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The Last Cinderella Stories in South and North American Top Leagues

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A number of football Cinderella stories in the South and North American top leagues just occurred not so long ago.

2024 marks a new Cinderella story in football with Bayer Leverkusen’s success in winning their first ever Bundesliga last weekend. Such similar tales also take place in America, both in the south and in the north. Here are some incredible stories from unknown teams in the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF major leagues, which also include Arsenal and Liverpool.

Arsenal de Sarandi (Argentina)

In Argentina, the last Cinderella story occurred in 2012, when Arsenal de Sarandi (nothing to do with the one from London) won their first ever league title. At that time, Argentina's top flight utilised the double-phase competition in its format: Apertura (first half) and Clausura (second half). Arsenal clinched their title in Clausura. They collected 38 points, two points ahead of Tigre in second place. They took advantage of Boca Juniors' inconsistent form and River Plate's absence. The latter was still in the second tier following their relegation in 2011. Arsenal also clinched Supercopa Argentina title in the same year and won the Copa Argentina in the following year.

Gustavo Alfaro, the former Ecuador boss in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was the man behind their unlikely victory. He is currently in charge of Costa Rica's Copa America 2024 campaign. A number of players in his squad would later become well-known, including young Victor Cuesta, who played for Argentina in the Copa America 2016, young Dario Benedetto, who went on to become a mainstay at Boca Juniors, and young Guillermo Burdisso, who previously played for AS Roma and Galatasaray. He currently plays for Huracan.

Atlético Paranaense (Brasil)

In Brazil, such Cinderella stories have not happened for a while. The last one came in 2001, when Atletico Paranaense won their first league title. Geninho’s men had to go through a two-legged final to determine the champions due to sharing the same 63 points as São Caetano. They crushed their opposition 5-2 on aggregate (4-2; 1-0). 

One of their key men, Kleberson, then made a big move to Manchester United after helping Brazil win their fifth World Cup in Japan-South Korea in 2002. Other well-recognised names among their fans were Dagoberto and Donizete.

The club then turned into the new giant outside the big 12 in Brazilian football. They went on to win more silverware, including the Copa do Brasil 2019 and two continental titles, the Copa Sudamericana 2018 and 2021. 

Liverpool, Montevideo (Uruguay)

This is probably the most recent one in the region. The Uruguayan Liverpool Montevideo, not affiliated with The Reds, stunned the fans after snatching the league title in 2023. Under Jorge Bava, they toppled giant sides such as Penarol and Nacional Montevideo on the table and thumped Penarol in the championship playoff by 2-1 on aggregate. Bava guided them to success and snatched the Supercopa title without any well-known stars in the squad. The former Nacional Montevideo goalie then left the club to take over the vacant post at Liga MX side Leon in the following season.


CD Cobresal (Chile)

Chile saw a similar tale of wonder in 2015 when CD Cobresal lifted their first league title in the top division. Under Dario Giovagnoli, Mineros was at the top of the table with 34 points, or two points clear of the runner-up, Colo-Colo, and way ahead of other major teams such as Universidad Catolica and Universidad de Chile. It was their second title in the club's history. Their first silverware was secured in 1987, when former Inter and Real Madrid players Ivan Zamorano and Co. helped them win the Copa de Chile. 

Cúcuta Deportivo (Colombia)

Colombia had their own Cinderella story in 2006, when Cucuta Deportivo won their first ever league title. They lifted the trophy after defeating Deportes Tolima 2-1 on aggregate in the final stage of the Colombian top division, Categoria Primera A Finalizacion. The key figure in their success was the former Costa Rican boss who brought them to the quarterfinals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jorge Luis Pinto. His team had some stars at his disposal, such as Panama International, who helped his country qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup; Blas Perez; Macnelly Torres; and Robinson Zapata.

Club Tijuana (Mexico)

In CONCACAF, Liga MX is undoubtedly one of the major leagues on the continent. Mexico saw the rise of the unknown side, Club Tijuana, meddle the domination of the capital clubs and snatch their first league title in 2012. Antonio Mohammed’s man was able to beat Toluca 4-1 on aggregate. His team was so underrated that they had no well-known players in the squad. Unfortunately, Xolos have not won another silverware ever since.

Los Angeles FC (USA)

Last but not least, in the MLS, such a tale just occurred in 2022 when the LAFC won the MLS Cup, a US top-tier competition. Steve Cherundolo’s side clinched their first league title after beating the Philadelphia Union on penalties. Both sides were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw after 120 minutes. The club, which only joined MLS in 2018, had a star-studded squad at the time, with the likes of former Arsenal man Carlos Vela, USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta, former Italian international Giorgio Chiellini, former Barcelona and Real Betis winger Cristian Tello, and the ex-most expensive player in the world, Gareth Bale. LAFC also won the Supporters' Shield in the same year for being the best in the regular season.


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