It has been 5 thousand days since July 30, 2010, when the Perla Tapatía celebrated the inauguration of the Akron Stadium, which was a spearhead in infrastructure for Mexican soccer.
The vision of Don Jorge Vergara (R.I.P.) is reflected in the Fortaleza Rojiblanca as the home of unforgettable moments for the Chiva Nation, which today we celebrate close to its 14th anniversary of existence. For this reason, we remember the 5 greatest episodes of Guadalajara at its home.
Its inauguration
The Red-and-White fans gathered to celebrate twice: the inauguration of their new home and the departure of one of their best youth players to the biggest club in England. The dream of Don Jorge Vergara (R.I.P.) to provide Chivas with a stadium at its level served to bid farewell to 'Chicharito' Hernández, who after scoring 29 official goals with the red and white jersey, scored the first goal in the history of the Akron against his next team: Manchester United. The rest is history.
2010 Copa Libertadores Final
After leaving Vélez Sársfield, Libertad of Paraguay, and Universidad de Chile in their wake, Guadalajara became the second Mexican team to reach the Copa Libertadores Final. The setting could not have been better: 12 days after opening their new home, Chivas hosted Inter Porto Alegre for the continental tournament crown. 'Bofo' Bautista was in charge of giving the Rebaño the lead at the end of the first half, heading in Marco Fabián's cross.
A dream semester
The start of a dream semester for the red-and-whites kicked off on April 19, 2017. After topping their group and eliminating Correcaminos, Juárez, and Rayados in the Final Phase, Guadalajara hosted Monarcas Morelia for that semester's Cup tournament crown. Regular time ended scoreless, but in the penalty shootout, 'Wacho' Jiménez saved 3 shots from Michoacán to give the Rebaño Sagrado the title.
With the Copa championship already in the bag, the team from Guadalajara focused on closing the semester in the best possible way with the league title. Chivas was third in the standings with 27 points and left Atlas and Toluca on the road, before facing Tigres in the Grand Final. The Rojiblanco Nation made itself felt on May 28 to tilt the Akron pitch for the Rojiblancos, who defeated the universitarios 4-3 on aggregate and thus lifted the 12 in the Guadalajara Fortress.
2018 Concacaf Championship
The reward for the tapatío double came at the continental level on April 25, 2018. Cibao, Seattle Sounders, and New York Red Bulls saw Chivas reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final against Toronto, whom they defeated in a penalty shootout for their second international crown with the support of the ChivaHermana Nation.
Chingona Glory
Chivas Femenil has also had great moments at the Fortaleza Rojiblanca, as its two Liga MX titles have been won at the Akron Stadium, both against the Tuzas of Pachuca. In both AP17 and CL22, the Chingonas were crowned Champions of the pink circuit, writing their history with golden letters in Mexican soccer.
Rojiblanco Note
Akron Stadium also hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Pan American Games in 2011 and will host the 2026 World Cup between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
