Pan-Pacific Championship
 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia, North America and Oceania |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Current champions |  Suwon Bluewings (2009) |
| Most successful club |  Gamba Osaka, Suwon Bluewings (1 time) |
| Website | Official website |
 Pan-Pacific Championship 2009 | |
The Pan-Pacific Football Championship is an inter-confederation football tournament between teams from A-League (Australia and New Zealand), Chinese Super League (China), J. League (Japan), K-League (Korea), and Major League Soccer (United States and Canada). The event is underwritten by MLS and promoted through its Soccer United Marketing arm.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The inaugural edition of the competition took place from February 20 to February 23, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii.[2] Four teams took part in the competition; Houston Dynamo qualified as MLS Cup champions and Gamba Osaka qualified as champions of the Japanese League Cup.
Australia's A-League was represented by the loser of the minor semi final instead of the champion team. This was due to a scheduling conflict with the A-League Preliminary Final on February 17, followed by the Grand Final on February 24, which were moved back so as not to interfere with Australia's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.[1]
The fourth competitor was originally intended to be the SuperLiga champion, Pachuca, but the club reportedly declined to take part and their place in the competition was awarded to Los Angeles Galaxy. Galaxy were possibly chosen as the SuperLiga runner-up or were simply invited to act as hosts.[1]
Teams from China and Korea made their debut in the tournament in the 2009 edition.
No tournament was held in 2010, fueling speculation that it may have become defunct.
[edit] Future plans
Future editions are likely to involve a larger number of teams than the four. Football Federation Australia has expressed an interest in hosting the tournament in the near future.[1]
[edit] Trophy
The trophy was designed by Thomas Lyte of London. The design is a vase shape with six 'arms' that support a ball with a diameter of 4 inches. Overall, the trophy stands at 16 inches tall.
[edit] Results
| Year | Host | Final | Third-place match | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | 3rd place | Score | 4th place | ||||
| 2008 |  United States | Gamba Osaka | 6–1 | Houston Dynamo | Los Angeles Galaxy | 2–1 |  Sydney FC | ||
| 2009 | United States | Suwon Bluewings | 1–1 (P4-2) | Los Angeles Galaxy | Oita Trinita | 2–1 |  Shandong Luneng | ||
[edit] Statistics
[edit] By club
| Team | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamba Osaka | 1 | 0 | 2008 | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings F.C. | 1 | 0 | 2009 | |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 0 | 1 | 2009 | |
| Houston Dynamo | 0 | 1 | 2008 |
[edit] By nation
| Nation | Times won | Times runner-up | Winning clubs | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1 | 0 | Gamba Osaka (1) | |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings F.C. (1) | |
| United States | 0 | 2 | Houston Dynamo (1), Los Angeles Galaxy (1) |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Cockerill, Michael (2007-11-06). "A-League joins the world game as pioneers of the Pan-Pacific championship". The Sydney Morning Herald. ISSN 0312-6315. http://www.smh.com.au/news/a-league/aleague-joins-the-world-game-as-pioneers-of-the-panpacificchampionship/2007/11/05/1194117959688.html. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
- ^ International tourney to debut Feb. '08 in Hawaii
| |||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
