Jornada 12 Recap: Super Gallos

By Sylvestre Adame

Weekend Results      

Cruz Azul 3 - 1 Estudiantes
Monterrey 1 - 2 Jaguares
Indios 0 - 2 Atlante
Toluca 1 - 1 Tigres
Morelia 2 - 0 Pachuca
Atlas 0 - 1 Gallos Blancos
San Luis 1 - 0 Pumas
América 0 - 0 Puebla
Santos 1-0 Chivas

Queretaro on a Roll

Queretaro, the team that no one believed in, was able to get a their second win a row. A struggling Atlas fell victim to Queretaro.  The victory will be important in a relegation sense. They must keep wining and hope that Indios continue their win-less streak.

Los Gallos Blancos also got their first goal on the road since the Second Jornada when they faced off against Pachuca. The gears seem to be turning in the right direction so why not go for more.

Technically Queretaro still has a chance to make it the big dance but they would have to win their last five encounters so that basically puts them out of the picture. Queretaro; however, is already gearing up for next season with speculation of a super star joining the coupe.

“We are very close to bringing him. He has no problem coming to a club like Queretaro. We will have a lot of work ahead of us to try and bring in a player of his caliber,” Queretaro president , Ulises Zurita told La Opinion.

The high profile player that Zurita was referring to is Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Los Gallos Blancos have been putting in a great deal of work into bringing in the coveted player. it will be up to Blanco though and he has already expressed an interest in joining America to finish out his career.

America on the Decline?

America have not won their last two matches and it seems like Las Aguilas are on the decline.

Juan Carlos Silva | Down and out in Azteca?

Pachuca beat America in the 11th Jornada. Los Tuzos had a clear advantage over America's "A" team. This time Puebla met America in the Azteca and pulled off a tie and again America struggled especially in the second half. One key player was missing in both of those matches for America.

Daniel Gaston Montenegro has been an important factor for America this season. Montenegro did play against Pachuca but was thrown out in the 30th minute after receiving a red card. he was suspended for the match against Puebla and the midfielders absence was felt.

"El Rolfi" does all the little things in the midfield. he recovers well and of course has a powerful strike. He sweats for the jersey and is devoted to the club. Jesus Ramirez was lucky to have signed such a player but what happens if Montenegro gets suspended again or even worse picks up an injury?

Las Aguilas don't seem to have a player that can replace Rolfi and once again the dependence on a single player re-emerges. Montenegro is at times reckless with his tackles. If America makes it into the Liguilla, Montenegro will most probably pick up a suspension in these games. Adolfo Rosinei was brought on to replace him in the last game but he will have to really step it up if he wants to make an impact like Montenegro.

Morelia, the Real Deal

Before the Mexican Apertura started we here at Goal.com had our predictions on who would eventually make it into the Liguilla from their respective groups.

Moises Muñoz | Finally, things are going well in Michoacan's capital.

I had Morelia sneaking into the Liguilla, boy was I wrong. Morelia now control group two and are on the heels of SuperLider Toluca.

Las Monarcas have the control of a very tight group 2 and have already faced their toughest opponents in the league. Morelia has the clear advantage over their next five opponents and a spot in the Liguilla is almost secured. Morelia also has the best of both worlds. They posses the best offense in the league with 24 goals and the best defense with only 10 goals conceded.

Pachuca was the last "big" opponent that Morelia had to face and they beat them with ease. Morelia's only defeats have come against Cruz Azul, Toluca, and Atlante. A few trip-ups along the way is expected, no one's perfect. With a healthy line up and with consistency Morelia could go further than just sneaking into the Liguilla, they could be champions.

Chivas: Keys to making the Liguilla

Chivas' loss against Santos will not help their chances of making it into the Liguilla. Guadalajara barely has any room for error. Prior to the encounter against Santos, Chivas carried a three game unbeaten streak. With the Liguilla just around the corner Las Chivas have to make some key adjustments to make it into the big dance and here are just some suggestions:

Win win win. Chivas of course have to keep winning to make it into the Liguilla. Their group luckily is not a tough one with Toluca the dominant and the other spot is probably going to be disputed between San Luis and Guadalajara. San Luis have only a point advantage and have an easier closing schedule than Chivas.

Win the Clasico. The next Jornada is the big one in Mexican football. The Clasico between America and Chivas will be played for the 89th time. Chivas need to win this one. A win against America would have a huge positive impact on the players and will have them believing that anything is possible.

Keep Vergara quiet. The very problematic and outspoken Jorge Vergara has not been himself lately. Vergara has not gone on his usual rants and has not fired anyone lately, thing that has resulted in favor of the team but who knows what will happen after the loss to Santos.

Keep Chicharito healthy. Javier Hernandez has been the revelation for Chivas this season. Hernandez has eight goals this season for Chivas and doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. With the youngster providing most of the fire power for Chivas it would be wise to keep him healthy and on good terms.

Jorge Vergara | Ponte los pantalones, Jorge.

Put the pants back on. Jorge Vergara did  just fine when it was just him running the show in Chivas. Now his wife Angelica Fuentes seems to have have a bigger say in what goes on with Chivas. Since Vergara married Mrs. Fuentes things in Guadalajara have gone sour. She is everywhere in team meetings, in press conferences and at games. Vergara needs to put the pants back on and lead the team to greatness like he once did.

Side Notes:

* Indios are still with out a win in the Apertura after falling once more, this time against Atlante.

* Jaguares still cant get a home victory for their fans.

* With the tie against America Puebla gets their 8th tie in the tournament which raises the question: isn't it harder to tie than to win?

* Toluca has not tasted defeat in their last six games but have tied in their last two encounters.

* "Every time Pumas is not in the Liguilla it's a disaster because it's such a big club," said Marco Antonio "Pikolin" Palacios. Not much so a disaster because its a big club, but more because they were champions last season.  


Destined 8  

Toluca- Should have put Tigres away to go up even further but they couldn't.

Morelia- beat Pachuca convincingly and are just a point shy of reaching the SuperLider spot.

Monterrey- Monterrey have dropped their last two encounters but still remain second in group 2.

Cruz Azul- La Maquina keep getting good results but they are not convincing ones.

Santos- Stopped Chivas unbeaten record at three and increased their own to seven.

America- Las Aguilas have struggled lately and get Chivas in the Azteca for the Clasico.

San Luis - The Gladiators benefited from the arrival of their new coach and hold a 1 point advantage over Chivas for the second slot in group 1.

Pachuca- Pachuca still have very good hopes in group 2. They can not afford any more losses and especially to group rivals like Morelia.

Player of the week: Carlos Gustavo Bossio

There was not much offense in this Jornada in parts thanks to good defenses and good keeping performances like Carlos Bossio's. The Atlas offense had Queretaro pinned back at their own half for a good part of the night. Bossio stopped four shots that were headed for goal and kept the clean sheet. most importantly though Bossio helped his team to their second victory in a row and their first win at home.

Team of the week: Morelia

Slowly but surely Morelia has made it's way to the top of group 2. Monterrey and America seemed to be the front runners but Morelia has flown under the radar to not only gain control of that group but also to become disputably the best team in the League. Although they are not SuperLiders they do boast the best attack and defense in the league. Morelia beat out Pachuca this weekend and got one step closer into the Liguilla.

Best game: Monterrey vs. Jaguares

Monterrey were booed of the field after Jaguares roared to a 2-1 victory. Jaguares could have made it more but could not finish when it counted. Monterrey opened things up early but Jaguares came back to win it with a great free kick from Alejandro Arguello and thanks to an own goal from Diego Ordaz.

Sylvestre Adame covers Mexican football for Goal.com.

For more information on the Mexican Apertura 2009 season, visit Goal.com.