There is going to be plenty of football on the flatscreens today and all day, both of the round and oblong variety. It’s Thanksgiving after all. I’ll be producing Texas-Texas A&M game a little later (el clasico Texano is what we’ll call it on the air).
We’ll also be keeping one eye on the Mexican Liguilla’s semi finals tonight. Club America will host Santos in the first game and Monterrey will play at Mexico68 in the night cap.
Both games amount to regional rivalries between the North and the capital city. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Chilangos aren’t much liked outside of Mexico City, and a special brand of disdain is enjoyed in the Northern part of the country. How does that make chilangos feel?
Meh.
Santos and Monterrey would like nothing more than to make the final an all Norteño affair. Of course, Chilangos feel the same way.
They have the teams to do it and are favored to do so. But how often do the favored teams win in the liguilla? Online bettors might have better luck putting their action on other leagues.
Santos lost to America earlier this year at the Azteca 3-2. Most Americanistas point to this game as one of their highpoints of the season. It was their only victory over a top 3 team. Monterrey throttled Pumas 5-2 in their meeting.
The northern teams have dynamic attacks and are led by the best foreigners in the league. Christian Benitez and Humberto Suazo finished 1-2 in the scorer’s table with 24 goals between them. Neither Pumas or America scored 24 goals total. Pumas and America, though, have a lot of guile and experience.
If I had to make picks, the chilango in me would love to see a Mexico City Derby in the final.
Happy Thanksgiving!!