In 2011, CONCACAF celebrates its 50th anniversary.
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As part of a year-long commemoration, a weekly feature titled "This Week in CONCACAF History" takes a brief look back at some of the confederation's most historic games and happenings.
Through "This Week in CONCACAF History" you can revisit the region's most memorable people, events and crowning achievements.
March 13-19
March 13, 1954: El Salvador earned a 3-2 victory over two-time gold medalist and host Mexico at the 1954 Central American & Caribbean Games Football Tournament held at Mexico City's Estadio Olímpico… Mario Montoya (15th, 37th) scored twice, while Ricardo Valencia (57th) added another for the Cuscatlecos in their first win over the Tricolor … El Salvador would then go onto to win the gold medal by taking the top spot in the five-team final round group with seven points (3-0-1 record).
March 14, 1972: Surinam's SV Transvaal held defending CONCACAF Champions' Cup winner CD SC Cruz Azul of Mexico to a 1-1 draw during the 1971 Final Round (played in 1972) at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala … Edwin Schal gave SV Transvaal the lead in the 46th minute, but Octavio Muciño tied it for CD SC Cruz Azul 11 minutes later … It would be the first time since 1963 Finals, that a Mexican club loses points against a Caribbean team … CD SC Cruz Azul would then go onto to capture a third consecutive Champions' Cup crown the following month.
March 15, 2009: Costa Rica captured the 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship after ending a defensive streak by its opponent, USA, in the tournament final … The Stars & Stripes went 628 minutes without conceding a goal and were 120 seconds short of the Confederation record set by Mexico in 1973-74, when Diego Estrada finally breached the USA goal in the 40th minute … Josue Martinez added two more goals (68th, 80th) to complete the 3-0 victory at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad & Tobago, to give Costa Rica its second U-20 crown and first since 1988.
March 16, 1991: Goals by Dante Washington (13th) and Bruce Murray (60th) led host USA to a 2-0 triumph over Canada in the last game of the North American Nations Cup at Murdock Stadium in Torrance, California … The result gave Mexico the 1991 championship on goal difference (+3 to +2) over the USA in the three-team group standings after both teams ended with three points each (1-0-1 record) … This would be the Tricolores first North American title since the 1940's, when they claimed the NAFC (North American Football Confederation) Cups in 1947 and 1949.
March 17, 1961: Host Costa Rica claimed its seventh CCCF (Confederaci��n Centroamericana y del Caribe) Championship with a 4-0 victory over El Salvador at San José's Estadio Nacional … Rigoberto Rojas (6th), Manrique Quesada (39th), Juan Ulloa (50th) and Juan Jose Gamez (52nd) all scored for the Ticos who won the title with a match remaining in the final group … Two days later, Costa Rica blanked Haiti 8-0 at the Estadio Nacional to close out the last edition of the tournament as the CCCF merged with North American Football Confederation to form CONCACAF later in the year.
March 18, 1963: Mexico captured the inaugural CONCACAF Youth (now Under-20) Championship in Panama City, Panama with a 2-1 win over Costa Rica at the Estadio Nacional Arosemena to finish atop the four-team final round group (that included Guatemala, Netherlands Antilles) with four points (1-0-2, record) … Prior to reaching the final round, the Tricolor finished in first-place in Group B with a 3-0-0 record (6 points) … Mexico's Javier Fragoso was the top scorer in the nine-team tournament with nine goals.
March 19, 1967: Goals by Hugo Peña (30th) and Manuel Recinos (33rd) gave Guatemala a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua at the Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to claim the 1967 CONCACAF Championship (Campeonato de Naciones) after finishing first in the final round tournament with nine points (4-0-1 record).
For more information or general inquiries concerning historical content, please contact Steven Torres, CONCACAF Director of Information Services at steve.torres@concacaf.org.
