Both the Chicago Fire, the defending MLS champion, and D.C. United, the defending CONCACAF Champions Cup champion, fell in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Costa RicaÆs Alajuela defeated the Fire, 5-4, in penalty kicks after the game tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Necaxa of Mexico rallied to beat Unired, 3-1, in the nightcap. Alajuela forward Wilson Munoz scored the initial goal in the 22nd minute, capitalizing on the efforts of teammate Josef Miso. Miso worked the ball deep into Chicago territory, drawing the Fire defense out of shape. Miso’s feed to the center of the box pinballed through the Chicago defense, finally settling on the feet of Munoz. With ample time to choose his shot, Munoz launched a rocket past Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton and into the lower right-hand corner of the net. Chicago’s Roman Kosecki equalized in the 36th minute with a long free kick that found the upper right-hand corner of the net. Javier Delgado’s hard tackle of Chicago’s Ante Razov set up a free kick some 20 yards from the net. Kosecki’s hard, rising kick curved around a five-man wall and buried itself deep into the back of the net, blazing past goalkeeper Alavaro Messen. Despite losing team captain Peter Nowak to injury in the second half, the Fire offense dominated the latter stages of the game. Substitutes Dema Kovalenko and Paul Dougherty were brought in to jump-start the Chicago offense, but to no avail. Despite several quality opportunities in the final minutes of the game, neither side could find an advantage. At the end of regulation, the game moved directly to a penalty kick shootout. Fire defender and Czech international Lubos Kubik fired his attempt high over the net, an error that proved to be the difference in the match. Neither Thornton nor Messen could manage a save during the tiebreaker. In the end, Alajuela walked away victorious, earning a spot in the final round of the tournament. “La Liga” will play in the final round on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 4:00 p.m. PT (live on Fox Sports World and FSW Espanol) against Necaxa. Necaxa of Mexico scored three unanswered goals, including a pair nine minutes apart in the second half, to beat D.C. Carey Talley had given United a first-half lead, but Sergio AlmaguerÆs shock equalizer put terms level at the interval. NecaxaÆs attacking power — especially with dangerous balls off set pieces into the area — finally paid dividends as it struck twice. Dreams of Brazil in January and FIFAÆs World Club Championship went by the wayside with the loss. The two MLS teams meet at 2:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 3, for third place. Alajuela 1 Chicago Fire 1 (Alajuela wins 5-4 on penalty kicks). Goals: Munoz 22; Kosecki 36. Att.: 8,361. Necaxa 3 D.C. United 1. Goals: Almaguer 40, Delgado 57, Oliva 68; Talley 26. Att:. 8,163.