Photo Credit: Tigres UANL
By: Jonny Rico
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Reigning LIGA MX champions Tigres UANL are set to host Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Real Salt Lake (RSL) on Wednesday Feb. 24 at Estadio Universitario ‘El Volcan’ at 8:00 p.m. (Pacific) / 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) in the first leg match of CONCACAF Champions League ( CCL ) quarterfinals.
Tigres, arguably the strongest team in the entire LIGA MX, look to add to its international glory following its Runner-Up finish in the 2015 edition of South America’s Copa Libertadores. The amount of talent that the Nuevo Leon university side has accumulated make it the heavy favorite to win the CCL title and the FIFA Club World Cup ticket.
EXPERIENCED MANAGER WITH NEW OUTLOOK
Leading the Tigres pack is the very experienced Brazilian manager Ricardo ‘Tuca’ Ferretti. He has a combined 39 years experience in Mexican soccer as a player and a manager. He won the CCL’s former version CONCACAF Champions Cup as a player twice with Pumas UNAM in 1980 and 1982, he also won the same tournament as a manager with Toluca FC in 2003.
Ferretti use to be labeled and categorized as a loose cannon manager with fans and media. He also picked up a fame of not giving young players a chance to come up the ranks in preference of older and experienced players. And he was also criticized for disregarding international competitions while focusing the strengths of his teams in the domestic league.
Years ago Ferretti heavily criticized the Mexican National Team and its numerous friendly matches in the U.S. calling them “cash-grab games”. He also stated that he rather be a janitor then manager of the Mexican National Team.
A much older, wiser and calmer Ferretti now has a new outlook on his soccer philosophy. He took back what he said years ago and stepped up to coach the Mexican National Team in a time of crisis and left it with the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup ticket in hand.
Ferretti now six years into his second stint with Tigres has taken a stronger interest in international competitions. It could be higher expectations from the directors because of the talent investment it has put in, it might be pressure from the fans because city rivals CF Monterrey won the CCL three years in a row and went on to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, it could be that he has won everything there is to win domestically that now he wants to add some international silverware to his resume or it could be a combination of all of the above.
While his team is never going to be the youngest side, Ferretti now has a more balanced team with both proven talented youth and experienced players. He has two of Mexico’s most talented young wingers in his starting lineup; Javier Aquino and Jurgen Damm.
LETHAL ATTACK
Photo Credit: Tigres UANL
Tigres shook up the Mexican league with its Summer 2015 signing and the aftershocks were felt around the world. French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac signed for the Northern Mexico side. That same summer Tigres brought Mexican National Team winger Aquino back to LIGA MX from his European adventure.
Within months of the Gignac and Aquino signings Tigres reached the Copa Libertadores final and went on to win the Mexican league title. The French striker has has proven that his move to the west was not a retirement or midcareer vacation, his work ethic shows in every game where he seems to score at will. He scored a total of 15 goals in 21 matches in his first six months with Tigres leading it to the LIGA MX title. In the current 2016 Clausura season Gignac has scored seven times in the six matches that he has played in.
SCHEDULE AND (USA) BROADCAST INFO
Tigres UANL vs Real Salt Lake – Estadio Universitario ‘El Volcan’
Wednesday Feb. 24. 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) / 5:00 p.m. (Pacific)
TV: Fox Sports 2 (English), Univision Deportes Network (Spanish)
