All of the familiar symptoms were there. Cruz Azul displayed signs of their usual Liguilla weakness throughout their quarterfinal match-up with Morelia. The symptoms just never manifested in to the full-blown sickness.
As a teenager and still to this day I love roller coasters, in spite of the fact that I am terrified of heights. That scary feeling of excitement you feel as the roller coaster rises and rises before the big drop; that is what I, as an Americanista, feel today.
There's excitement for the fact that we are in a semifinal, two games away from the final. We're only four games away from possibly lifting the championship trophy. But it is that same scary excitement because America has been here before in the recent past and not been able to make it pass this very round.
The semifinals are now set. Four teams advance for a chance to capture the Clausura 2013 title. Enough will be written about these teams and their intriguing match-ups in the coming days. Before we move on, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the seasons and the outlooks of the recently departed.
The Mexican Liguilla starts tonight. This end-of-the season tournament has historically proven to be anyone’s for the taking. It feels especially true this season as none of these remaining teams could be easily discounted. A case could be made for any of the eight to capture the title, albeit some easier than others. Let’s look at the four quarterfinal match-ups that will play out over the next five days:
(1) Tigres v. (8) Monterrey
Schedule:
Wednesday, May 8 at 7:00 (CT), Estadio Tecnologico
Submitted by cesarh1030 on Mon, 05/06/2013 - 18:00
We're only three games into qualifying, and the worries have already begun (I'm not helping, I worry too much as well). People have been questioning Chepo, the team selections, and most all, the likelihood of Mexico still finishing in the top three. As it stands, Mexico are sitting uncomfortably at the fifth spot in the Hex. Optimists will tell you that they're only two points from the top, pessimists will tell they're one point from the bottom, and realists will tell you that they're not moving anywhere until June 4th.
I’m just a disappointed fan. Just when I really thought it couldn’t get worse, here comes Chivas to ruin another Sunday home game. Going into the match, we knew Chivas had absolutely no chance in qualifying to the Liguilla. We also knew that Queretaro had punched its one way ticket to the Liga de Ascenso. With that in mind, this game was just a “friendly” match. Both teams had absolutely nothing to fight for but to simply give their fans a little satisfaction.
One game remains on the schedule before the playoffs commence in this Clausura 2013 season. Normally, this would be a weekend highlighted with high pressure matches that would determine where teams would fall with regard to the craziness of postseason play. This is not so much the case this time around. Seven of eight spots in the playoffs are already locked down and the eighth is a virtual lock (Monterrey would need a monumental collapse to blow it). By taking playoff qualification off the table, there is little to look forward to in these final matches of the regular season.
Last week, I talked about how the Pumas had full control of their destiny in regards to securing a liguilla position. On Sunday afternoon, they backed up those words with a dominant performance against Jaguares de Chiapas and now officially have a spot in this year’s playoffs. Where they will be seeded however, will be decided in the final week of the Liga MX Clausura.
I’ll start by introducing myself just like my “The Big Four” counterparts. I am Jonny Rico (@jonyrico on Twitter) and I’ve been a life-long Club America fan. Growing up in the 90s I had to endure the 13 year drought; it wasn’t until I was 17 in 2002 when I was able to celebrate my first league title. I have since celebrated one more in 2005, but in spite of the few championships I have been able to live. My heart remains loyal to the best team in Mexico.
The finals of the Concacaf Champions League begin with the first leg later tonight. Santos Laguna host Monterrey in what will surely prove to be a compelling match-up. I write this with confidence due to the fact that we've seen them face each other so many times.
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