The semi-finals of the 2022 Apertura season are now officially over, leaving only two teams vying for the Liga MX title. After the last round of playoff games, here are some discussion points and some reflections ahead of this week’s two-legged final.
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The favorites for the Club America title ousted by Toluca
Seeded # 6 Toluca had already been canceled even before taking the field last week. Facing Club America number 1 in the semi-finals, Toluca was widely seen as a minor obstacle for the Liga MX giants who previously demolished Puebla 11-2 overall in the quarter-finals.
Then came the mistakes that seemed to double the size of their supposedly harmless obstacle. On a bizarre mistake-filled night for Club America, Toluca pounced on untimely passes and shaky moments that led to a shocking 2-1 win in the first leg of last Wednesday’s semifinal series.
“It’s football, mistakes happen,” Club America manager Fernando Ortiz said after the defeat, calling the result a mere oddity. “Today they happened to us”.
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At home in Saturday’s return match at the historic Estadio Azteca, things have not improved The Eagles. Toluca remained solid in defense, led by outstanding performances from defenders Haret Ortega, Valber Huerta and Andres Mosquera. On the net, goalkeeper Tiago Volpi was influential with his handful of saves which then limited Club America to just one goal at the weekend. With a goal from left-back Jorge Torres Nilo, Toluca finally overcame with a 3-2 aggregate result.
Although Club America nearly tipped the series in their favor with a dramatic injury time goal from Henry Martin that was ruled offside – which would have sent them to the final thanks to a higher tiebreak – The Eagles they have no excuse for their exit in the semifinals.
Generally capable of relying on many viable options in midfield and attacking, Club America looked lost when starters like Diego Valdes and Richard Sanchez were left out of Toluca’s aggressive play. The Red Devils forced the Mexico team to make mistakes and, in response, Ortiz made some questionable substitutions in the second leg that offered little new information in the last third.
“I am responsible for this sporting failure,” Ortiz said after being eliminated, adding later that “obviously I want to continue [as manager]. “
As for Toluca, the once defensively weak group of players grew in strength at the perfect moment. Having only achieved six wins from July to September, The Red Devils and manager Ignacio “Nacho” Ambriz are heading to the finals with five wins in October alone.
Ambriz was hired last December in view of the Clausura 2022 season but only reached 15th place in the standings. In that Apertura season, he built a team that thrived on a tougher defense and produced behind revolutionaries like Volpi, Jean Meneses and Leonardo Fernandez.
“Eight months ago we were a mess,” Ambriz said of beating Club America. “Now this is changing.”
Against number 4 seeded Pachuca in this week’s two-legged Championship Series, Ambriz and his team of players will be looking to challenge expectations once again.
Pachuca returns to the final shocked after Monterrey
Toluca wasn’t the only Liga MX club to be upset in the semifinals. Pachuca was convincing in the previous round against Monterrey, seeded No. 2, eventually beating the favorites 6-2 overall.
Thursday’s home match set the tone for Pachuca. Fearless with their offensive approach, The Tuzo traded shots in a thrilling start to the series that found Pachuca by a whisker 3-2 in the 47th minute. Initially a balanced battle between the two, Monterrey then shot himself in the foot with a straight red in the 64th minute for Erick Aguirre, allowing Pachuca to score twice more and win the first leg with a score of 5-2.
Also adept at absorbing pressure and playing defense when needed, manager Guillermo Almada used a more compact version of his usual 4-2-3-1 form in Sunday’s second leg, leading to a frustrated frontline. of Monterrey who failed to find the net in a 1-0 defeat. With veteran goalkeeper Oscar Ustari amassing 11 saves – and defenders like Oscar Murillo, Gustavo Cabral and Kevin Alvarez amassing even more dribbles and tackles – The Tuzo survived the assault on Monterrey which quickly ran out of problem solutions in the second half.
With the streak almost over, a 95th-minute penalty for Pachuca’s Aviles Hurtado, who left Monterrey in 2021 after running out of minutes, was the perfect icing on the cake for Almada and his team.
Arriving in December ahead of the Clausura 2022 season, the 56-year-old Uruguay manager has now led his club into consecutive series. After also pushing Santos Laguna to the final in Clausura 2021, is it finally time for Almada to not only win his first Liga MX title, but also help Pachuca claim his second Liga MX championship since 2016?
“I hope so,” said Almada after the win. “We will give everything to achieve the goal, [but] Toluca will think like us, because the best wins “.
Pachuca shouldn’t overlook a Toluca side whose regular season position can be misleading. In a short tournament format such as Liga MX, it often takes a manager more than a season to click their roster. At their best, The Tuzo they are a much more organized and complete team that can seamlessly transition from an aggressive offensive style to go deep and defend when needed.
With a good mix of promising academic talent and seasoned foreign recruits, Pachuca may be the only one to finally stop the Toluca underdogs.
The program of the final of the Liga MX
Pachuca versus Toluca
First step: Thursday 27 October (time to be defined)
Second stage: Sunday 30 October (time to be defined)
