“Here’s the thing about luck…you don’t know if it’s good or bad until you have some perspective”.
- Alice Hoffman
Back in 2016 the Larousse Dictionary wrote informally via Twitter some possible meanings for the very Mexican word ‘Cruzazulear’: 1. "to win continuously in order to lose everything on a mistake" 2. "to lose surprisingly or clumsily".
Funny enough I overheard a conversation the other day (¡Si soy metiche y que!) that someone said that with a couple of good seasons ‘Cruzazulear’ could eventually come to refer to those teams which emerge triumphant against all odds. I dunno Rick. That would take 20 years of doing.
It has been 23 years since los Cementeros lifted their last league Cup. This year Cruz Azul is a top contender to make it to the final two and finally break the malefice. They began strong and have continuously been in the Top 3 in league standings for most of the tournament but seem to have lost some of their forward momentum, losing 2 of their last 3 matches and tying the other against America. Although there are 3 more matches until the playoff positions are defined, the promise of another fruitless year might be just around the corner if they aren’t able to finish strong.
Come Sunday, they will be tested when they face a stolid Chivas team led by Victor Manuel Vucetich, who has slowly molded the Red and White’s into an efficient, competitive football machine. It is taking some doing, but each week they look more and more compact and a win for Cruz Azul does not look like an easy feat.
The rivalry between Cruz Azul and Chivas is without a doubt one of the most important in Mexican soccer. The matches between the Celestes and the Rebaño Sagrado have always stood out because they have been very clean well played games. Both teams generate a lot of soccer, both look for balance, both like to play the game offensively, each one with its own style, ‘su propia estampa’.
Sunday’s game against the Cementeros promises a high level of fan entertainment. Most Chiva fans are expecting nothing less than perfection on their way to the playoffs. After the win in the Clasico Tapatio, Victor Manuel Vucetich made it clear that Chivas will be looking for the win to assure a spot in the playoff Top 4.
Vucetich recognized, during the video press conference at Akron Stadium, that the victory versus Atlas had been categorical and that Club Guadalajara deserved the victory for what they had done on the field.
But not everything was good: "I am uncomfortable with the way we received the goals. We can't allow lapses in concentration and we have to correct it. It’s easier to make corrections when winning".
So, Chivas is back: "This team is getting better every day, we have a strong bench and a motivated group. We are on the right track, but I know there are details which need to be corrected".
The Rebaño Sagrado will have to face Cruz Azul, Pumas and Rayados to close their performance in the regular phase and despite the apparent danger of facing 3 very well directed teams, Vucetich has full confidence in his Rebaño.
"What better than to face the teams that are at the top of league standings. We can even reach the Top 4 if we achieve the results in all 3 games," declared the Red and White DT at the post-match press conference.
The best thing for Chivas is that these 3 games against direct rivals come at the best time for the team. Vuce’s crew finally seem to have assimilated his game plan and are stacking up the numbers both in possession and passing precision. The Chiva defense is, along with Tigres and Pumas, one of the Top 3 defensive lines of the tournament.
Los Rojiblancos are, as William Ernest Henley wrote in his poem ‘Invictus’, “the masters of their own fate, the captains of their own soul”. As I have mentioned many times previously, this team has magic, it was just waiting for someone to rub the lamp and make it shine. Vuce is slowly coaxing the genie from the bottle.
Chiva Factoid: Vuce’s Chivas are currently undefeated at Akron Stadium under his tutelage (3W & 2D). Lets hope they can keep it so!
