Los Rayados de Monterrey celebrate their 2009 Apertura title (MEXSPORT/ETZEL ESPINOSA Photo via Newscom)

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Monterrey went to Estadio Azul on Sunday up one goal after their 4-3 win in Thursday's first leg at the Technológico, the opening leg of the Apertura final.

A scoreless first half forced Enrique Meza to get more aggressive with the Maquina's attack to start the second, open the door of a Rayado counter where Walter Ayovi and Humberto Suazo set-up a fateful corner.  There, a short ball that made its way to Suazo's feet was crossed to the head of Alberto de Nigris at the far post for the match's opening, decisive goal.

Cruz Azul would move back within one before Suazo put the match away late, giving Monterrey their third ever top-level title with a 6-4, two-legged win.  In traversing the Liguilla to their title, Monterrey navigated the toughest road possible, beating the first (Toluca), second (Cruz Azul) and fourth (Club América) in the tournament.

But the story of Monterrey's run was overshadowed by the heart-warming, heart-breaking story of de Nigris.  Shortly before the start of the Liguilla, Aldo's older brother Antonio died of a heart attack.  The 31-year-old was a former Mexican national team member and started his career with Monterrey before moving to Europe with stints in Spain, Turkey and Greece.

Aldo, younger by five years, scored four goals throughout the Liguilla (tied with Suazo for highest in the tournament), including what would be the match-winner.  Substituted from the pitch in the waning moments, the television caught de Nigris in the early moments of the post-match celebration, haven taken off his jersey to reveal a shirt adorned with the image of his brother and the lettering "ADN + ADN."

In post-match interviews on the pitch, de Nigris talked about what the match and Liguilla had meant to his family.  He miraculously kept  the tears from welling in his eyes, which makes one of us.

Although the league maybe have been the best story of an active international club weekend, Mexico was not the only Primera Divisíon to crown a champion this weekend, as leagues all of the Western Hemisphere handed out titles:

Argentina

Club Atlético Banfield is one of the oldest clubs in Argentina, having been formed in 1895, but the Taladro had never won a league title.  In fact, Banfield had only finished second twice in their history, the last time being in the 2005 Clausura.

On Sunday, Banfield entered the Apertura's final match two points up on Newell's Old Boys but facing a trip to La Bombonera to play Boca Juniors.  Newell's was hosting San Lorenzo in what was suppose to be a simultaneous kick-off, but a barrage of debris thrown to the pitch in Buenos Aires saw the Boca-Banfield match kick-off fifteen minutes behind its counterpart in Rosario.

Ultimately, it made no difference, as early goals from Boca's Martín Palermo and San Lorenzo's Fabian Bordagary portended braces for each, with both "underdogs" winning 2-0.

Despite being behind at the Bombonera, Banfield supporters were able to celebrate when reports of Bordagary's second goal hit their small supporter's section.  They would finish the Apertura with 41 points in 19 matches, losing only twice in route to their first league title.

Uruguay

Since Nacional de Montevideo had clinched the Apertura title last week, they used Sunday's local derby with Cerrito as cake icing, winning 5-2 with help from a Nicolas Lodeiro brace.  It is the second season in a row that Nacional has won the Apertura, defeating Danubio in a playoff last season.  The title puts Nacional into the championship playoff, contested between Apertura and Clausura winners to decide an overall Primer Divisíon champion.

Nacional beat Defensor Sporting for last season's championship.

Paraguay

Nacional and Libertad were even at 40 points going into the Clausura's final match, but when Libertad lost 1-0 at mid-table Tacuary on Sunday, Nacional's 0-0 result hosting Olimpia was enough to give them their seventh title, their first in 53 years.  Along the way, Nacional allowed only 16 goals in 22 league matches, by far the best defensive record in the Primera.

Peru

Universitario won their 25th league title (but their first in nine years) with a 1-0 Sunday win over Alianza Lima, bringing the aggregate score to 2-0 over the tie's two legs.  Sunday's match was decided early when Norberto Solano converted a penalty kick in the tenth minute, giving U their decisive lead.  

Universitario had dominated their half of the Liguilla (second stage) winning by eleven points while Alianza did not qualify for the final until the last match day.

Colombia

Atlético Huila joined Independiente Medellín in the Copa Mustang II final, beating Santa Fe of Bogotá 4-1 on Sunday behind two goals in the first twenty-two minutes from Ivan Velásquez.  On Wednesday, they will host the first leg of the two-legged final against a Independiente side that dominated both the qualification stage and their semifinal group.

The second leg will be held Sunday in Medillín.

Costa Rica

Brujas's 3-1 Sunday over Verano champions Liberia Mia puts them through to Wednesday's semifinal opener, winning their quarterfinal on a 5-2 aggregate, getting five different goals scorers along the way.  They will face Pérez Zeledón, winners of regular season's Group A.

Puntarenas will move on to face Group B's winner, Herediano, after a 3-2 aggregate win over Carteginés, turning around form that saw the Naranjas get only one point in their final four regular season matches.  Before that stretch, they were drawn on points with Herediano (one point behind Brujas in Group B).