Photo Credit: Club America (Twitter)
By: Jonny Rico
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The two most recently crowned CONCACAF Champions League winners will face off on Saturday evening in the final round of the regular season of the 2017 Clausura. Only one will have the opportunity to advance to the playoffs. And in one extreme scenario both can be eliminated.
Pachuca Tuzos were crowned CCL champions a week and a half ago after their 2-1 aggregate win over Tigres UANL in the final. But the Tuzos are 90 minutes away from being left out of the Clasurua playoffs. Club America have sat in playoff positions most of the season but have begun to slip as of late with two consecutive losses in the last two matches.
America are in seventh place of the league table with 24 any win or draw on Saturday against Pachuca would secure the playoff qualification for America. Pachuca sit in 10th place of the table with 21 points. They would need a two goal win over America in order to surpass them in the league standings. And even then it doesn’t guarantee the Tuzos a spot in the quarterfinals as they would need to wait to see what comes of the Tigres (8th place), Morelia (9th place) and Veracruz (11th place) matches.
America and Tigres are the only two teams inside of the playoff zone who have not secured their playoff ticket. Morelia, Pachuca Veracruz and even Leon and Necaxa (20 points) are all gunning for one of those two spots in the final matchday of the regular season.
Up until last weekend Club America had an unbeaten home streak. The ‘Aguilas’ had not even allowed a single goal at Estadio Azteca all season long. That came to an end with Atlas FC coming into the Azteca and beating America 2-1 securing their own playoff ticket while putting in jeopardy America’s.
Pachuca had arrived into Week 15 sitting in the 8th place spot of the league table. Following their CCL crowning Pachuca were favorites at home against Cruz Azul. A win would against Cruz Azul last Saturday would have left the Tuzos needing only one point to secure their playoff ticket while keeping the defending Liga MX champions Tigres UANL still sitting outside of the playoff zone. But Pachuca was unable to get all three points at home against Cruz Azul.Pachuca required a 93rd minute heroic goal from goalkeeper Oscar Perez to salvage a 2-2 draw.
SCORING TITLE ALSO ON THE LINE
Besides the playoff qualification Club America can is also looking to get its striker Oribe Peralta to the Golden Boot podium. Peralta has scored eight goals so far in this 2017 Clausura season. He is tied at the top of the scoring charts with Aviles Hurtdao (Tijuana Xolos), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia), Matias Alustiza (Atlas) and Nicolas Castillo (Pumas UNAM).
America has not had a scoring champion since the late Christian ‘Chucho’ Benitez won it three consecutive season inducing in the team’s championship season in the 2013 Clausura. America hasn’t had a Mexican scoring champion since the 2011 Clausura season when midfielder Angel Reyna scored 13 goals.
