Latin America Sports Daily for Monday, March 16, 2026

Latin America Sports Today — WBC Semifinal Dominican Republic Eliminated, Brasileirao Round 6 and Liga MX Jornada 11 Results

Weekend Scoreboard — 14-15 March 2026

Jornada 11 of the Liga MX Clausura 2026 produced a seismic shake-up at the top after both league leaders dropped points. Cruz Azul surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Pumas in a frenetic match at Ciudad Universitaria on Saturday night — an own goal from Ditta completing an improbable comeback. Earlier, Toluca’s unbeaten run survived intact but the bicampeon was held 1-1 by Atlas in a match where both goals came in stoppage time at the Nemesio Diez.

The big winner was Chivas. Armando “Hormiga” Gonzalez scored twice as Guadalajara demolished last-place Santos Laguna 3-0 at the Akron, closing to within two points of leaders Cruz Azul (26 pts) and one point of Toluca (25 pts). Chivas now sit on 24 points with their best start to a Clausura in years. Pachuca rescued a late 1-1 draw at Atletico San Luis via Salomon Rondon’s 90th-minute equalizer, while Club Tijuana surprised with a 3-0 rout of Leon on the road.

Sunday’s action saw Tigres held 0-0 at home by lowly Queretaro, while America beat Mazatlan in Mexico City. The title race now reads: Cruz Azul 26, Toluca 25, Chivas 24 — three teams separated by two points heading into the season’s decisive stretch. As covered in previous Latin America sports coverage, Toluca remains the only unbeaten side in the competition.

Eduardo Coudet’s first match as River Plate coach at the Monumental produced a comfortable 2-0 victory over Sarmiento on Sunday, extending the Millonario’s unbeaten run to four matches and climbing to fourth in Zona B of the Argentine Apertura with 17 points.

River dominated possession with 78% of the ball but struggled to break down a compact Sarmiento defense until Gabriel Diaz’s second yellow card in the 40th minute opened the floodgates. Sebastian Driussi pounced on a Kendry Paez cross from the resulting corner, bundling the ball home via a deflection for 1-0 just before halftime. In the second half, 19-year-old Ian Subiabre sealed it in the 71st minute, converting Anibal Moreno’s incisive through-ball with a crisp left-footed finish. Juanfer Quintero came off the bench to add creative flair in the closing stages.

Elsewhere in Apertura Fecha 12, River’s rivals also had a busy Sunday: Belgrano hosted Talleres in the Cordoba derby (interzonal), while Union faced Boca Juniors in Santa Fe. With the win, River have now registered back-to-back victories under Coudet after last week’s triumph at Huracan, signaling a genuine revival for a club that started the tournament inconsistently.

Sunday’s Brasileirao action beyond the marquee clashes produced several consequential results. Bahia traveled to Porto Alegre and came away with a 1-0 victory over Internacional at the Beira-Rio, courtesy of a Willian Jose goal that moved the Tricolor de Aco into third place and deepened Inter’s early-season crisis in the relegation zone.

Palmeiras ground out a narrow 1-0 win over Mirassol at the Allianz Parque to keep pace with the leaders. Coritiba defeated Remo 1-0 in Curitiba, while Cruzeiro edged Vasco 1-0 at the Mineirao — a result that offers little comfort to Renato Gaucho’s side. RB Bragantino and Sao Paulo played out a goalless stalemate, potentially ending the Tricolor’s stay atop the table depending on how Monday’s Chapecoense-Gremio match unfolds.

The early standings are taking shape: Sao Paulo and Fluminense lead on 13 points apiece, followed by Bahia on 12 and Flamengo on 11. Palmeiras (best attack in the league with 14 goals) sit just behind. At the bottom, Inter’s winless run continues to alarm one of Brazil’s biggest clubs, as covered in our daily Brasileirao analysis.

Jannik Sinner made history at Indian Wells on Sunday, defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to become the youngest player to complete the set of all major hard-court titles — winning seven consecutive points to rally from 4-0 down in the second-set tiebreak. The Italian did not drop a single set across the entire tournament.

In the women’s final, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka saved a championship point in a deciding-set tiebreak to defeat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in a near-three-hour epic played in sweltering desert heat. Sabalenka, who had lost her previous four finals against the Kazakh including the 2026 Australian Open, finally broke through at Indian Wells at the third attempt, claiming her 23rd WTA title and 10th WTA 1000 crown.

While neither finalist was LATAM-born, the tournament carried regional significance. Brazilian-born businessman Georgios Frangulis proposed to Sabalenka during the fortnight, and Sinner praised Italian F1 sensation Kimi Antonelli’s Sunday win in his victory speech — a nod to the shared sporting calendar. Hugo Calderano’s quarterfinal exit earlier in the week at the WTT in Chongqing remains the top LATAM tennis/table tennis storyline of the weekend.

The week ahead is crowned by the climax of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Monday night brings the second semifinal between Venezuela and unbeaten Italy at loanDepot Park in Miami (8 PM ET, FS1). Venezuela, who shocked Japan in the quarterfinals behind Ronald Acuna Jr. and Wilyer Abreu, will be heavy favorites against an Italian side riding a remarkable six-game winning streak. The WBC final follows on Tuesday at 8 PM ET on FOX, with the USA awaiting the winner.

In Brazilian football, Brasileirao Round 7 begins midweek with a packed schedule. Santos host Internacional on Wednesday while Fluminense face Vasco in a Rio derby at the Maracana. The Monday closer sees Chapecoense host Gremio at the Arena Conda. The Argentine Apertura Fecha 12 continues Monday with Aldosivi-Huracan, Barracas Central-Atletico Tucuman, and San Lorenzo-Defensa y Justicia, plus Racing-Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto and Instituto-Independiente on Tuesday.

In tennis, the WTA and ATP tours move to Miami for the next Masters 1000 event, with Sabalenka entering as defending champion. The Copa Libertadores group stage resumes in midweek with crucial matchdays for Flamengo, Palmeiras, and River Plate among others.