Chivas, Tigres make for a powerful, historic Liga MX Clausura final matchup

Chivas Guadalajara and Tigres UANL bring plenty of starpower and history into their Liga MX final.

Author:
SI.com Staff
Publish date:
May 25, 2017

Liga MX's final is chock full of storylines.

Storied Chivas Guadalajara is back playing for the title, and it's going up against a powerful club whose recent successes continue to pile up. Winners of the last two Apertura titles, Tigres UANL has been on an absolute tear during the Liguilla, rolling through the opening two rounds on a 10-1 aggregate and looking every bit the part of a champion.

The same can't be said for Chivas, which has eked through the quarterfinals and semifinals via tiebreaker, by virtue of having a better regular-season campaign than both Atlas and Toluca. In fact, Chivas has just one win in its last nine league matches and fell to Tigres 3-0 in their lone Clausura meeting. All that matters is reaching the final stage, though, which the club most certainly has done.

Tigres will host the opening leg of the final Thursday night before the series shifts to Estadio Omnilife on Sunday, where the champion will be crowned.

Here's a closer look at the star-studded matchup:

CHIVAS PLAYS FOR HISTORY

Chivas has had to sit back and watch as bitter rival Club America seized control of the most domestic league titles in Mexico. Without an Apertura or Clausura title since 2006, Chivas has seen America has become Mexico's most successful club, with Las Aguilas winning their 12th title with the 2014 Apertura, while claiming the last two CONCACAF Champions League titles as well. Trailing America by one domestic title, Chivas–who were ousted by America in the Apertura Liguilla–can pull even and make true statement that it has returned to greatness.

Top 10 club rivalries in world soccer

10. Soweto Derby: Orlando Pirates vs. Kaizer Chiefs

Shiraaz Mohamed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Soweto Derby is a way of life in Johannesburg, with crowds that exceed typical league crowds by several degrees of magnitude.

9. Cascadia Cup: Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers

Don't let anyone tell you Sounders-Timbers isn't one of the great global club rivalries. These two cities live and breathe soccer, have had their clubs' battle span multiple leagues, and the antipathy is real.

8. Fla-Flu: Flamengo vs. Fluminense

The Fla-Flu game in Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's great historical rivalry. No fewer than 194,000 fans attended this game at the Maracanã in 1963.

7. North London Derby: Arsenal vs. Tottenham

The North London Derby has gotten even more intense as Spurs has improved over the years, though Arsenal (for now) still carries its 21-year streak of finishing ahead of Tottenham in the table.

6. North-West Derby: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

The two most successful clubs in England historically (20 championships for Manchester United; 18 for Liverpool) also have one of the most bitter rivalries.

5. Clasico Nacional: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Club America

Mexico's two most popular teams have a rivalry that pits Guadalajara against Mexico City and a team of players with only Mexican heritage (Chivas) against a team known for buying non-Mexican stars (América).

4. Derby della Capitale: Roma vs. Lazio

The Derby della Capitale is the most intense city rivalry in Italy, a fight for bragging rights in the Eternal City.

3. Superclasico: Boca Juniors vs. River Plate

The two Argentine giants of Buenos Aires may have the world's most passionate fanbases. I went to the SuperClásico in '95 and stood with the Boca hardcores. When Boca scored, a sea of humanity carried me three rows below.

2. Old Firm: Celtic vs. Rangers

The divide between Catholics (Celtic) and Protestants (Rangers) through sports in Glasgow. I once wore all-black to this game in '99 and got yelled at for not picking a side.

1. El Clasico: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

The two best teams in Spain also have a long history as sporting proxies of Castilian Spain and Catalonia. Given the enmity in El Clásico, it's a wonder that the Spanish national team hasn't been more dysfunctional.

THE DOUBLE, PART 1

Chivas won the Copa MX title in penalties last month, ousting Morelia in the final to lift the trophy. A Clausura title would give the club a domestic double, which hasn't been achieved since 1995–no small feat.

THE DOUBLE, PART 2

Tigres won the Apertura, beating America in penalties and preventing the club from winning a 13th title. Leon was the last club to successfully pull off the Apertura-Clausura double, doing so in 2013-14, and Tigres can reach rarified air by doing the same.

STARPOWER APLENTY

Tigres UANL features French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, whose eight goals were one shy of the league lead during the Clausura. He added four more in the quarterfinal rout of Monterry. None of them came from the penalty spot. Jesus Duenas, Javier Aquino and Jurgen Damm help add to perhaps the most explosive attack in the league.

Chivas had a more balanced scoring approach, with Alan Pulido's five goals leading the club in the regular campaign, followed by Rodolfo Pizarro's four.

ROAD TO THE FINAL

Tigres

Quarterfinals: Beat Monterrey (6-1 on aggregate)

Semifinals: Beat Tijuana (4-0 on aggregate)

Chivas

Quarterfinals: Beat Atlas on tiebreaker (1-1 aggregate draw)

Semifinals: Beat Tolcua on tiebreaker (2-2 aggregate draw)