San Francisco celebrates after winning the Panamanian Apertura final on November 22, 2014, in Panama City. (Photo courtesy of Liga Panameña de Fútbol)
PANAMA CITY, Panama – San Francisco earned a place in the next CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) with a 1-0 win over Sporting San Miguelito 1-0 in the 2014 Panamanian Apertura final on Saturday at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez.
Midfielder Richard Rodriguez, 18, scored in the 28th minute on a direct free kick to give the Monjes a ninth domestic title.
“It was a good final,” said head coach Gary Stempel, who won his sixth championship with the club and seventh overall. “We had to fight a lot, battle a lot and show personality and character. The fans have deserved this for a long time.
“Richard Rodríguez scored a great goal. It was a classic goal from Richard who is always dangerous on a dead ball.”
The 56-year-old coach was also quick to praise the efforts of his entire squad, which finished third in the regular season before getting past Chorrillo in the semifinals.
“It has been a privilege to work with this group of players,” expressed Stempel. “They deserve the championship and the best fan base in all of Panama is ours.”
San Francisco has appeared in four previous editions of the CCL (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12).
