Torta Tuesday: The previous week's matches recapped with a preview of next week's games mashed together into a wonderful concoction with movie clips and outlandish opinion. Muy rico!
All good things must come to an end. Things that take me an incredible amount of time and are exceptionally high in fat are easier to end than others. I’m officially putting Torta Tuesday to bed this week. It’s been a good run, but it’s also kind of hard to run on account of all the tortas.
Statement wins highlighted the week’s action. Santos, Chivas, Monterrey, and Morelia all secured three big points that were uncertain heading in to week eight. I could have raised up a torta in honor of all of these teams, but the focus of today’s sandwich was on the fallen. The Gallos Blancos are in hot water after their scoreless draw with Atlas. They now seem destined for relegation. I won't be pouring out any forties, but I just ate this torta stuffed with white poultry meat for Queretaro. It tasted like sorrow.
It’s a busy week. Liga MX is in full swing. Toluca and Tijuana are involved in Copa Libertadores action today. Copa MX matches will be going on, and to top it off the CONCACAF U-20 tournament is under way in Puebla. We will all need some energy to keep up. I’m hoping a giant torta overstuffed with meat will get that done for me. I went with the torta filled with pastor meat. I feel a bit like Ron Swanson.
A nine-man Club America ended Tijuana’s home win streak on Saturday. This tempted me toward a torta called ‘La Aguila’, but I was a little concerned this would drag me over to the dark side. I’d have to start fluffing my hair out like Miguel Herrera and wearing canary yellow around. It was a bad road to go down. Hence, I decided to go with the torta pictured, a ‘Toluqueña’, in solidarity for the Diablos Rojos. They’ve had a rough couple of weeks and need all of the positive vibes they can get heading in to the next few days. So, you’re welcome Toluca and your torta was delicious.
Things got interesting in Cancun this weekend as Atlante took down Monterrey convincingly. This week's torta isn't a torta at all as much as it's a Five Guys burger. Much like many things in Cancun, it's not always entirely Mexican, but it definitely gets the job done. Buen provecho!
Plenty of interesting storylines highlight Week 4 and the Clausura season thus far. Chivas and Leon are still winless. Atlas and Queretaro continue to make a real battle out the relegation race. Tijuana hasn’t flinched from their championship form. With so much to discuss, I present an especially meaty torta. Buen provecho.
Seven more red cards were shown in the third week of this season. I’m going to try to avoid writing too much about that because it’s becoming equal parts ridiculous and infuriating. Therefore, I am going to stick to the positives this week … as they were in abundance, too. This week’s torta is a tribute to everything Poblano. I raise up a Super Torta in Puebla’s honor.
It's hard being on the road. In Liga MX action this week, the home teams went 6-2-1. This week's visiting teams received more red cards than red carpets (insert snare drum here). Traveling outside of Mexico for the month of January has been similarly (if not equally) challenging for me. Finding a quality torta in central Pennsylvania is harder than a visiting team winning in the Estadio Caliente. Yet, with the help of The Taco Shop in Harrisburg my mission was accomplished. Leon didn't find as much luck.
Torta Tuesday makes its dramatic return for the Liga MX Clausura 2013 season. For those uninitiated in the sandwich arts, the torta is a giant Mexican work of wonder. This column, inspired by the torta, sandwiches together recaps of the previous week's matches with previews of the following week's games. In between these, is a delicious concoction that will vary from week to week but will be tied to movie clips that vaguely (at best) relate to something interesting in the weekend's action. Check back every Tuesday to keep up with Liga MX and the varying flavor profiles. Buen provecho.
The regular season is now complete. We are down to eight teams in the Liguilla to decide the champion of Apertura 2012. It's anyone's title this year as there really doesn't appear to be one or even two clear cut favorites (except that we can surely eliminate Chivas). It's hard to know what to expect once the Liguilla kicks off, but there's bound to be some high entertainment. On a similar note, I'm not sure what exactly is in this torta I'm eating, but it's definitely tasty.
Finding positive signs on the horizon for the Mexican National team requires no investment of hope or exaggeration. The recent successes of the U-17, U-20, and mostly U-23 Olympic squad point to a bright future. The emphasis on the youth ranks has contributed to a class of young Mexican players that not only possesses great skill but has also been instrumental at the club-level. Diego Reyes and Hector Herrera have been locked down for summer transfers to Porto. Javier Aquino made the jump to Villareal in Spain. More are sure to follow.
Does a player stick to the domestic game or travel overseas for a chance at something bigger? The repercussions of this decision will likely affect the length, net earnings, and success of their career. Should they commit or should they go?
Now that you are prepared to take the plunge in to Liga MX, you will need to decide on which team to throw your undying support behind. Luckily, I have this all figured out for you. In the spirit of the Men in Blazers’ NBA to EPL converter, this helpful tool will guide you to your new Mexican squad of destiny.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for the sports viewer to spread their wings and to succumb to the viewership of yet another league, a decent respect to the opinions of said viewers requires that the blogger should declare causes that compel them to this additional viewership.
Assuming the role of national team coach comes with great peril. It puts managers in a position where they are representing an entire country in competition that often transcends mere sport. The manager has a chance to attain a legendary status that can have lasting effects on their career, legacy and even on the direction of football in their country. However, an abyss filled with fiery despair sits between accepting the position and this glory.
