Game: Tijuana Xolos vs Club America

Where: Estadio Caliente, Tijuana, Mexico

When: Thursday, November 21, 2024

Time: 7:00 p.m. PST

TV: VIX, TUDN

The Tijuana Xolos will host Club America at the Estadio Caliente for a game in the Liga MX play-in this Thursday, November 21.

This is by far Club Tijuana’s most important match in the past five years, as that is how long it has been since the team last made the Liga MX playoffs.

The winner of this match will advance directly to the quarterfinal stage of the competition  as the seventh seed. The loser will have another shot at the quarterfinals and face the winner of the Chivas vs. Atlas match that will be played prior to this game.

Tonight #Xolos play the most important match they have played in the past five years. Play-in match against Club América.

Winner: goes in as 7th seed in quarterfinals

Loser: faces winner at home of Chivas vs. Atlas match for 8th seed in quarterfinals.@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/wRighHrd0L

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 21, 2024

The Border City Dogs have the massive home-field advantage for this match, which is significant given Xolos’ home record. The Aztec Canines had six victories, two draws, and just one loss at the Mictlan this season, which was the fifth-best home showing in the league.

The Xoloitzcuintles ended the season with a 2-1 win at home against Puebla after a rough four-game winless streak before the victory. In that four-game stretch, Club Tijuana tied 2-2 against Club America at the Estadio Caliente in what was a very hard-fought match. Domingo Blanco and Christian Rivera scored for Xolos in that clash, while Rodrigo Aguirre and Alejandro Zendejas scored for the visitors.

Juan Carlos Osorio has managed to make a culture shift in the Border City team, and that is evident even in each training session. Tijuana fans are more euphoric than they have been in the past few years, and that was shown in the last game of the regular season against Puebla. The home crowd organized a caravan down the main street leading to the Estadio Caliente that ended in a huge festivity outside of the grounds.

A completely sold-out crowd is expected for this play-in match, but there will also be a strong force of Club America fans present. Las Aguilas are arguably the most popular team in Liga MX and their presence is always shown in each stadium around the league. That presence has been prevalent in Tijuana over the years, with several fans even making trips from neighboring U.S. states.

Club America had a disappointing season for their extremely high standards, and this is the first time the club has not directly made the Liga MX quarterfinals since this new format was introduced. The Mexico City team ended the season on a crushing 4-0 defeat against Toluca away from home. However, America had a massive four-game winning streak before that gutting loss to end the regular season.

Los Azulcremas had plenty of players out on international duty recently, and it is unclear if they will all be ready for this match. Rodrigo Aguirre, Brian Rodriguez, Diego Valdes, Luis Angel Malagon, Israel Reyes, Henry Martin, Alejandro Zendejas, and Cristian Borja were all with their international teams.

However, only Aguirre, Malagon, Martin, and Zendejas had activity in the recent games, and Zendejas only played a couple of minutes, finishing the match. Still, traveling and fatigue may play a role, and surely, some of these players will not be fully available for this match at the Mictlan.

This game is set to be a very hard-fought clash between two teams that put on an exciting duel in regular season play. The atmosphere and product on the pitch has everything to potentially be a top-tier match at the Estadio Caliente.

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.