Chivas de Guadalajara settled for a 1:1 draw last Saturday in their last Liga MX match of the Clausura against cross-town rivals Atlas. This result eliminated Chivas from the knockout phase of the Liga MX tournament (Liguilla), and their interim coach Gerardo Espinoza has been let go as a result. In typical derby fashion, both teams were evenly matched for the majority of the game. Young Chivas starlet Hugo Camberos put el Rebaño ahead 1:0 in the thirty-first minute with a long shot that took a fortunate deflection off of an Atlas defender. The Chivas lead was short lived, as Serbian striker Uros Durdevic tied the game for Atlas 1:1 in the thirty-fifth minute. Chivas went on to generate a plethora of chances, but was unable to find the finishing touch to give them the victory that could have kept their season alive. The game ended 1:1 and Chivas found themselves at the tail end of another disappointing tournament.
With one matchday left during the Liga MX regular season, Chivas came into this game in eleventh place in the standings with twenty points, one point shy of tenth place Pumas who occupied the last ticket into the Liguilla. Chivas needed a win against their crosstown rivals Atlas, and Pumas needed to lose or draw against their opponent Tigres in order for Chivas to find themselves in the knockout rounds of the Liga MX postseason. Pundits and fans were hopeful of Chivas progressing into the tournament on account that Pumas was likely to lose to Tigres, as well as fourteenth place Atlas looking to be a very beatable team. Tigres did their part and soundly beat Pumas 2:1, but Chivas was unable to find that final pass against rivals Atlas to see them through into the Liguilla.
Chivas seems to be in a state of flux, as they are looking for a fourth manager in the last year now that Espinoza has been relieved of his duties. Following the unexpected departure of previous head coach Fernando Gago to Boca Juniors, and the abrupt dismissal of Gago’s replacement Oscar Garcia due to bad results, interim coach Gerardo Espinoza has now failed to salvage something from this season for Chivas. Having been the head coach for the Chivas reserve team Tapatio, many were hopeful of Espinoza’s appointment as it was thought that he would utilize his knowledge of the Chivas academy system to get the best out of this crop of players, many of whom are academy graduates. Things did not go to plan for Espinoza and the powers at Chivas find themselves trying to quell another fire in what has been a disastrous year.
The last five tournaments showcase a spiraling trend downwards for the Guadalajara outfit, parading a far cry of what was once the pride of Mexico. Chivas ended their season in eleventh place in this year’s Clausura; in the Apertura of 2024 they came in ninth. During the 2024 Clausura, Chivas ended the regular seasons in sixth and fifth place in the 2023 Apertura. In the 2023 Clausura, Chivas came in third place. In their last five tournaments, there has been an evident decline in the results for the Jalisco based club.
It is not all doom and gloom for the Rebaño as they have demonstrated, these last few years, the ability to churn out talent. Young players like Hugo Camberos (18), Jose Castillo (23), Yael Padilla (19), Miguel Gomez (22), Raul Martinez (22), and Mateo Chavez (20) are all academy players who have solidified themselves as important pillars for their team. When it comes to developing players, Chivas is excelling, but their administrative board is unable or unwilling to supplement their homegrown talent with top signings. Chivas is unable to compete with the likes of Tigres, Monterrey, America, Cruz Azul and some of the other big spenders in the league. Their lack of capital renders Chivas, a historic “Grande” of Liga MX, a mediocre club in today’s day and age. Is this rock bottom for el Rebaño Sagrado and there is nowhere to go but up? Only time will tell as Chivas looks to rebuild in the summer.
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