Where Violette's shock of Austin FC ranks in all-time Concacaf Champions League upsets

Only the most optimistic of Violette FC supporters might have predicted the Carribean Championship holders would defeat Austin FC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions League first-round series on Tuesday.

No one ... and we do mean no one ... would have foreseen the 3-0 final score. 

And considering the circumstances —Violette having not played competitive soccer since their Caribbean Championship triumph last May, and having to relocate to the Dominican Republic, as well as the lopsided score and the pregame betting odds — it might be the most extraordinary result in the history of club competition in the Concacaf region.

Want evidence? Here's a look back at the five biggest underdogs to win a CCL match since the 2009-2010 tournament, the earliest competition for which OddsPortal has records.

NOTE: The odds below are compiled from an average of multiple sportsbooks at the time pregame betting closed. Odds of +200 reflect that a wager for $100 would pay $200 in profit. Odds of -200 reflect that a wager of $200 would pay $100 in profit.

5) LA Galaxy 1, Puerto Rico Islanders 4, 

July 27, 2010

Odds: LA -370, Draw +386, Puerto Rico +888

The Galaxy were forced to play a two-leg qualifier against the USL's Puerto Rico Islanders to try and reach the then-16-team group phase. It didn't go well in the first leg at home played before a sparse crowd at what is now Dignity Health Sports Park. Islanders legend Nicholas Adderly scored a brace, and it might have been worse without an 83rd-minute own goal to give the Galaxy some consolation. The Islanders progressed despite a narrow defeat in Leg 2 at home, and went on to finish third in their group, narrowly missing out a quarterfinal berth.

4) Marathon 1, FC Tauro 2

August 4, 2010

Odds: Marathon -385, Draw +386, Tauro +952

Tauro had already suffered a brutal 3-0 Leg 1 loss at home in Panama in their own qualifying series, and was playing mostly for pride in the return fixture in the return leg in Honduras. But their unlikely win on the night (despite a 4-2 defeat on aggregate) would foreshadow some bigger successes Panamanian clubs and the national team would have in the near future. Of note to American fans: Mark Geiger was the man in the middle that day.

3) Club America 0, LD Alajuelense 1

Oct 22, 2013

Odds: America -476, Draw +499, Alajuelense +1031

Alajeulense were twice Champions of Concacaf in the era before the creation of the Concacaf Champions League. But in modern times, this was among their most famous of days. Jerry Palacios' 55th-minute tally was enough to not only beat the biggest club in North America, but eliminate them from the tournament at the group stage. Alajuelense went on to advance past Arabe Unido in the quarterfinals before losing a semifinal series to Toluca

2) CF Monterrey 2, Arabe Unido 3

August 17, 2016

Odds: Monterrey -769, Draw +651, Arabe Unido +1610

The Panamanian giants Arabe Unido enjoyed their best moment on the continental stage in 2016, and it didn't get any better than sweeping CF Monterrey, then a three-time CCL champion, in both group games. The real stunner came in the first match in the North of Mexico, where future Liga MX talent and Panama international Yoel Barcenas scored what would stand up as the winner in the 50th minute.

1) Violette AC 3, Austin FC 0

March 7, 2023

Odds: Austin -1485, Draw +1009, Violette +2629 

A few factors put Violette's stunner in an entirely different context than nearly every previous upset mentioned above. For starters, this is the only match involving a home underdog, albeit one playing at a provisional location in a neighboring country. Secondly, it's the only match on this list since the competition shifted to an all-knockout format. (Previously, Toronto FC was a +757 underdog when it defeated Club Leon in the second leg of their round of 16 series.)