Liga MX Femenil Liguilla Semifinal Recap

I’ve said it before, but one of the things that I love so much from Liga MX Femenil is the unpredictability. Just when you think you’ve got this league figured out, the least likely scenario will pop out to remind you that it’s hindsight that’s 20/20, not foresight.

I was convinced we were going to see two series that were going to have a ton of goals scored due to the fact that the four teams remaining had combined to score 199 goals over the regular season and 27 in the Quarterfinal round. Instead, we got just three goals in four games.

This however shouldn’t be misconstrued as the series being boring. The tactical battles and fantastic displays of goalkeeping ensured these were anything but, and have laid the groundwork for a Final between two teams that proved they are multi-dimensional and deep.

América dethrones Tigres

Going into this series, I thought it would be the most defensive-minded of the two series but still expected it would be a battle. At least I got the last part right. To be fair, the series was very defensive-minded and focused on making and taking advantage of opportunities, which were relatively few and far between, especially considering the teams scored 15 goals combined in the previous round.

América won the first match 1-0 thanks to a long range goal from Alison González in the 25th minute that goalkeeper Ceci Santiago slowed down but couldn’t stop. To that point in the match Santiago had made several good saves but should have done better on that particular one. From then Tigres started to come out of their shell a bit, forcing Itzel González to make some key saves to keep the lead. While both teams had opportunities to grab a goal before the end of the match, neither could make it happen and the series went back to Monterrey with América hanging on to the slimmest of leads.

The return leg in Monterrey was tightly contested, with both teams looking to force the other into making a mistake. This worked in América’s favor, with Tigres needing to make something happen in order to advance. It was also a brutal affair, with Sabrina Enciso and Alison González leaving the game injured. Tigres had a couple of good opportunities but Itzel González had another standout performance, and her defense did well to neutralize Tigres’ vaunted attack. Late in the game Tigres really started to build pressure and looked to force the issue for América, but it all came crashing down in the 71st minute when Casandra Cuevas got onto the end of a lovely ball from Sarah Luebbert and smashed it home to seal the win for Las Águilas, who will appear in their second straight Final.

Final thoughts: América seems to be clicking at just the right time, and was able to show a much different side of themselves than the last series. Against Juárez, América had a lot more freedom to push forward and try to get goals. It worked, especially after the series was out of reach and Juárez were trying in desperation to claw their way back. This was almost certainly never going to be the case against Tigres, and América did well to pivot to a more disciplined style of play. It can’t be overstated how important it was for América’s defense to stop Jackie Ovalle on the left, but right back Karen Luna got plenty of help from center back Andrea Pereira and Sabrina Enciso and Karina Rodríguez dropped back from the right wing to help make sure Ovalle was contained as much as one can contain her. América however will need to plan for a Final with Enciso and González possibly being unavailable, which could prove difficult given what both contribute to the team.

Tigres meanwhile really needs to dig into what went wrong. América containing Ovalle was huge, but the forwards as a whole never got much of the ball because the midfield simply couldn’t get it to them most of the time. Stephany Mayor kept pushing up forward but was needed further back, and this lead to Liliana Mercado and Nancy Antonio trying to play the role of creators when they’re better suited to being a shuttler and a defensive pivot respectively. The team is full of quality, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some turnover in key positions this season to give head coach Carmelina Moscato a team that fits her style a little better.

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Pachuca ekes by Rayadas

I thought for sure this series was going to be a high scoring affair. Two of the most vaunted offenses in the league going up against one another was sure to see goleadas, right?

Welp.

Both teams defenses were the stories, getting standout performances from goalkeepers Esthefanny Barreras and Alex Godínez en route to a 1-0 win by Pachuca. The first leg in Pachuca saw the home side really take the game to Monterrey, but Godínez did well to turn aside all of the shots that were on frame. Barreras also made several fine saves, but was called upon to do so less than her counterpart at the other end of the pitch.

The second leg in Monterrey provided as much entertainment, and once again both goalkeepers put forth amazing efforts to give the ten players in front of them the best chance to get a goal. Monterrey had the better of the chances especially early on, but Pachuca did enough to keep them honest. It all changed in the 82nd minute when Viridiana Salazar got onto a great ball from Charlyn Corral to beat Godínez for the only goal of the series.

Final thoughts: Pachuca’s offense has (rightfully) gotten a lot of attention this past season, but perhaps the story should be on Barreras, who made several highlight-reel saves to keep Rayadas off the board for 180 minutes. The entire defense deserves credit for holding such a potent offense scoreless, and that should be a huge confidence boost going into the Final.

Rayadas meanwhile have to be asking themselves what else they could have done. I thought they executed their game plan well but ran into a goalkeeper that is enjoying a hot run of form. I don’t know if the teams needs as much of an overhaul as their cross-town rivals, but certainly some difficult questions are going to be asked this offseason.