MONTERREY, Mexico — Tigres' splashiest signing of the summer was Enner Valencia. The star forward returned to Mexico from the Premier League and turned heads in Europe and South America.
Far less eye-catching were the rumors and subsquent signing of defensive midfielder Rafael Carioca. The Brazilian played more than 100 matches with Spartak before returning home to sign with Atletico Minerio, yet few paid much mind to his addition to the Tigres roster this summer. That may have changed Sunday, when the 28-year-old was one of the best players on the pitch in a 2-1 victory for Tigres that locked up a 3-2 aggregate win over rival Monterrey in the Liga MX final.