Liga MX Super Clásico shines light on Copa GNP
América and Chivas meet for 236th time, in semifinal clash
Liga MX fans get treated to a special Super Clásico Thursday night when the Chivas and América square off on the pitch at … Estadio Olímpico Universitario?
That’s right! A Clásico de Clásicos in Mexico City, but NOT at Estadio Azteca.
The two most popular teams in Mexico will do battle in a preseason match being hosted at the CU. It’s Aguilas-Chivas in the Copa GNP semifinals in the run-up to the Guardianes 2020 season set to kick off on July 23.
Well, a Super Clásico is a Super Clásico no matter where it’s played or what’s at stake. And it’s a long time coming because we missed out on the Week 14 showdown when Covid-19 shut down the Clausura 2020 after Matchday 10.
That means the last Classic we witnessed was on Sept. 29, 2019, when América routed Guadalajara 4-1 in a game darkened by a rash Antonio Briseño tackle that badly gouged Gio dos Santos’ thigh. That was also the debut of Luis Fernando Tena as shepherd of “El Rebaño Sagrado.”
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Both rivals enter the upcoming season as legitimate title contenders, though anything less than a championship will be considered a failure for América and coach Miguel Herrera knows it. The Chivas, on the other hand, are energized and eager to end a vexing six-season playoff drought.
Before the Liga MX season commences, the upcoming national derby could prove to be a springboard toward the playoffs for the victor.
To close out the group stage, the Chivas bounced back from a 2-0 loss to the Tigres by easing past Mazatlán FC 3-1, led by scoring phenom J.J. Macías who leads the Copa GNP with 3 goals. Tena’s men finished the round-robin stage atop Group B with 7 points, 1 more than the Tigres.
As for América, the Aguilas were shellacked by Cruz Azul in their final group-stage match, advancing to the semifinals with a measly 4 points from 3 games. Their reward was a date with the Chivas.
After the 4-1 beatdown at the hands of the Cementeros, coach Herrera was raked over the coals in social media, and the talking heads piled on as well. “El Piojo” does not want to head into the season on a two-game losing streak against big rivals and fellow title contenders. So a win over Guadalajara is a must.
The controversial coach was already taking heat for not wearing a mask on the sidelines as required by Cup rules. After also being mask-less during his club’s second game, Herrera claimed nobody told him about that regulation and promised to wear a “cubreboca” during the third game. He did. But if Cruz Azul’s 3-goal flurry to open the second half left him agape, the mask hid his stunned expression.