CONCACAF will crown its 1997 Champions Cup champion at the final four, which will be held at Washington’s RFK Stadium Aug. 22-24. Defending MLS champion D.C. United and runner-up Los Angeles Galaxy are both entered in the tournament. The eight quarterfinal berths will go to: the 1996 CONCACAF champion, three teams from North America, three teams from Central America, and the Caribbean champion. Here’s a look at how the tournament has progressed so far:
1996 Champion
Cruz Azul (Mexico) won the just-completed 1996 quadrangular final in Guatemala City and receives a bye directly into the 1997 quarterfinals.North America 1
1996 MLS champion D.C. United (USA) has a bye directly into quarterfinals.North America 2
1997 Torneo Verano champion Guadalajara (Mexico) has a bye directly into the quarterfinals.North America 3
July 30 — Los Angeles Galaxy (USA) vs. Santos (Mexico) in Los Angeles. The winner advances to the quarterfinals.Central America 1
FIRST ROUND, FIRST LEG June 1 in Balboa Eurokickers (Panama) 4 Diriangen (Nicaragua) 2. FIRST ROUND, SECOND LEG June 8 in Diriamba Diriangen (Nicaragua) 4 Eurokickers (Panama) 1. (Diriangen wins 6-5 on aggregate.) SECOND ROUND, FIRST LEG May 3 in Cartago Cartago (Costa Rica) 5 Tauro (Panama) 0 June 22 in Diriamba Diriangen (Nicaragua) 3 (Acavedo 22, Bermudez 27, Gonzalez 68) Alajuela (Costa Rica) 2 (Muso 14, Chavez 52). Half: 2-1. Att.: 4,000. SECOND ROUND, SECOND LEG May 11 in Tauro Tauro (Panama) 2 Cartago (Costa Rica) 4. (Cartago wins 9-2 on aggregate.) July 9 in Alajuela Alajuela (Costa Rica) 3 (Chavez 6, Arnaez 12, Wallace 85) Diriangen (Nicaragua) 1 (Garro 51). Half: 2-0. Att.: 2,000. (Alajuela wins 5-4 on aggregate) Schedule At last word, Cartago (Costa Rica) and Alajuela (Costa Rica) were set to meet in a home-and-away playoff July 27 and 30, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals.Central America 2
FIRST ROUND, FIRST LEG May 18 in Quetzaltenango Xelaju (Guatemala) 0 Real Verdes (Belize) 0. Att.: 15,000. May 28 in Usulutan Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) 0 Olimpia (Honduras) 0. Att.: n/a. FIRST ROUND, SECOND LEG June 1 in San Ignacio Real Verdes (Belize) 0 Xelaju (Guatemala) 2 (Trujillo 67, Rinaldi 89). Half: 0-0. Att.: 15,000. (Xelaju wins 2-0 on aggregate.) June 8 in Tegucigalpa Olimpia (Honduras) 1 (Velasquez 38) Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) 3 (De Freitas 38, Toro 40, Pigott 61). Half: 1-2. Att.: 3,000. (Luis Angel Firpo wins 3-1 on aggregate.) SECOND ROUND, FIRST LEG July 13 in Quetzaltenango Xelaju (Guatemala) 2 (Poze 14, Mora 47) Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) 1 (n/a 42). Half: 1-1. Att.: 15,000. SECOND ROUND, SECOND LEG July 16 in Usulatan Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) 2 (Toro pen. 47, Castro 80) Xelaju (Guatemala) 0. Half: 0-0. Att.: 3,237. (Luis Angel Firpo wins 3-2 on aggregate and advances to quarterfinals.)Central America 3
FIRST ROUND, FIRST LEG May 7 in Santa Ana FAS (El Salvador) 1 Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 1. May 18 in Belize City Juventus (Belize) 0 Real Espana (Honduras) 1 (Gomez 62). Half: 0-0. Att.: 4,000. FIRST ROUND, SECOND LEG May 14 in Guatemala City Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 1 (Valencia pen. 67) FAS (El Salvador) 1 (Villarreal 48). Half: 0-0. Att.: 1,781. (Aggregate: 2-2; Comunicaciones wins 5-3 on penalty kicks.) May 28 in San Pedro Sula Real Espana (Honduras) 1 (Cabrera 87) Juventus (Belize) 4 (McAllet 4, M.Tum 29, Garcia 45, Hall 60). Half: 0-3. Att.: n/a. (Juventus wins 4-2 on aggregate.) SECOND ROUND, FIRST LEG June 22 in Belize City Juventus (Belize) 0 Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 3 (Julio Rodas 12, own goal 60, Gomez 63). Half: 0-1. Att.: n/a. SECOND ROUND, SECOND LEG June 29 in Guatemala City Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 5 (Gomez 14, 61, Julio Rodas 41, Suazo 86, Perez 90) Juventus (Belize) 2 (Nunez 71, 87). Half: 2-0. Att.: 5,000. (Comunicaciones wins 8-2 on aggregate to advance to quarterfinals.)Caribbean
GROUP 1 July 16 in Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad L1Etoile (Guadalcanal) 0 Notre Dame (Barbados) 0. Att.: n/a. United Petrotrin (Trinidad & Tobago) 2 (Cyrus 8, Jones 89) Omai Goal Seekers (Guyana) 0. Half: 1-0. Att.: n/a. July 18 in Pointe-a-Pierre Omai Goal Seekers 0 Notre Dame 2 (Riley 14, Hall 51). Half: 0-1. Att.: n/a. United Petrotrin 7 (Francis pen. 13, Cyrus 14, 60, 66, Jones 75, 77, Prosper 88) L1Etoile 1 (Oliver 29). Half: 2-1. Att.: n/a. July 20 in Pointe-a-Pierre Omai Goal Seekers 1 (Babb 59) L1Etoile 1 (Bruno 43). Half: 0-1. Att.: n/a. United Petrotrin 5 (Prosper 5, Julien 44, Cyrus 48, Jones 64, 89) Notre Dame 0. Half: 2-0. Att.: n/a. FINAL STANDINGS| TEAM | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | P |
| Petrotrin | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 9 |
| Notre D. | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| L’Etoile | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Omar GS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |