Monterrey will face off against Cruz Azul in the Liga MX Semifinal in what should be a thrilling matchup. Going into this season both teams were looked at as contenders as they both spent a lot of money to help bolster their teams.
Historically Cruz Azul has been the team that always found a way to lose this kind of big matchups. They lost 5 straight Liga MX Finals between 2008-2018. This was part of their title drought between 1998-2020 in which team failed to win a Liga MX title and lost 6 finals. They broke that streak in 2021 when they won the title.
Monterrey is looking for their first Liga MX title since 2019. This team has pressure to win this year and has the momentum. They defeated their rival Tigres in the quarterfinal and are motivated to win. What type of series will this be?
Monterrey vs Cruz Azul Preview
Monterrey
Monterrey has been a stacked team for years and they still are. On paper they may be the best team in Liga MX, but they do underperform at times. They went out and signed Brandon Vazquez to start the season and he has responded in a big way scoring 6 goals during the regular season. Vazquez who represents the USA on their national team will be important for Monterrey in this series.
Maxi Meza and Sergio Canales will be the players on the wings who will be creating opportunities as they did against Tigres. They both ended up being goal-scorers in that series. When you watch Monterrey they are an attacking team at all times, they don’t seem comfortable without the ball. If they don’t control the ball possession against Cruz Azul they may have a hard time advancing.
Also Read: Chivas vs America Preview 5/15: Liga MX Semifinal Clash Between the Eternal Rivals
Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul has had a surprising season. They finished 2nd in the standings and played well on both sides of the field. They had the second-best defense, only giving up 14 goals during the regular season. Martin Anselmi was hired as manager a few weeks before the season started and he really did a great job helping the team in their defensive scheme. There were doubts about Anselmi since he had never played or coached in Liga MX. Those doubts have gone away, and Anselmi may be here for a long time.
Cruz Azul will rely on Lorenzo Faravelli and Uriel Antuna to be the anchors for the offense. Goalkeeper Kevin Mier has been great as well for “La Maquina”. They can play well without the ball and create chances on the counter so this could give them the upper hand against Monterrey.
Monterrey vs Cruz Azul: Probable Starting Lineups
Monterrey: Andrada (GK), Medina, Guzman, Moreno, Arteaga, Romo, Rodriguez, Meza, Canales, Vazquez, Berterame
Cruz Azul: Mier (GK), Huescas, Ditta, Salcedo, Piovi, Candido, Rivero, Rodriguez, Faravelli, Rotondi, Antuna
Monterrey vs Cruz Azul: Head-to-Head
Cruz Azul defeated Monterrey 2-1 in their only league matchup this season. This will be the sixth time that both teams play each other in the “liguilla.” Monterrey is leading 3-2 in their head-to-head matchups in the playoffs.
Injury Report
Monterrey: S. Vegas, E. Aguirre
Cruz Azul: C. Vargas, G. Fernandez
About the Author
Mike Nelson lives and breathes sports. Ever since he was very young he has also dreamed of covering sports. Mike graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. He has been very lucky to cover sports and be on the radio for the last few years with different organizations including a stint with the LA Galaxy where he was one of the announcers for the LA Galaxy 2 team for two seasons.
Mike loves music, he hosts his radio show/podcast “The Mike Nelson Show” where he has gotten to interview the biggest names in rock and metal including Les Claypool, David Ellefson, and others.
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