Matchday 8 Notes: Cruz Azul up, Chivas down

Two players suspended for off-the-field shenanigans

When general manager Ricardo Peláez was tossing around pesos to build the Super Chivas, winger Uriel Antuna and left back Cristian Calderón were among the most prized acquisitions. Both starlets had enjoyed sterling debut seasons with El Tri with Antuna playing a key role for Team Mexico’s Gold Cup-winning side in 2019.

Neither new hero has lived up to the billing for the struggling Chivas, a disappointing 2-3-2 thus far. Calderón has failed to crack the starting line-up and has been shifted between left fullback and left wing, partly due to his defensive shortcomings.

Antuna was getting playing time, but not showing up on the scorecard. In the team’s 2-1 home loss to Cruz Azul, the former L.A. Galaxy star flubbed a clear opportunity to knock home the game-tying goal late in the match and squandered three other scoring chances. Chivas fans booed him to tears after the loss.

Now, neither Calderón nor Antuna will be on the active roster for Sunday’s game against León. In fact, both players were sent to train with the club’s Under-20 side as part of disciplinary action.

The day after the Cruz Azul loss, Calderón was photographed partying it up at a music carnival, then allegedly begged off practice the following day. Antuna was “paparazzied” while canoodling with a Televisa actress just a few days after becoming a father with another woman.

The two “malefactors” were called onto the carpet – Guadalajara, the state capital of Jalisco, is a rather conservative city – receiving hefty fines and a public shaming via press release. It did not sit well with ownership – and local morality – that its $40 million-dollar spending spree was not producing on the pitch while underperforming players were carousing about town.

One soccer pundit wondered if the public shaming was a ploy by management to distract from the poor results and deflect accountability for the shambles of a season.