A game overlooked before the start of the Apertura 2024 season is arguably the most appealing game of Matchday 7 – yes, even more than El Clásico Nacional.
Club Tijuana will visit Toluca in a matchup between the third and fourth teams in the standings in Liga MX. Only Cruz Azul, who sits first in the standings, has more points than both teams.
Toluca has quietly built one of the best squads in Liga MX. Renato Paiva’s team finished third last season. Key additions like Mexican international Jesus Gallardo and former Sporting Lisbon front man Paulinho prime Toluca for a run at its first Liga MX title in 14 years.
If relegation still existed in Liga MX, Tijuana would’ve been relegated years ago. Instead, the team had to pay a large fine – the punishment instead of relegation – three times since the rule change in 2020.
Last season the border city team won just two games and finished 16th in the standings. This prompted the dismissal of former Mexican national team head coach, Miguel Herrera. His replacement? The same man that took over after his exit from El Tri: Juan Carlos Osorio.
After just seven games, Tijuana has already doubled its win tally from last season. Osorio’s team has lost only once – against top of the league Cruz Azul – and has the second-most goals scored in all of Liga MX.
What’s even more remarkable is the manner in which Osorio managed to drastically change Tijuana’s reality. Osorio is building his team around young, unproven academy players, who in the early stages of the season, are some of the best stories in Liga MX this season.
Gilberto Mora is the clearest example. The 15-year-old made his professional debut in a 3-1 win over Santos Laguna. Two games later against León, he became the youngest player ever to start a Liga MX match. In the 65th minute, he scored the game-winning goal for Tijuana, becoming the youngest ever scorer in Liga MX History.
A victory against Club Guadalajara and a draw against Monterrey – two teams with title aspirations – could very well reassure Tijuana fans that the positive results aren’t just because of facing bottom half opposition. Toluca appears to be Osorio’s team's most difficult test yet. A victory for either team could see them end the weekend in first place in the standings.
Only time will tell if this is the season Tijuana ends its five-year-long playoff drought, but Osorio's side is undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises in Liga MX this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Club Tijuana vs. Toluca Preview: Tijuana's Resurgence Under Juan Carlos Osorio.
