1947 NAFC Championship
International football competition
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The 1947 NAFC Championship was the inaugural international association football championship for members of the North American Football Confederation (NAFC). Hosted by Cuba, the competition ran from 13–20 July 1947 and was contested by the national teams of Cuba and Mexico as well as the United States who were represented by an amateur team, Ponta Delgada.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Cuba |
| Dates | 13–20 July |
| Teams | 3 |
| Venue(s) | Estadio La Tropical, Havana |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Mexico (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Cuba |
| Third place |  United States |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 3 |
| Goals scored | 16 (5.33 per match) |
| Attendance | 39,400 (13,133 per match) |
| Top scorer | Adalberto López (4 goals) |
1949 → | |
After the three teams had all played each other, Mexico were declared champions on 22 July when the competition was curtailed. Originally scheduled as a double round-robin, the NAFC decided to finish the championships early after a single round-robin was completed.
Background
The North American Football Confederation (NAFC) was founded in 1946. Along with the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF), it was a precursor organisation to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Within a year of its founding, the NAFC organised a contest for its member associations.[1][2]
Both Cuba and Mexico sent their national teams to the tournament. However, rather than forming a team for the competition, the United States Football Soccer Federation chose to send Ponta Delgada, an amateur team from Fall River, Massachusetts.[3] Ponta Delgada were one of the best teams in the United States as they had won both the 1947 National Challenge Cup and 1947 National Amateur Cup.[4]
Format
The tournament was originally scheduled as a double round-robin where each team would play all of the others twice. The winner would be decided by the total number of points obtained across all matches played.[3]
However, the tournament would only be played as a single round-robin after the NAFC decided to curtail the championship following the completion of half the scheduled matches.[3]
Participants
Cuba (Hosts)
Mexico
United States[note 1]
Squads
Venue
All matches were held at La Tropical Stadium in Havana.[2]
| Havana |
|---|
| Estadio La Tropical |
| Capacity: 30,000 |
 |
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Summary
The competition began on 13 July 1947 when Mexico faced the United States. A hat-trick from Adalberto López helped Mexico to a 5–0 win in the opening match. Four days later, Mexico recorded their second win of the competition as they defeated hosts Cuba 3–1. On 20 July, Cuba recorded their first win of the competition as a brace from Antonio Villalón helped them to a 5–2 win over the United States.[2][3]
On 22 July, the NAFC decided to curtail the tournament and awarded the inaugural title to Mexico.[3]
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico (C) |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 4 |
| 2 | Cuba |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 2 |
| 3 | United States |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
Results
Goalscorers
There were 16 goals scored in 3 matches, for an average of 5.33 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
- Angel Segura
- Antonio Villalón
1 goal
- Carlos Septién
- Rodrigo Ruíz
- Ed Souza
- Ed Valentine
Notes
- Represented by Ponta Delgada S.C.