The Liga MX Apertura 2024 season has been painted blue from the start. Now, with only two matches remaining in the regular season, Cruz Azul is just one victory away from breaking the points record of a 17-game season.
Martín Anselmi's men have commanded the Apertura 2024 season from the get-go. Through 15 games, Cruz Azul has won 13 —tying the single-season win record for an Apertura or Clausura season. La Máquina has only dropped points twice, a draw against second-place Toluca, and an away loss against fifth place Atlético San Luis, a team that will finish the regular season unbeaten at home.
Cruz Azul have 40 points out of a possible 46. The points record in a 17-game season is 41, established by León (Clausura 2019) and Cruz Azul (Clausura 2021) in a season where it ended its 23-year Liga MX championship drought.
La Máquina are also within reach of Club América's 43 points in the Apertura 2002. It's the record for most points in Liga MX short tournaments—Apertura or Clausura—with the caveat that América did it in a 19-game season.
"We will go for those last six available points, we're convinced and focused on competing in these two remaining games," Anselmi said following Cruz Azul's 2–0 win vs. Santos. "The records will be the consequence, what we get as a reward.
"Being a winner is not being someone who wins all the time but rather someone that wants to win all the time, that doesn't get tired of winning. These players don't get tired of wanting to win."
Cruz Azul hasn't gotten tired of winning ever since Anselmi's appointment at the start of the calendar year. La Maquina will travel to face Atlas on Wednesday night where history awaits. Oddly enough, Atlas are the only team that Anselmi doesn't have a win against in his 11 months in Liga MX. Tigres at home on Saturday would be the last remaining chance for Cruz Azul to break the points record in the last game of the regular season.
The top spot in the regular season and the resulting No. 1 seed in the playoffs have already been secured. Regardless of the historic regular season, Anselmi and Cruz Azul are well aware it'll be all for naught if the season doesn't end with the club's 10th Liga MX trophy.
Anselmi came ever so close to winning it all in his first season in charge; however, Cruz Azul fell in the 2024 Clausura final against arch nemesis América. The team returned with a vengeance this season and it's scored four times the goals that it's allowed. Yet, Anselmi remains aware of what the real objective is.
"We're not going to rest until we achieve what our fans want," Anselmi said. "We have to keep working to achieve our final objective which is being champions."
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cruz Azul Is on the Verge of a Historic, Record Breaking Liga MX Season.
