Club Tijuana played the second leg of the quarterfinal series against Cruz Azul in Mexico City this Saturday, November 30.

The match was played at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in what was expected to be a very tough match for Xolos.

The Border City Dogs had a massive 3-0 advantage from the first leg in what was a dominant performance for the Xoloitzcuintles. Heading into this match, the goal for Xolos was not to lose by three or more goals, which seemed like a doable task.

However, with Cruz Azul having the best offense in the league this was not going to be an easy task in the slightest. Club Tijuana had already lost 3-0 in the regular season against Cruz Azul, and this game turned out to be very similar.

Juan Carlos Osorio only made three changes from his lineup in the first leg, which is quite tamed for his standards. Carlos Gonzalez and Raul Zuniga comprised the attack, while Nicolas Diaz was starting after his two-game suspension.

Cruz Azul was the much more dominant team in the first half, but only came away with one goal to show for it. The goal came in the 44th minute and began with a play down the left flank by Carlos Rotondi. The Argentine midfielder crossed the ball into the penalty area and the sphere deflected in the air as Ignacio Rivero was able to head the ball into the back of the net.

Club Tijuana only had 23 percent possession in the first half but did make Cruz Azul goalkeeper Kevin Mier work. Juan Carlos Osorio made his first substitution of the match in the 30th minute, bringing on Kevin Castaneda for Fernando Monarrez.

Osorio then made three changes to start the second half as Carlos Gonzalez, Nicolas Diaz, and Rafael Fernandez were replaced by Ivan Tona, Emanuel Reynoso, and Efrain Alvarez. This was quite an aggressive approach by the Colombian manager as he took out two defenders for two midfielders.

These tactics did not work for the Colombian boss, as Club Tijuana seemed to lose some equilibrium within the team. Cruz Azul sent everything forward and were able to get a second goal in the 54th minute.

The goalscoring play again started with some wing play by Carlos Rotondi and a cross into the box. It was a rather messy goal as Angel Sepulveda fired a shot that deflected off Greek striker Giorgios Giakoumakis and into the net. La Maquina kept the offensive onslaught going and were able to get that elusive third goal in the 74th minute.

After a series of frustrating attempts that led to nothing, Angel Sepulveda scored that vital third goal. A long ball found Gabriel Fernandez, who headed the ball to Sepulveda, who was able to break free and generate this opportunity in front of net.

Even with a more offensive lineup, Club Tijuana struggled heavily to generate much offense after the third goal by Los Cementeros. The Aztec Canines were now on the offensive, while Cruz Azul sat back and defended the lead. Frustration built within the Xoloitzcuintles, and that goal that they needed never came in this match.

Club Tijuana’s season came to an end in this quarterfinal phase, and some would argue that Xolos lost this series in the first match. While the border city team won that first leg 3-0, Osorio stopped pushing offensively in the second half of that match. This was with a man-advantage given a red card to Cruz Azul’s Jorge Sanchez.

Juan Carlos Osorio left the best team in Liga MX with plenty of life in this series, which cost the team their season. However, this was still a massive improvement from last season, or any season in the last five and a half years, for that matter.

Juan Carlos Osorio’s fantastic work should not go unnoticed in what was a spectacular season for Club Tijuana, given the circumstances.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.