the apertura and clausura tournaments are a relatively recent innovation for many latin american football leagues in which the traditional season from august to may is divided in two sections per season, each with its own champion. "apertura" and "clausura" are the spanish words for "opening" and "closing". in french-speaking haiti, these are known as the "ouverture" and the "fermeture", while in english-speaking belize, they are respectively the "opening" and "closing" seasons. the north american soccer league (nasl), a second-level league in the united states and canada, adopted a split season in 2013; the season is divided into a "spring championship" and "fall championship".