Rafa Márquez looks set to make his fifth World Cup squad this summer for Mexico. But he might stand out from his teammates in Russia.
Márquez is a living legend in Mexico, having played for decades at some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Monaco and Barcelona. He’s made 143 appearances for El Tri and will retire after the World Cup.
Santos Laguna defeated Toluca 2-1 in the first leg of the 2018 Liga MX Clausura Final thanks to strikes from Djaniny and Julio Furch, but Luis Quinones’ lone goal for Toluca makes for an incendiary second leg back at “La Bombonera” on Sunday.
Booze and soccer go together like wine and cheese, beer and nachos or rum and coke. The only thing that brings people together more than booze is the World Cup. So we thought it would be a great idea to compile the best World Cup cocktails for each nation competing in this summer’s tournament.
To the Eurocentric soccer fan, the competition format for Liga MX is alien, weird and perhaps even unnatural. The Mexican soccer league has two tournaments (the Apertura and Clausura) per season, each with its own playoffs (la liguilla). Two champions are crowned each season. It’s all a bit confusing to outsiders — and even some Liga MX fans.
Why does Liga MX use the Apertura and Clausura split-season format? Forgive us if this sounds a bit cynical, but as with most things in sports, it’s mostly about money.
It’s go time. The 2018 Clausura championship begins Thursday, May 17, with Santos Laguna hosting Toluca at Estadio Corona in Torreon. That match is slated to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Univision. The return leg in Toluca kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 20. In the end, we’ll see if Toluca can capture its 11th title — and first since 2010 — or if Santos can draw level with Pachuca and Tigres on six.
Mexico included 39-year-old veteran defender Rafael Márquez in its 28-man preliminary World Cup roster announced Monday. The most telling omission from the Mexico World Cup roster is 19-year-old Jonathan González, who switched allegiances from the U.S. to Mexico earlier this year.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has had an interesting career so far and it could indeed come full circle this summer if a mooted move back to Mexico is completed by Chivas Guadalajara this offseason.
But how exactly did we get here? Wasn’t it only a few years ago Chicharito was terrorizing defenses with Wayne Rooney, scoring important goals and winning Premier League titles? He even scored some important goals during a loan stint shortly after for Real Madrid, netting the decider in a Champions League quarterfinal versus Atletico Madrid.
Legendary Mexican center half Rafael Marquez doesn’t really fit the bill of standing 5 foot nothin’, weighing 100 and nothin’ and possessing barely a speck of athletic ability, but there’s something decidedly Rudy about Carlos Vela’s latest quotes regarding Marquez’s possible World Cup inclusion.
Speaking after LAFC’s 2-0 win over Minnesota United on Wednesday, Vela made it clear where he stands with regards to the former Atlas defender's international standing.