Via Gabriel Tan in espn.com : Another edition of the AFC Champions League kicks off on Monday with the familiar scenario of an East Asia Zone club as the current title holders. In fact, in the past 15 editions of Asian footballs premier club competition, the eastern region of the continent has produced 13 champions across Japan, South Korea, China and Australia. Only twice has the West Asia Zone managed to reign supreme — Al Hilal two seasons ago and Al Sadd all the way back in 2011.
