Photo Credit: Club America
By Jonny Rico
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Club America is fighting for another league title. In a league with so much parity, where any team can go on and win the title, America has maintained itself as one of the regular contenders. On Thursday evening it will kickoff it 8th Liga MX semifinal series in the past five years (10 seasons).
America visits recently promoted side Club Necaxa in the first leg of the semifinal, looking to score ‘away goals’ and take back with it a comfortable lead to Estadio Azteca where it will play the return leg on Sunday evening.
The current 2016 Apertura season was suppose to be a more happy occasion for America since it celebrated its 100 Year Anniversary. But this season has been anything but festive for Club America. It has fought through obstacle after obstacle. America was humiliated by arch-rivlas Chivas 3-0 during Week 7 of the regular season, it had to fire its manager Igancio Ambriz and bring in Ricardo La Volpe, who many see as “washed up’ and “over the hill”, America were also eliminated from Copa MX in the semifinal round by Chivas in a SuperClasico cup edition.
Entering the playoffs as the number five seed did not sit well with fans either. But now in the playoffs Club America looks to give its loyal followers something to celebrate. It has started by exerting a dose of revenge on Chivas. America and Chivas faced off in the quarterfinal stage with America eliminating its rivals. This makes now two consecutive seasons in which America eliminates Chivas from the Liga MX playoffs after their 2016 Clausura quarterfinal clash.
Victory over the enemy was important but still not enough. America now must face former ‘sister-club’ Club Necaxa and advance to the final.
SURPRISE OF THE SEASON
Club Necaxa were once a powerful force to be recon with in Liga MX. During the 1990s Necaxa was a regular contender for the Liga MX title. But ever since its move out of Mexico City and into Auguascalientes it has jumped back and fourth between first and second division.
Six months ago Club Necaxa were fighting to return to Liga MX. Once Promotion was secured Necaxa started to build a top flight squad. The 3-time Mexican league champions knew that in order to stay in first division it would have to build a strong team and grind out results. The odds are always stacked against the recently promoted side.
Necaxa went out and brought in top qualify talent to reinforce its squad and fight to avoid another relegation. Chilean international and Copa America winner Edson Puch was the headlining star among the Necaxa transfers, along with Argentine goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero, Copa Libertadores champion with River Plate.
As is the case with most recently promoted teams, Club Necaxa did not play a spectacular brand of football. Instead it sat back, bunkered in and grindded out results in order to pick up valuable points for its point per game percentage. At the end of the season Necaxa had picked up enough points for a 7th place finish in the league table.
With everything to win and nothing to lose, Club Necaxa faced reigning Mexican league champions Pachuca in the quarterfinal round. Playing to its own strengths of strong and organized defense, Necaxa was able to hold off the powerful Pachuca attack and produce the shock of the season eliminating the champions and advancing to the semifinals.
STILL FAVORITES, DESPITE ABSENCES
Club America will have key absences in this semifinal series against Necaxa. Captain Rubens Sambueza will be unavailable after suffering a muscle injury during the first leg match against Chivas Guadalajara in the quarterfinals. Central defender Bruno Valdez has recently joined the first team at full training following his injury but was still left off of the team roster that traveled to Aguascalientes. And left wing-back Miguel Samudio has been in and out of the squad all season long with his injury. It seemed the Paraguayan defender might have needed a sub during the first half of the second leg match against Chivas but ended up playing the entire 90 minutes. He too will be questionable.
Despite all of the absences Club America is still favorites over Necaxa to advance to the league final. America and all of its players know full well the pressure of a semifinal while Necaxa are still the recently promoted team.
Club Necaxa’s strength will come as a collective unit trying to hold off America. But Club America seem to be finding their form at the right time. New manager Ricardo La Volpe seems to be getting his game plans correct and the players look to be understanding what the Argentine manager expects from them.
At the individual level, Club America’s players are starting to hit their stride. Carlos Darwin Quintero has been back from a blood-clout problem for two and a half weeks now. The life-threatening medical problem kept the Colombian forward away from the fields for over two months but has since return in great form producing plenty of dangerous plays in the attacking portion of the field. Argentine striker Silvio Romero has, who is in his first season with the club, has made a good quick first impression scoring 10 goals in his debut season, only one shy of Golden Boot Winners Dayro Moreno and Raul Ruidiaz. And finally Ecuadorian winger Michael Arroyo, who has made a habit of scoring goals in the most important and meaningful games has been on fire all season long.
BOTH CLUB AMERICA AND RICARDO LA VOLPE NEED THIS TITLE
Photo Credit: Club America
Both Club America and its manager Ricardo La Volpe are in desperate need of this league title. The clubs needs it in order to have something to celebrate its Centennial Year with. But there is also a big need for the title by its manager La Volpe.
The FIFA World Cup winner with Argentina in 1978 is regarded as one of the best managers in Mexican league history, despite the fact that he has only won one league title in his 33-year managerial career. He led Atlante to the 1992-93 league title, he also managed Toluca during its championship run in the 2002 Apertura but was hired as Mexican National Team manager before the end of the season. The title was officially won by Alberto Jorge.
La Volpe’s fame and reputation as one of the league’s best managers has been taking hit after hit. Since his departure from the Mexican National Team in 2006 La Volpe’s managerial career has had nothing but failures across the entire continent of North and South America.
The Argentine manager known for his thick mustache is more likely than not living one of his final chances at winning a second Mexican league title.
