League scoring leader Alexis Canelo (right) will have to contend with the best defense in Liga MX when Toluca faces Cruz Azul. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Toluca hopes to continue shocking the world, but to achieve an improbable 11th Liga MX title they must first get past a record-setting Cruz Azul side.
The Guardianes 2021 quarterfinals kick off in the Estadio Bombonera Wednesday night when the top-seeded Cementeros tangle with the 11th-seeded Diablos Rojos. The Liguilla continues immediately thereafter with the first leg of the Atlas-Puebla series. The other two quarterfinals open Thursday night.
Toluca reached the Elite Eight by stunning holders León in a penalty shoot-out after their wildcard match ended in a 2-2 draw. Diablos goalie Luis García was the star, leading “Los Choriceros” into the quarterfinals for the first time since the Apertura 2018 season.
Diablos have had Cementeros’ number in playoffs
Cruz Azul has lost to Toluca in the playoffs all four times the clubs have met since the move to a split-season format in 1996. The only time the Cementeros knocked the Diablos out of the playoffs was in the 1977-78 quarterfinals, and “La Máquina Celeste” needed overtime to get past “Los Escarlatas.”
Despite losing at lowly FC Juárez on Matchday 17, Toluca eked into the playoffs when Querétaro, Mazatlán FC and Tijuana failed to win. The Diablos survived an erratic campaign and settled for the 11th seed for a second season in a row, once again condemned by a poor second half.
After a 4-1-1 start to the Guardianes 2021, the club won just twice more – finishing 2-3-6 – but they boast one of the most dangerous offenses in Liga MX.
Captain Rubens Sambueza is the puppet master on offense, directing the attack from either wing while supplying all manner of crosses and through balls for Alexis Canelo and Michael Estrada. Canelo led Liga MX in goals scored (11) while Sambueza was the league-leader in assists (6). The two combined for the Diablos’ second goal against León on Sunday.
Coach Hernan Cristante prefers an aggressive, swarming defense led by J.J. Vázquez and Claudio Baeza aligned in a double pivot, but the back line has been error-prone and wildcard hero García had an inconsistent campaign.
Toluca visited Cruz Azul on Matchday 7, erasing an early 2-0 deficit by halftime only to concede the winner just past the hour mark.
The two goals Toluca managed were the most allowed by Cruz Azul all season (Atlas and Atlético de San Luis also scored twice against the Cementeros’ top-ranked defense), so the Diablos know they can’t afford to waste a single opportunity. That’s especially true when considering that Cruz Azul matched Toluca for most goals scored (26).
stunning holders León</a> in a penalty shoot-out after their wildcard match ended in a 2-2 draw. Diablos goalie Luis García was the star, leading <em>“Los Choriceros”</em> into the quarterfinals for the first time since the Apertura 2018 season.</p>
<h2>Diablos have had Cementeros’ number in playoffs</h2>
<p>Cruz Azul has lost to Toluca in the playoffs all four times the clubs have met since the move to a split-season format in 1996. The only time the Cementeros knocked the Diablos out of the playoffs was in the 1977-78 quarterfinals, and <em>“La Máquina Celeste”</em> needed overtime to get past <em>“Los Escarlatas.”</em></p>
<p>Despite losing at lowly FC Juárez on Matchday 17, Toluca eked into the playoffs when Querétaro, Mazatlán FC and Tijuana failed to win. The Diablos survived an erratic campaign and <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2021/05/12/liga-mx-toluca-cruz-azul-liguilla/"http://ligamx.net/cancha/tablas/tablaGeneralClasificacion/sp/8934b8c89a62e0">settled for the 11th seed</a> for a second season in a row, once again condemned by a poor second half.</p>
<p>After a 4-1-1 start to the Guardianes 2021, the club won just twice more – finishing 2-3-6 – but they boast one of the most dangerous offenses in Liga MX.</p>
<p>Captain Rubens Sambueza is the puppet master on offense, directing the attack from either wing while supplying all manner of crosses and through balls for Alexis Canelo and Michael Estrada. Canelo led Liga MX in goals scored (11) while Sambueza was the league-leader in assists (6). The two combined for the Diablos’ second goal against León on Sunday.</p>
<p>Coach Hernan Cristante prefers an aggressive, swarming defense led by J.J. Vázquez and Claudio Baeza aligned in a double pivot, but the back line has been error-prone and wildcard hero García had an inconsistent campaign.</p>
<p><a href=https://playingfor90.com/2021/05/12/liga-mx-toluca-cruz-azul-liguilla/"https://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/partido/_/juegoId/590970">Toluca visited Cruz Azul on Matchday 7</a>, erasing an early 2-0 deficit by halftime only to concede the winner just past the hour mark.</p>
<p>The two goals Toluca managed were the most allowed by Cruz Azul all season (Atlas and Atlético de San Luis also scored twice against the Cementeros’ top-ranked defense), so the Diablos know they can’t afford to waste a single opportunity. That’s especially true when considering that Cruz Azul matched Toluca for most goals scored (26).</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2021/05/12/liga-mx-toluca-cruz-azul-liguilla/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A season to remember </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-486726" src=https://playingfor90.com/2021/05/12/liga-mx-toluca-cruz-azul-liguilla/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1315744499-850x560.jpeg" alt="Liga MX quarters 1" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">First-year coach Juan Reynoso guided Cruz Azul to a franchise record 13 wins this season. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Liga MX Coach of the Year candidate</h3>
<p>Cruz Azul enters the playoffs as the clear favorite. The club tied the Liga MX record for most points in 17-game season (41) despite losing its first two games. The Cementeros did not lose again, cranking out a Liga MX record-tying 12 consecutive wins.</p>
<p>After accepting the Cruz Azul post just days before the season opener, rookie coach Juan Reynoso was in danger of losing his job eight days into the Guardianes 2021. The former Cementeros defender (a key member of the 1997 champs, Cruz Azul’s most recent Liga MX trophy) restored the team’s fragile psyche and never looked back. He even bested Enrique “Ojitos” Meza’s franchise record for most wins in a short season (13).</p>
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<p>Reynoso has his team playing a very workmanlike style and regular player rotation has encouraged competition, boosting performance. Cruz Azul is a fundamentally sound team with tactical adaptability and few weaknesses.</p>
<p>Jesús Corona led Liga MX with eight clean sheets and the Cementeros conceded a league low 11 goals. Pablo Aguilar’s return from a knee injury boosted the back line, while Juan Escobar’s versatility has been a real bonus.</p>
<p>The emergence of “Pol” Fernández and Walter Montoya in midfield has given Luis Romo freedom to roam from box-to-box. Rafa Baca holds the line in front of the back four, while Orbelín Pineda and Roberto Alvarado exploit the flanks. Jonathan Rodríguez led the team in goals for a third consecutive season (9).</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Atlas and Puebla have only met one time in the Liga MX playoffs and that came back in April 2001. (Photo by Carlos Pacheco/Jam Media/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Camoteros, Zorros are pleasant surprises</h3>
<p>Before the season, few bettors would have plunked down cash on Puebla and Atlas. The former has one of the lowest payrolls in Liga MX and the latter faced serious “relegation” issues.</p>
<p>Puebla barely made the playoffs last season but pulled off a stunner, defeating holders Monterrey in a wildcard match before succumbing to eventual champs León in the quarterfinals.</p>
<p>Despite that playoff surprise, Camoteros ownership fired coach Juan Reynoso (yes, the same one), and brought in Nicolás Larcamón. All the 36-year-old Argentine has done is lead <em>“La Franja”</em> to a 7-7-3 record with a +11 goal differential and the No. 3 seed, earning a first-round playoff bye. In fact, Puebla is the last team to defeat Cruz Azul, besting the Cementeros 1-0 at Estadio Azteca back on Matchday 2.</p>
<p>Atlas entered the Guardianes 2021 in last place in the “Relegation Standings.” Things looked bleak after the Zorros lost their first three matches and were still winless after six. Then Atlas caught a break when América made an administrative error that resulted in a forfeit, providing the Zorros with 3 points … and momentum.</p>
<p>Atlas won three of their next four and won twice more in April, climbing out of the relegation cellar and claiming the No. 7 seed.</p>
<h2>Unexpected playoff participants</h2>
<p>One of these two teams will be in the Final Four this season, but you have to go back 12 years to find the last time either Puebla or Atlas reached the semifinals. In the Clausura 2009 playoffs, Puebla defeated Monterrey in the quarterfinals but came up short in the semifinals against UNAM, the eventual Liga MX champs.</p>
<p>Atlas is in the Liga MX playoffs for the first time since the Clausura 2017 season and has not been in a Final Four since December 2004.</p>
<p>The last time Atlas participated in the quarterfinals, an eighth-seeded Zorros club got smacked around by No. 1 Monterrey, eliminated by a 6-2 aggregate score.</p>
<p>Puebla and Atlas have only met in the postseason once before and that was 20 years ago. Back in the Verano 2001 <em>Liguilla</em>, the Camoteros eliminated the Zorros in a wildcard match-up on a 5-4 aggregate score.</p>
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<p>These two teams met in Puebla’s Estadio Cuauhtémoc back on Matchday 11 and Atlas came away with a 1-0 win thanks to <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2021/05/12/liga-mx-toluca-cruz-azul-liguilla/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rjnrAzmjns%22>a 73rd-minute Aldo Rocha strike</a>. The Camoteros have not lost since.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">