“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men”.
- Martha Graham
Only those who passionately love can understand the suffering that the CHIVA-NATION true-bloods underwent while watching the match between Guadalajara and Leon held last Wednesday night at Akron Stadium.
Even before the whistle blew, it was more than clear that we were in for a meeting of the minds and a battle of wills. Wednesday’s game was a true test of the Red & Whites grit and determination. Early on, it had been made clear that those who wanted victory the most would have to leave their hearts on the pitch.
A meeting of minds, two great strategists. On the one hand, Ignacio Ambriz, having finally left behind the shadow left by Javier Aguirre’s tutelage, has forged a rebirth of the once mighty Esmeraldas. On the other, the tried and experienced King of Kings, Victor Manuel Vucetich, thinking, planning, devising. Searching for the perfect starting eleven with the right stuff to face off against Ambriz’s Fiera.
No easy task taking into account that although he had 3 players coming off the injured list, JJ, Vega and Angulo, putting them in at the get go, might send them back to physical therapy. The only option was to keep veteran Oribe Peralta in the starting lineup, hoping his experience and leadership would keep the Leonese defense on its toes. The other part of that option was to let Beltran and Torres, Chiva Canteranos, show their true mettle. Experimental, but necessary. Some might say that it would be a mistake to give so much responsibility to the younglings, but I disagree. If not now, when? Their enthusiasm has been proven. Time to show the quality play which earned them a spot in the first team. IMO both performed decently and were able to cross up Ambriz’s lines at first with their youthful enthusiasm. It would not be enough.
Tanto va el cantaro al agua que se rompe. The skill of the Guanajuatenses was going to pay off sooner or later. A magnificent run down the right side by the former Arsenal winger, Campbell, set up a diagonal pass which ended up in the back of the net. Nothing to do there. It was in the numbers. It had taken Leon 38 minutes to break through the Red and White lines. We almost pulled it off. Eleven Mexicans against a United Nations of players, 8 out of starting 11 are foreigners, the majority of which play on their respective national squads. No easy feat to accomplish.
Half time. Fifteen minutes to catch our breath. Fifteen minutes to reclaim our sanity. Fifteen minutes of waiting. And then the magic. Vucetich made the changes and let the sunshine in. Our younglings had done a great job, but now it was time to bring in the big guns. Vega and Macias stepped on to the pitch and you could almost see the electricity surge through the team. The boys came on and everyone there knew they meant business. The ball circulated easily, possession was achieved and then it was Los Esmeraldas turn to try and find balance. This was a change Ambriz had expected and planned for obviously, but it is one thing to EXPECT something and the other to EXPERIENCE it. Once Angulo and Briseño came on, Leon was reeling.
The built up pressure pushed Leon to its limits. Limits which were reached and passed over, coming to fruition in the guise of a referee sanctioned penalty kick after Rodolfo Cota came out a bit too strong with a badly timed intervention on Uriel Antuna, who had been about to slip a pass into the kill zone from the left hand side. The reason? Cota, usually a wall of calm, lost his concentration for a moment, flustered by the Rebaño’s insistent knocking on his goal. When the ref’s whistle blew, Macias stepped up to the ball and slipped it into the net no problem.
Chivas didn’t stop there. They kept coming and forcing the Lion back, into its own territory. Gone was the control shown in the first 45 minutes. They couldn’t put a pair of passes together without a red and white defender putting the pressure on. For a good part of the second half, It was Guadalajara all the way. If it wasn’t for the incredible, on the line, intervention of Barreiro after a Chiva counter finished by a magnificent chip shot by Ponce, we would most certainly be visiting Leon a goal up. Except for a loose ball in the area in the dying minutes of the second half, solved by a continuously improving Gudiño, the Esmeraldas had no answer for the Vuce magic.
El Rebaño Sagrado was not dominated. The team was able to respond well and for some periods to control a very well organized and experienced Leon side. Ambriz had done his homework and was confident that his 11 would know how to break Guadalajara’s defense. And they did, once. They had control of the ball as they have had many times before during the season and this led them to feel a false sense of security which was shattered as soon as the changes came on. Vega, Macias, Angulo, Briseño came out with the sole intention of sending Leon home with a disadvantage on the scoreboard, something which would have sunk the Esmeraldas into an even more desperate position going into the second leg matchup.
Pues bueno. It was not to be. Guadalajara will start off the game in Leon at a disadvantage. The tie was not enough, the top seed being Leon, our Rebaño needs to come away with at least a one goal advantage to assure the victory, unless we can score two away goals which would push the Esmeraldas to look for a victory at all costs.
Not an easy task. Not an impossible one. The conviction is there. Chivas wants another Cup. If they come away with this one, who will be able to deny them another star?
