All Things Mexico

Chivas were on the verge of taking a 2-0 lead back to Estadio Chivas for the second leg of the 2017 Liga MX Clausura Final, but Andre-Pierre Gignac scored two remarkable goals, in the 85th and 88th minutes, to level the tie for Tigres.

For Chivas, the first 45 minutes in Estadio Universitario really couldn’t have gone any better. For Tigres and goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman, it was a disaster. 

The opening 20 minutes were no indicator of what was later to come as Tigres saw Gignac, Jesus Duenas, Lucas Zelarayan and Ismael Sosa all fire shots at Rodolfo Cota in the Chivas goal. 

After years of internal turmoil and flirtation with relegation to Ascenso MX, Guadalajara are on the verge of regaining their status as one of the top clubs in Mexico with a two-legged Liga MX final against Tigres this week. This will be the first league final for Chivas in just over 10 years.

Tigres, the 2016 Liga MX Apertura champions, are now on the verge of the 2017 Clausura Final after defeating top-seeded Tijuana 2-0 in the first leg of their Liguilla semifinal. Lucas Zelarayan opened the scoring with a sumptuous goal in the 42nd minute, and a visibly shaken Tijuana side gave up a second only three minutes later to Javier Aquino.

Juan Carlos Osorio has announced the preliminary 32-player squad, which will later be reduced to 23, that will battle for Mexico throughout June in two crucial World Cup qualifiers, including one against the United States at the Azteca, and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

This group of predominantly foreign-based players will not receive any break following the end of their European club seasons as Mexico will face Croatia in Los Angeles on May 27 and Ireland in New Jersey on June 1 in friendly matches.

Of Raul Jimenez's 21 goals in his Benfica career, 14 have come after the 70th minute, with five match-winners.

Jimenez's prowess in the clutch was on display this weekend when in the 75th minute he scored the only goal of the match against Rio Ave to give Benfica the win.

Fans of MLS will remember Camilo Sanvezzo from his time with the Vancouver Whitecaps, during which he did this:

That goal was nominated for the Puskas Award, but Sanvezzo, now with Queretaro in Liga MX, has quite possibly outdone himself.

You don't see many 5'8" goalkeepers in soccer. You don't see many 44-year-olds anywhere but the tactical area. You definitely don't see 5'8", 44-year-old goalkeepers doing things like this:

Cruz Azul have not been very good this season, sitting 15th in the Liga MX table. As such, a sorceress named "Zulema" has decided to help them out.

From ESPNFC:

La Maquina, currently 15th in the Liga MX table with three match dates remaining in the 2017 Clausura, received a visit from La Bruja Zulema, a sorceress in leather pants hoping to "cleanse" the club of its decades-long curse.

Last night Chivas defeated Monarcas de Morelia in a penalty shootout in the Copa MX final.

Highlights of the shootout are below. Come for the penalty shootout, stay for the goalkeeper shenanigans from Miguel Jimenez and Sebastian Sosa. Sosa in particular is hilarious, if mostly ineffective.