Playing for 90
Fansided

Pumas knock out No. 1 América, No. 2 Atlas next

By Thomas Buckley

UNAM players celebrate after Alan Mozo scored the tying goal in the first half of the club's Liga MX quarterfinals match against América. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
UNAM players celebrate after Alan Mozo scored the tying goal in the first half of the club's Liga MX quarterfinals match against América. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) /
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Liga MX Liguilla Sat
Alan Mozo tormented América for 90 minutes Saturday, getting a goal and two assists to lead the Pumas to a huge upset in the Liga MX quarterfinals. (Photo by CLAUDIO CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images) /

In an upset of stunning proportion, the 11th-seeded Pumas thoroughly outplayed top-seeded América, winning 3-1 in Estadio Azteca to advance to the Liga MX semifinals. The victory sends UNAM into an improbable semifinal match-up against Atlas, who benefited from their second-place finish to edge past title favorites Monterrey in Thursday’s other quarterfinal.

The Liga MX playoffs continue Sunday night with No. 4 Tigres hosting No. 5 Santos with the lower-seeded Guerreros holding a 2-1 lead after the first leg, and No. 3 León aiming to overcome a 2-1 deficit to No. 7 Puebla.

UNAM fullback Alan Mozo had a goal and two assists while absolutely owning the right flank against heavily favored América, sending the winningest Liga MX in history to an early winter vacation. The Pumas were huge underdogs in the series, but Aguilas coach Santiago Solari got his line-up wrong, and his midfield melted away in the face of constant UNAM pressure, making the top defense in Liga MX this season looking like a house of cards.

In Guadalajara, Atlas was awarded a questionable early penalty then held off waves of pressure from the most expensive Liga MX roster before bending late. However, the 1-1 result favored the No. 2 seeded Zorros since Liga MX did away with the away-goals rule and higher-seeded teams advance in case of a tie in the Liguilla this season.

Will the real Alan Mozo please stand up?

The 24-year-old Pumas right back played the game of his life, a fact that must aggravate El Tri fans no end. Mozo appeared headed to Europe two years ago after bursting onto the scene in 2018. He starred on the El Tri U-23 team that finished third in the prestigious 2019 Toulon Tournament and got called up to the senior national team later that year, making two appearances. Then disciplinary issues sidetracked him.

Mozo constantly violated team and league rules (including Covid rules), and developed a reputation as a partier, before reporting to camp ahead of the 2020 Liga MX season out of shape. That cost him his starting job for much of that season and additional transgressions saw the Mexico City native lose his roster spot on Mexico’s bronze medal-winning Olympic team this summer.

On Saturday night, Mozo flashed the hustle and skill that captured the imagination of Liga MX fans who figured he might be a long-term answer to El Tri’s fullback issues. Maybe it’s not too late?

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