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Chivas haul of goals earns Super Clásico victory

By Thomas Buckley

J.J. Macías arrived to Guadalajara in January 2020 with such high expectations it was always going to be difficult to live up to them. (Photo by Alfredo Moya/Jam Media/Getty Images)
J.J. Macías arrived to Guadalajara in January 2020 with such high expectations it was always going to be difficult to live up to them. (Photo by Alfredo Moya/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Rodriguez, right, celebrates after scoring against the Chivas on Feb. 15. (Photo by Oscar Meza/Jam Media/Getty Images) /

Cup winner will burnish status as legit Liga MX contender

Two teams with visions of hoisting the Guardianes 2020 trophy will face off at UNAM’s Estadio Olímpico Universitario with a separate piece of hardward at stake.

The inaugural preseason Copa GNP por México concludes on Sunday night with Cruz Azul playing Guadalajara in what could be a high-scoring affair.

The Cementeros have scored 10 goals in their four Cup matches, including 4-goal outbursts against Mexico City rivals América and Pumas. The Chivas have scored 7 goals in their past two games after notching just 2 in their first two.

Both clubs have realistic dreams of winning the Liga MX title this season. Cruz Azul was riding a 6-game winning streak and sat atop the table in mid-March when the Clausura 2020 was shut down.

One of the victories during that 6-game run came over the Chivas in Guadalajara. “Cabecita” Rodríguez (8’) and Adrián Aldrete (41’) tallied first-half goals for the visiting Cementeros who won 2-1. Alexis Vega had momentarily tied the game with a penalty kick in minute 25.

The Cementeros maintained the roster that had lifted the club into first place, with the added bonus that star striker Milton Caraglio, midfielder Yoshimar Yotún and defender Igor Lichnovsky are healthy again. Caraglio was absent the entire Clausura, Yotún was in and out of the line-up and Lichnovsky missed the bulk of the games with a serious ankle injury.

Management picked up José Ignacio Rivero and “Shaggy” Martínez to add quality veteran depth and rugged defender Pablo Aguilar should be back from knee surgery by September.

If coach Robert Siboldi can maximize his team’s performance and pull the right strings, Cementeros fans have every reason to believe the club can finally end its 23-year league title drought.

The Chivas were a popular title pick last season after new GM Ricardo Peláez spent freely during the winter transfer window. The roster was rejuvenated and the team was finally starting to grasp coach Luis Fernando Tena’s tactical blueprint when the Clausura was canceled.

Tena had only come aboard in September 2019 with mixed results and it was thought Peláez would bring in a new coach to play with all the new pieces he stockpiled. Instead, Tena was retained and the frisky Goats started embracing the idea that greater freedom could be earned by swarming opponents.

It helped that 21-year-old home-grown defender Gilberto Sepúlveda developed into a stud (he seems destined for a spot with El Tri very soon) and another academy product, Fernando Beltrán, blossomed in the new system.

Next. What to expect from Chivas, Aguilas. dark

Peláez is confident his expensive new toys have settled in by now and welcomes the mantle of title favorite. Tena has the task of shepherding the “Rebaño Sagrado” into the playoffs, a stage the Chivas have not graced since December 2017. Once in the Liguilla, title No. 13 is the objective.

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