- Goalkeeper: José Calderón
- Left Defender: Alexander Larín
- Central Defender: Harold Cummings
- Central Defender: Francisco Calvo
- Right Defender: Jairo Puerto
- Left Midfielder: Óscar Cerén
- Central Midfielder: Darwin Cerén
- Central Midfielder: Jorge Claros
- Central Midfielder: Armando Cooper
- Left Midfielder: Erick Andino
- Forward: Eddie Hernández
- Goalkeeper:
Qualified teams for CONCACAF Gold Cup
The following five teams qualified for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
| Team | Qualified on | Previous Gold Cup qualifications |
|---|---|---|
| Honduras | 17 January 2017 | 12 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) |
| Panama | 20 January 2017 | 7 (1993, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) |
| El Salvador | 22 January 2017 | 9 (1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) |
| Costa Rica | 20 January 2017 | 12 (1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) |
| Nicaragua (won play-off over Haiti) | 28 March 2017 | 1 (2009) |
References
External links
- Central American Cup, CONCACAF.com
- Copa Centroamericana, UNCAFut.com (in Spanish)