In 1999, CSA competed in Campeonato do Nordeste, being eliminated by Bahia in the semifinals. Eventually, Vitória, Bahia, and Sport Recife (respectively the winner, the runner-up and the third placed teams in Campeonato do Nordeste) declined successively to dispute Copa CONMEBOL, so CSA was invited to the competition. CSA, surprisingly, reached the competition final, but was defeated by Talleres, of Argentina. In the first leg, in Maceió, the club won 4–2. In the second leg, in Córdoba, Talleres won 3–0. However, the competition's top goalscorer was CSA's Missinho.