CONCACAF organized international club tournament since 1959. But it was difficult to organize, maintain, and even more to make it popular. North and Central America is strange region – three huge countries and many tiny ones, especially those on the Caribbean islands. Economically, even without counting USA and Canada, the differences were and are enormous – almost entirely speaking of degrees of poverty. Politically, the small countries were ruled by various dictatorships for years, often ‘complimented’ by US military presence. Cultural traditions differed as a result, including sports: former British colonies tended to develop cricket. US influence made baseball and basketball popular. Back north, football was also in disadvantage, eclipsed by baseball, American football, basketball, and ice hockey. As a whole, only Mexico and French-influenced Haiti (which has the oldest football federation in this part of the globe) were football-oriented. But Haiti was desperately poor all the time and thus unable to develop the game. Lastly, to CONCACAF belonged countries otherwise belonging to South America – the three Gayana states and some islands, which should have been South American countries if geographic location was followed. The situation made staging international tournaments difficult and records are scarce – even in 1982 the CONCACAF Cup of Champions and Sub-champions leaves empty pages: how many teams from how many countries is unknown. It is still unknown did Deportivo FAS (El Salvador) played any match at all. Only two matches from the Caribbean section are known, but apparently there were more, because Don Bosco (Dominican Republic) was eliminated, along with another club, whose name remains uncertain – Palo Seco or Trintopec of Trinidad and Tobago. The Northern and Central Section, in which Deportivo FAS was supposed to play was also a big mess: 8 teams entered on paper – 2 from Mexico, 2 from USA, 2 from Guatemala, and one from Honduras and El Salvador each. Deportivo FAS was not among these initial clubs – Independiente was the Salvadoran representative. NASL had nothing to do with CONCACAF tournaments, so the US representatives were never heard of clubs – New York Pancyprian Freedoms (as the name suggests, a club belonging to the Cypriot immigrant community) and Brooklyn Dodgers. On what basis New York local clubs came to represent USA is unknown, but they did not play at all. They withdrew along with the Mexcian Cruz Azul. UNAM (Mexico) appeared in the second round and eliminated Vida (Honduras) – 2-2 and 5-0. No problem in the third round either – UNAM eliminated Comunicaciones (Guatemala) 2-2 and 3-0, and reached the final.
The Caribbean Section produced a final between teams from far South, if Northern-American at all – Defense Force (Trinidad and Tobago) vs Robin Hood, or SV Robinhood (Suriname). Robin Hood won 1-1 and 5-2.
The tournament final was quite unequal – Robin Hood vs UNAM.
Brave name, but there were limits… whatever football Suriname ever produced is associated with Holland: families moved often to the former colonial center and the kids were Dutch – Frank Rijkard and Ruud Gullit, for instance. Suriname had no noticeable players and no chance to have any, plus money were short. So short, the club decided to play both final legs in Mexico. They ‘hosted’ the first leg in Queretaro and managed a scoreless tie. UNAM won the second leg in Mexico City with great difficulty – 3-2. It should have been an easy win – the Pumas were leading 2-0 in the 25th minute. Ricardo Ferreti scored in the very first minute and in the 25th Luis Flores made it 2-0. But Klinker scored for Robin Hood two minutes later. In the 41st minute Ferreti scored his second goal, opening again 2-goal lead – which did not lasted: Rustemberg scored a penalty in the 44th minute. Exciting first half – and nothing later. No goals in the second half, the result stayed. Robin Hood was brave finalist indeed.
UNAM won the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the second time. It was not really noticeable tournament and the victory was not easy, but was important one for the club – the team coached by Bora Milutinovic was still rising from obscurity and beginning to collect trophies. International success, however small, was important for the image – in sharp contrast to traditional Mexican power like Cruz Azul, which seemingly decided there was no good reason to spend money on CONCACAF tournament. UNAM was building prestige and trophy room, they needed it.