Since being instilled as manager of Ascenso MX side Dorados de Sinaloa back in September, Diego Maradona has gone on to record his finest achievement in professional coaching — even greater than when Argentina secured 2010 World Cup qualification on the final matchday and Maradona celebrated by telling reporters to “suck it and keep on sucking it” — by leading the second division side to the Apertura final.
Major League Soccer is losing another of its best coaches to Mexico.
Earlier this week, Atlanta United’s Tata Martino reportedly agreed to a four-year contract to coach the Mexico national team. Now, FC Dallas’ Óscar Pareja is leaving the states for Liga MX side Club Tijuana, according to reports from Ives Galarcep.
Next Monday, the Los Angeles Rams are set to “host” the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. However, the league is reportedly looking into moving the game back to LA because the field, quite frankly, looks like a case of hellfire diarrhea.
Last May, the legendary stadium switched its pitch from natural grass to a hybrid surface, but with both Club America and Cruz Azul utilizing the Azteca, the grass has been a constant source of anxiety over the last few months.
By holding Iran’s Persepolis to a 0-0 draw in front of 100,000 at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Japan’s Kashima Antlers won the AFC Champions League final 2-0 on aggregate and booked a 2018 FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal match against Mexico’s Guadalajara on Dec. 15 in the United Arab Emirates.
The stars for Kashima were 22-year-old Japanese international Yuma Suzuki and the Brazilian duo of Léo Silva and Serginho, who’ll give Chivas everything they can handle come December.
CONGRATULATIONS!
After missing four matches due to an ankle injury caused by teammate Bruno Valdez during training, 18-year-old Club America phenom Diego Lainez made his full return on Saturday by starting his first Liga MX match since Aug. 23. Matt Miazga’s BFF certainly looked back to his best in America’s 3-0 win over Tijuana, going the full 90 minutes and scoring a golazo in the 59th minute.
Video Assistant Referee is the future, whether old people (read: the English Premier League) want to admit it or not. Thankfully, Mexico is finally jumping on the train, as we’ll see VAR in Liga MX for the first time this weekend.
IFAB, the International Football Association Board, has approved Liga MX to use VAR in nine upcoming matches, starting Friday with Atlas hosting Veracuz.
Major League Soccer and Liga MX are in talks to participate in the Copa Libertadores — the Champions League of South America — according to recent reports. Liga MX competed in the competition for 18 years while MLS in Copa Libertadores would be a first.
Liga MX in Mexico and Major League Soccer in the U.S. and Canada are the two preeminent soccer leagues in North America. They might be joining together in a Liga MX MLS super-league of sorts by 2026.
Liga MX president Enrique Bonilla said it’s a possibility after the countries worked together to win hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup.
Chivas Guadalajara is going to have a new look come the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and we’re not talking about the absence of the man who led the team to the Concacaf Champions League title (Matías Almeyda was actually named head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes on Monday). According to the latest leaks, Chivas will debut a new jersey for its December quarterfinal matchup against the AFC Champions League winner (one of Kashima Antlers, Suwon Bluewings, Al-Sadd or Persepolis).
24-year-old Mexico international Jesus Gallardo scored his first goal for Monterrey last night, and it was easily the greatest goal in the history of los Rayados.
With torrential rain turning the pitch at Estadio BBVA Bancomer into soup during Monterrey’s Liga MX encounter with Club Tijuana, Gallardo used the treacherous conditions to embark on the sort of counterattack that hasn’t been seen since Kevin Costner was gunning around on a jet ski in Waterworld.