The second leg of Liga MX's championship final will take place Sunday night in what will surely be a heated display of tactical prowess between two of Mexico's most popular teams, America and Cruz Azul.
The Azteca Stadium will be packed by more than 100,000 screaming fans who will be expecting one of the most memorable soccer finals in recent history.
America will look to win its eleventh league title to tie Guadalajara and become one of the two teams with most titles in the league. Cruz Azul on the other hand will look to end a dry spell of more than 10 years without winning a league championship. Azul came close to clinching titles rather frequently these last few years, but this year they finally won the newly founded mid league cup, Copa MX, which was well-received by the team's championship hungry fan base.
Thursday night proved to be an exciting night in the Estadio Azul where the host was barely able to win by the minimum margin in a game in which America proved to have an insistent but ineffective offensive line. On the other hand, Azul's goalie, Jesus Corona, had one of his most illustrious matches of his career.
America will relay heavily on players Christian Benitez and Rubens Sambueza to break Azul's defense and even the score early in the game to take pressure off and play on an even scoreboard. Azul will try to play the midfield by controlling the ball in that area through Chrisitan "Chaco" Gimenez and Gerardo Torrado who will try to create goal opportunities for the team's forwards. Mariano Pavone, the Argentinean player and Azul lead scorer --missed the first leg of the final due to an injury-- is scheduled to play Sunday at the Azteca Stadium. America's defensive line will be vigilant.
Thursday night showed that America can accommodate to a defensive Azul and tonight they will look to capitalize when hosting Azul who may decide to fold back and play defensively.
Either way, expect aggressive strategies from both teams.
US fans will be able to follow the game closely on TV. Univision Deportes Network and ESPN both will have extensive coverage during the day and before the kickoff, which is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST.
Live Online Streaming
The game's live streaming will be provided and can be watched at WatchEspn and Univision Futbol.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
