HOW THE LEAGUE WAS WON CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bolivia
PRIMERA DIVISIONColombia
PRIMERA AParaguay
PRIMERA DIVISIONUruguay
PRIMERA DIVISIONChile
PRIMERA DIVISIONEcuador
SERIE APeru
LIGA 1Venezuela
PRIMERA DIVISIONBolivar won the apertura, their
29th title, while Jorge Wilstermann
went undefeated in their last 17
games to snatch the clausura
crown, their 15th title. The
Strongest finished second
in both competitions.Junior won the apertura after
beating Deportivo Pasto on
penalties in the play-off Final,
but they lost the Finalizacion play-
off Final to America de Cali, 2-0
on aggregate.Olimpia continued their
domination of the championship,
winning both the apertura and
clausura championships, their
third and fourth successive titles.Nacional, having won the clausura
title, won their 47th league title,
beating apertura winners Penarol
in a play-off.The league championship
was suspended in November
as a result of the civil protests
taking place across the country.
Defending champions Universidad
Catolica, who were leading the
table after 14 rounds, retained
their title.The league was expanded from
12 to 16 teams. Under the new
format the teams played each
other home and away, with the top
eight teams entering a play-off
phase. Delfin beat LDU Quito on
penalties in the play-off Final to
claim their first title.Apertura winners Binacional, from
Juliaca close to the Peru-Bolivia
border, won their first-ever title,
beating Clausura champions
Alianza Lima 4-3 on aggregate
in the play-off Final.Champions Caracas won the
Torneo Clausura by defeating
Deportivo Tachira in the Final and
then beating apertura winners
Estudiantes de Merida in the
championship Final on penalties
to claim their 12th league title.Bolivar and Jorge Wilstermann
qualify for the Copa Libertadores
group stage, while The Strongest
and San Jose enter the qualifying
phase. Nacional Potosi, Blooming,
Always Ready and Oriente
Petrolero go into the Copa
Sudamericana qualifiers.Junior and America qualify for the
Copa Libertadores group stage,
while Deportes Tolima and cup-
winners Independiente Medellin
go into the qualifying stage.
Deportivo Cali, Atletico Nacional,
Millonarios and Deportivo Pasto
go into the Copa Sudamericana.Olimpia and Libertad qualified
for the Copa Libertadores group
stage, with Cerro Porteno and
Guarani in the qualifying rounds.
Sol de America, Nacional, River
Plate and Sportivo Loqueno
qualified for the Copa
Sudamericana.Nacional and Penarol both qualify
for the Copa Libertadores group
stage. Cerro Largo and Progreso,
third and fourth in the aggregate
table, qualified for the qualifying
rounds. Liverpool, Plaza Colonia,
River Plate and Fenix, qualified
for the Copa Sudamericana.Universidad Catolica and second-
place Colo-Colo enter the Copa
Libertadores group stage, with
third-place Palestino in the
second qualifying stage. Union
La Calera, Coquimbo Unido,
Huachipato and Audax Italiano
are in the Copa Sudamericana.Delfin, LDU Quito and
Independiente del Valle enter the
Copa Libertadores group stage,
while Macara and Barcelona go
into the qualifiers. Universidad
Catolica, Aucas, Emelec and
El Nacional are in the Copa
Sudamericana.Binacional and Alianza Lima
qualify directly for the Copa
Libertadores group stage, with
Sporting Cristal and Universitario
in the qualifying stage. Sport
Huancayo, Melgar and Real
Garcilaso qualified for the
Copa Sudamericana.Caracas and Estudiantes de
Merida qualified for the Copa
Libertadores group stage, with
Deportivo Tachira and Carabobo
in the qualifying stages. Minera,
Aragua and Llaneros qualified
for the Copa Sudamericana.Leonel Justiniano won the first title
of the year with Bolivar and then
moved to Jorge Wilstermann,
where his calm solidity in midfield
was so important to their triumph
as he became the first player to
win two Bolivian titles in the same
year with different clubs.Aggressive, mobile striker Michael
Rangel helped Junior win the first
championship of the year and he
was top scorer in America’s
triumph in the second.Roque Santa Cruz is a centre-
forward who remains a class act
at the age of 38. A consistent
marksman throughout 2019,
he ended the year with a glut
of goals to help get Olimpia over
the line.Nacional’s Matias Vina played
left-back and centre back for
Uruguay’s under-20s, but it was
in the former position that he
established himself at club level
and then first choice for his
country at senior level.A buzzing figure down Universidad
Catolica’s right flank, Jose Pedro
Fuenzalida is getting better
as he moves into his mid-30s,
combining constant movement
with consistent end product.A rangy striker who recovered
his early career momentum with
a magnificent goalscoring year,
Macara’s Michael Estrada won an
international call-up and a move
to Toluca in Mexico at the end of
the year.Artful Colombian playmaker
Donald Millan was the creative
force behind Binacional’s unlikely
title triumph, scoring, setting up
and dictating the rhythm. He has
now joined Universitario.Joel Graterol is an athletic keeper
who helped Zamora to win the
domestic cup. Did so well in a
losing cause in the Libertadores
that he earned a move to
Colombian champions America.66 WORLD SOCCER Compiled by Tim Vickery
SOUTH AMERICAN LEAGUES REVIEW