The epic battle between Costa Rican soccer teams La Liga and Saprissa ended with a 1-1 tie this past Sunday, which when combined with Saprissa’s 1-0 win in the first of the two games on Wednesday meant victory for the Purple Monster in this Costa Rica Opening Tournament semi-final.

   
Costa Rica Soccer — Saprissa vs. Herediano

Saprissa will go on to play in the first leg of the final match tonight, Dec. 19, at 8pm against Heredia who topped the Brujas in an overtime 1-0 win. The second leg will take place in the Saprissa stadium on Sunday.

Saprissa is the reigning national champion whereas Heredia has not won a championship since 1993. Despite this, Heredia has won 8 of its last 10 games, while Saprissa’s record is 6 in 11. Heredia hopes to start out strong in this first leg and hold on to the lead when the face Saprissa in front of their overwhelming fan base in the Ricardo Saprissa stadium.

In the past, two national tournaments were held each year in Costa Rica, the summer and winter tournaments, and the winner of each would play each other to name a national championship. This year they have changed that, and two champions will be named each year and will not face-off against one another. Instead of summer and winter tournaments, they are called the Opening and Closing tournaments, marking the open and close of the soccer season.

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Filed under: Sports on December 19th, 2007