|
Five more teams are league champions in Latin America, and three more are in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Weekend results earned Santos Laguna its fourth Mexican title and first in four years, while Xelaju claimed the Guatemalan crown, Olimpia the Honduran league, Herediano won in Costa Rica and Real Esteli took the honors in Nicaragua.
Santos, Olimpia and Esteli already had assured themselves of berths in the Champions League, but "Los Guerreros'" victory sent Chivas de Guadalajara into the confederation club championship for the first time since its reformatting five years ago.
The additions bring to 19 teams that are qualified for the CONCACAF championship that will begin July 31 with only the Canadian, Panamanian and three Caribbean berths left to be decided.
(Review the list of qualified teams for the CONCACAF Champions League).
In Torreon, Daniel Ludena and Oribe Peralta staked Santos to a two-goal lead, and the Guerreros (Warriors) then prevailed 2-1 over Monterrey on Sunday to avenge its defeat in the Champions League finals last month, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
The victory ended Santos' streak of having lost in four straight finals, including three of the previous four Mexican league title matchups and the Champions League.
Since Santos' runner-up finish to Tigres in the Apertura championship already had earned it a berth in the CCL, Sunday's title vacated that spot and it was awarded to Chivas as the team with the best regular-season record in the Apertura.
In Honduras, Olimpia won a second straight league title, fifth in nine tries and 25th overall on Sunday, edging out Marathon 1-0 in the second leg of the Clausura final 1-0. Olimpia's title gave it more than twice as many as its closest rival, Motagua (12).
Both teams already had qualified for the Champions League with Olimpia assured of a fifth consecutive appearance - one of only two teams along with Metapan of El Salvador - and Marathon a fourth trip.
In Guatemala, Xelaju will return to the Champions League after a year's absence, beating Municipal 2-1 - with Wilber Caal's 78th-minute goal -- and then outlasting it on penalties 3-1 to seize the Clausura crown.
It was Xelaju's fifth league title and first since winning the 2006-2007 Clausura. Apertura champion Municipal already was assured of a third straight appearance in the Champions League and fourth overall.
In Costa Rica, Victor Nunez scored his third goal in two games and led Herediano's 2-1 victory over Santos de Guapiles on Saturday, completing a 6-3 aggregate win for its first league crown since 1993.
Alajuelense - which had clinched the other CCL berth -- had won the last three Costa Rican league titles, including beating Herediano twice in the finals. Herediano had finished runner-up seven times since 1993, four years before Costa Rica went to a split-season format.
In Nicaragua, Real Esteli beat Diriangen 3-1 to complete a 6-1 aggregate victory and win the league title for the seventh time out of the last nine contested. Esteli, which already had clinched a second consecutive berth in the Champions League, earned an 11th Nicaraguan crown, fewer than half of the 25 by Diriangen, which hasn't won the title since 2006.
Of the five berths remaining, one will be decided on Tuesday when Chepo faces Tauro in the reschedule Panamanian Clausura final. Friday's originally scheduled match in Panama City was postponed due to heavy rain.
The last North American spot will be determined Wednesday when Toronto FC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps, having earned a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship last week.
(Amway Canadian Championship schedule and results).
And the second semifinal round group of the Caribbean Club Champions Cup was set to begin Monday with the defending champion Puerto Rico Islanders and Caledonia AIA of Trinidad facing off against amateur sides Baltimore SC of Haiti and George Town of the Cayman Islands in the Caymans.
(Caribbean Club Champions Cup schedule and results).
The top two teams will advance to the Caribbean finals with Antigua Barracuda FC and W Connection of Trinidad, with the top three professional sides qualifying for the Champions League.





