Marlene Santos Alejo: Summary of the day

▲ Juan Manuel Herrero, on the Refereeing Committee, thanks to Juan Carlos Bomba Rodríguez, has been unable to improve the referees' work. Photo Cuartoscuro

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Toluca gave an account in A lineup of Monterrey's millionaires and Tigres, teams that spent a lot in preparation for this tournament, but once again turned out to be a fiasco and made a fool of themselves in a league that offers too many opportunities... After 15 years, Diablos are in another final; however, their achievement doesn't erase the complaints of coach Antonio Mohamed, who criticized the tournament's schedule and its absurd play-in , whose pause this time was longer, which affected, above all, the leaders. The Reds almost lost all their effort in the 2025 Clausura, in which they were the overall leader.

Mohamed decided to take his team to Cancún during the play-in , and when they returned to face Rayados in the quarterfinals, the team was lost, lacking rhythm. Thanks to their superior positioning and the unprecedented effort of striker Alexis Vega, they advanced with an aggregate draw… Not to mention Rayados, who had an extra man in the return leg from the 21st minute and were eliminated with their entire legion of luxury reinforcements. This led to the dismissal of coach Martín Demichelis, although they also had to fire directors José Antonio Noriega and Héctor Lara.

Tato Noriega and Lara are currently being saved by the urgency of finding another coach for the Club World Cup, which kicks off on June 14 in the United States. And since there's no morality or decorum in the Liga MX, they went to try Domenec Torrent, who had already made a deal with Chivas; it's said they doubled their offer, although they haven't ruled out other coaches, such as Gabriel Milito and Ricardo Gareca... As if they were on a winning streak, Tato and Lara organized a tour of Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Portugal, England, and South America in search of reinforcements (let's see which promoter can lure them).

That was what Alexis Vega wanted to hear. Pepe Cardozo's words confirmed what his intuition was telling him: to return home to heal his wounds and reflect. His time at Chivas at 21 was like a nightmare. He was overcome by indiscipline, and he gave in to that mad desire to live life to the fullest. He escaped as many nights as possible to relax with banda music and alcohol. Videos of some of his parties with Uriel Antuna in the middle of the pandemic, and with Cristian Chicote Calderón, were released… Punishments and injuries abounded. The Guadalajara fans booed and repudiated him.

Going to Monterrey or another big club meant demanding everything, having to prove himself right away with the burden of a hard-earned bad reputation... What Alexis longed for was a haven and pampering. "They'll support you in Toluca ," promised former striker and coach Cardozo, who debuted him in 2016. That's why he returned in January 2024, even sacrificing his salary. A year later, he's yielding results in the mediocre Liga MX... What does seem erased forever is his dream of shining in Europe and even his exaggerated comments when comparing himself to Cristiano Ronaldo, "We have many similarities ," he said.

Uruguayan manager Vicente Sánchez's contract has skyrocketed. From being virtually ignored and his renewal at Cruz Azul postponed indefinitely, he now has the luxury of choosing offers; club president Víctor Velázquez is now the one interested in securing him... It's the fans who are upset about the exorbitant and abusive prices for the CONCACAF Champions League final, on June 1 at the Mexico 68 Olympic Stadium, set by the cement company's board of directors. And he's about to receive a multi-million dollar sum after suing Argentine coach Martín Anselmi!

In the Manuel Herrero era, the Nazarenos' work is a disgrace, and his departure from the Refereeing Commission is foreseeable. The audio recordings of the quarterfinal match, in which Necaxa was eliminated due to a serious error by Marco Ortiz, who validated a goal that favored Tigres, were not released... The Disciplinary Commission ignored América coach André Jardine's provocations towards the Cruz Azul fans... A beggar and a club: Las Águilas, not satisfied with the fact that they suddenly have the option of going to the Mundialito , complain that the May 31 game will be at the home of Los Ángeles FC... In Pachuca, the celebrations for Charlyn Corral and Mónica Ocampo's first title continue.