Tigres, the 2016 Liga MX Apertura champions, are now on the verge of the 2017 Clausura Final after defeating top-seeded Tijuana 2-0 in the first leg of their Liguilla semifinal. Lucas Zelarayan opened the scoring with a sumptuous goal in the 42nd minute, and a visibly shaken Tijuana side gave up a second only three minutes later to Javier Aquino.
Juan Carlos Osorio has announced the preliminary 32-player squad, which will later be reduced to 23, that will battle for Mexico throughout June in two crucial World Cup qualifiers, including one against the United States at the Azteca, and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
This group of predominantly foreign-based players will not receive any break following the end of their European club seasons as Mexico will face Croatia in Los Angeles on May 27 and Ireland in New Jersey on June 1 in friendly matches.
Of Raul Jimenez's 21 goals in his Benfica career, 14 have come after the 70th minute, with five match-winners.
Jimenez's prowess in the clutch was on display this weekend when in the 75th minute he scored the only goal of the match against Rio Ave to give Benfica the win.
Fans of MLS will remember Camilo Sanvezzo from his time with the Vancouver Whitecaps, during which he did this:
That goal was nominated for the Puskas Award, but Sanvezzo, now with Queretaro in Liga MX, has quite possibly outdone himself.
You don't see many 5'8" goalkeepers in soccer. You don't see many 44-year-olds anywhere but the tactical area. You definitely don't see 5'8", 44-year-old goalkeepers doing things like this:
For those who religiously follow and catalogue all of the endless nonsense I churn out (you’re terrifying), you’ll remember that back in February (Jesus, what have I done these last two months) I got really into the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship. It was really cold and I was really sad so I turned to the carnival of sand, merriment and bangers that is beach soccer for respite. Plus it was all streamed on Facebook for free.
Guadlajara native Marco Fabian has scored four goals in the past four games for Eintracht Frankfurt. Fabian's good form has helped Eintracht Frankfurt into the DFB-Pokal final, where they will face Borussia Dortmund on May 27th.
Fabian and Eintracht Frankfurt will be looking for some revenge, as the last time these two teams played Dortmund won 3-1.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco has not had a good April. The Club America and Mexico National Team legend, anc current Mayor of Cuernavaca, Mexico, was named by a man who shot and a prominent Mexican businessman as one of the people who ordered the assassination. Blanco, who so far has no discernable motive for the crime, says he is being framed by the governor of the Morelos state, who he is obviously not on good terms with.
Blanco has talked about running for governor in the future.
Cruz Azul have not been very good this season, sitting 15th in the Liga MX table. As such, a sorceress named "Zulema" has decided to help them out.
From ESPNFC:
La Maquina, currently 15th in the Liga MX table with three match dates remaining in the 2017 Clausura, received a visit from La Bruja Zulema, a sorceress in leather pants hoping to "cleanse" the club of its decades-long curse.
Last night Chivas defeated Monarcas de Morelia in a penalty shootout in the Copa MX final.
Highlights of the shootout are below. Come for the penalty shootout, stay for the goalkeeper shenanigans from Miguel Jimenez and Sebastian Sosa. Sosa in particular is hilarious, if mostly ineffective.