Posted by With the start of the Apertura 2019 less than a week away, here are three burning questions heading into the tournament:
Can León repeat the magic of last season?
Following the dismissal of Gustavo “Chavo” Díaz in the middle of a frustrating Apertura 2018 season, former América and Necaxa coach Nacho Ambríz was hired to bring León back to the pinnacle of the Mexican domestic game. Los Esmeraldas had reached those dizzying heights as recently as 2013/14, when they won both the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014. That side played an enticing brand of attacking football under Uruguayan Gustavo Matosas. However, Ambríz had gained a reputation at his previous clubs as a more defensive-minded coach. Therefore, few expected León to recapture the attacking gusto that had impressed so many just a few years ago.
Nevertheless, Ambríz managed to do just that in his first full season at the helm. Although they only gained two points from their first three matches, León only lost once more from there, scoring a staggering 41 goals in the regular season. With the league’s top scorer (Ángel Mena) and top-scoring Mexican (José Juan Macías), León scored eight more goals than the next highest-scoring side (Monterrey).
Impressively, this attacking flair was complemented by a miserly defense. La Fiera were also the best defensive team in the Clausura 2019, conceding only 15 goals in 17 regular season games. This defensive solidity was underpinned by a settled back-five. Center-back Miguel Herrera, who missed time with a right thigh injury, was the only member of León’s defense that didn’t make at least 15 regular season starts. With the entire back five returning for the Apertura 2019, León should continue to be one of the league’s hardest teams to break down.
Strangely for a team that nearly set the short-season scoring record last year, León’s biggest problem going into the Apertura 2019 is at the top end of the pitch. Although they blew teams away during the regular season, La Fiera found the net only once in their last four Liguilla matches. This lack of firepower was particularly evident in the absence of Macías, who missed the final against Tigres while on duty with the Mexican U-20 National Team. With his replacement Vinicio Angulo failing to make an impact and Mena struggling to repeat his regular season form (0 goals in 6 Liguilla matches), León ultimately lost the final 1-0 on aggregate.
Despite the blow of seeing the title slip through their hands, León fans should be encouraged by the moves their team has made this offseason. The club has attempted to address their offensive depth issues by signing former Lobos front-man Leonardo Ramos and ex-Pumas star Ismael Sosa. Ramos, in particular, should flourish in a team that will give him far better service than what he received at Lobos.
Furthermore, the two star signings from last season, Joel Campbell and Rubens Sambueza, have the ability to improve on their Clausura 2019 performances. Costa Rican international Campbell was signed after the start of last season, and didn’t make his league debut until round 5 at home to Cruz Azul. Although he contributed to La Fiera’s multi-pronged attacking unit, Campbell only registered 4 goals and one assist in 19 regular season and Liguilla games. Ex-América star Sambueza is arguably more talented, and was voted Liga MX’s best player for 2017/18 on the back of his stunning displays with Toluca. Yet, he was beset by injuries in his debut season in Guanajuato, with a metatarsal fracture in his right foot suffered in round 3 against Tijuana keeping him out until the round 12 match against Morelia. With both players healthy and fully integrated into the side, León’s attack could be even more dangerous than last season.
Ultimately, León have the ability to overcome their disappointment against Tigres and lift the Apertura 2019 trophy. While the talent on the field is matched by a capable tactician in Ambríz, it remains to be seen if La Fiera can develop the mentality needed to beat serial title winners such as Tigres and América when all the chips are down in decisive Liguilla matches. Although they did overcome América in the semifinal stage last season, they advanced due to their regular season league position following a 1-1 aggregate over two legs, and their final defeat to Tigres showed that they still have more room to grow. Fortunately for León fans, they have a front office that is committed to helping them make that final step, which means the club’s 8th league title should come sooner rather than later.
How will Chivas handle the pressure of a relegation battle?
The heady days of the Matías Almeyda era are long gone for El Rebaño Sagrado. Under the Argentinean coach, Chivas lifted 5 trophies, including their 12th league title in the Clausura 2017. These successes made Almeyda the most successful Chivas coach in 40 years.
Although they managed to win the CONCACAF Champions League in 2018, Chivas have been largely terrible since that Clausura 2017 triumph. They have failed to qualify for the Liguilla in the last 4 seasons, finishing 13th, 17th, 11th, and then 14th in this past Clausura 2019. Instead of finding space to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet, Guadalajara will go into next season staring down the barrel of an historically embarrassing relegation. The club sits in 16th in the relegation coefficient table, with 1.0441 points per game average over the last four seasons.
These horrible results have been matched by discord and disorganization in the boardroom. First, after Almeyda left following the Clausura 2018 amidst tension with the front office, owner Jorge Vergara appointed his son Amaury as vice-president of the club and of Vergara’s business, Omnilife. Key executive José Luis Higuera was stripped of his general director role at Omnilife, but was kept on as general director of Chivas. Both Amaury and Higuera had little to no experience in football before joining Chivas, with the two focusing on careers in film and business, respectively.
Then, more changes were made to Chivas’ front office a few weeks ago. With Jorge away from the team amidst rumors that he is suffering from a serious illness, Amaury was named president of Chivas-Omnilife. On the same day of his promotion, Amaury’s first decision was to fire Higuera. This constant chopping and changing of roles and faces behind the scenes has given weight to an impression that Chivas are a club in an inexorable negative spiral.
While Guadalajara have made some promising signings this offseason, most notably with the addition of veteran striker Oribe Peralta, a lack of funds has hampered their transfer activity. All of Chivas’ signings this summer have come on free transfers. This lack of spending firepower is exacerbated by Guadalajara’s policy of fielding only Mexican players. As a result, clubs quote exorbitant fees when Chivas starts sniffing around any Mexican internationals or up-and-coming talents.
Although they definitely won’t challenge for the title in this Apertura and likely won’t even make the Liguilla, head coach Tomás Boy is El Rebaño Sagrado’s best hope to avoid relegation and the accompanying $6.4 million payment to stay in the first division. A silky attacking midfielder with Tigres and the Mexican National Team, Boy is an extremely experienced coach with a reputation as a relegation specialist. “El Jefe” famously saved Chivas’ cross-town rivals Atlas from relegation in 2013 before doing the same again a year later in his third spell at the helm of Los Zorros. If Boy can save Chivas from the drop and improve their relegation coefficient for future seasons in the process, Guadalajara will be on the path back to the recent success that they enjoyed with Almeyda.
Can Castillo and Dos Santos redeem themselves at América?
Given their status as Mexico’s most successful club with 13 league titles, América always feels the pressure to deliver trophies. As a result, expectations are high for the players that represent the club, particularly star players. The spotlight will be burning particularly brightly on Nicolás Castillo and Giovani Dos Santos heading into this Apertura.
After signing from Benfica for a reported $10 million in the final days of the past January transfer window, Chilean international forward Castillo was expected to provide the goals to power América to back-to-back league titles. Castillo filled his boots in his previous stint in Mexico with Pumas, scoring 26 goals and laying on 8 assists in 46 appearances.
However, in his first season with América, Castillo seemed to be suffering the effects of his disastrous six-month spell in Portugal (0 goals in 11 appearances, playing only 269 minutes). His late signing, coupled with a lack of fitness and match sharpness, meant that he was unable to make his league debut until round 6 against León. To make matters worse, he missed rounds 13, 14 and 15 with a right thigh injury suffered in Las Águilas 3-0 victory over Tigres in round 12. Although he came back in time for the Liguilla, Castillo failed to find the net in four playoff appearances, with América going out in the semifinals to León.
Although Castillo will go into this season as coach Miguel Herrera’s first-choice striker, América fans may need to be patient with the Chilean early in the season. Castillo will be the last player to report to América’s pre-season, just in time for the Campeón de Campeones final with Tigres in Los Angeles. After being away on national team duty at the Copa América, Castillo may struggle to get up to speed again with his teammates.
Fortunately for Castillo, the attacking firepower that América can field behind him is matched by few in the league. With the likes of Roger Martínez, Henry Martín, Renato Ibarra and others fighting for a starting birth in the final third, Herrera was already spoilt for choice before the arrival of former Barcelona starlet Giovani Dos Santos.
After promising so much early in his career with the Blaugrana, Dos Santos has enjoyed a largely nomadic career, taking in spells at three other La Liga clubs in addition to stints in England, Turkey and MLS. Nevertheless, Dos Santos’ technical quality is unquestionable, and he will be motivated to prove that Los Angeles Galaxy’s decision to buy out the final year of his designated player contract was misguided. In addition, Herrera is a coach that knows Gio’s qualities well, having used him in his preferred starting 11 at the 2014 World Cup as a second striker behind Oribe Peralta.
While Herrera may choose to field Gio there along with Castillo in a 4-4-2 formation, Dos Santos could provide more to América from the left in a 4-4-2 or in any of the three attacking midfield positions in a 4-2-3-1. The idea of playing him as a traditional number “10” in the latter formation is particularly enticing. Although América have been extremely dangerous from wide positions in recent seasons, they have struggled to replace the ability of Rubens Sambueza to link play between the lines and play telling final passes into the center-forwards. Dos Santos could step into the void left by the Argentinean technician.
However, as was the case with Castillo last season, match fitness could be an impediment to Dos Santos finding his peak form. Gio has not played a competitive match in more than 250 days, with his last action coming when LA Galaxy finished their MLS season at home to Houston Dynamo. At 30, Dos Santos will have more trouble regaining his fitness than earlier in his career, and América may have to wait until midway through the Apertura to see the best of their new signing.
Just for Kicks 