Club America lifts CONCACAF Champions League

MEXICO — Club America captured the CONCACAF Champions League title for a second straight year Wednesday after a 2-1 win over Tigres gave it a 4-1 aggregate triumph. Club America followed up a 2-0 victory over Tigres last week with another strong effort in front of a packed crowd at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and will represent the region at the Club World Cup in Japan. The defending champion fell behind in the 39th minute where France international Andre-Pierre Gignac converted to put Tigres on the scoreboard first. But that was as close as it would ever come to catching Club America in the overall aggregate. Tigres opened the second half with spirit and retained much of the possession before Ecuadorian Michael Arroyo came on as a substitute in the 65th and struck soon from the edge of the box to give Club America some breathing room. Osvaldo Martinez sealed things and set off the celebration in the 87th minute where he converted a penalty shot following a tackle on Miguel Samudio. This was the 11th straight time a team from Mexico’s first division has won the CONCACAF regional club tournament. Argentina club offers fans an implantable chip Fans in soccer-mad Argentina often chant: “I carry you inside me!” when talking about their favorite club. It might soon be more than just a slogan. The Tigre club in Argentina’s first division plans to offer die-hard supporters a chance to implant a microchip in their skin. It would give them stadium access by pressing their bodies against scanners to open turnstiles. Tigre official Ezequiel Rosino said Wednesday that there’s nothing invasive about the chip because it doesn’t have a tracking device and it carries only basic information about the fan. It would be implanted under a tattoo with the club’s red-and-blue colors. The initiative is still in an experimental phase, waiting for approval from the Argentine Football Association as well as health and security officials.