The final game of Mexico's Apertura 2014 tournament could not be set up for a more exciting matchup. Club America and Tigres face each other to determine once and for all which of these teams will add one more title to their trophy case.
America get to this match surrounded by rumors. Coach Antonio Mohamed gave several interviews this week stating he would not return with Las Aguilas next year, and this has raised the tension among his players and the team's executives. America's Sports VP Ricardo Pelaez apparently signed former Leon manager Gustavo Matosas to replace Mohamed, which infuriated the Argentinian boss. Playing at historic Azteca Stadium, Las Aguilas will try to repeat their Clausura 2013 victory, when they got to the Final game trailing 1-0 against Cruz Azul and managed to win their 11th title.
Paul Aguilar will be the only one missing this game for America, since he was expelled from the team by Mohamed due to a breach of discipline.
In the other corner, Tigres will expose their unbeaten streak against America. Coach Ricardo Ferretti was severely criticized during the first weeks of this tournament, but managed to silence his trolls and led his team to another final series. Even without a trusted striker in their team, the club from Nuevo Leon will have dribbling maestros such as Argentinian Damian Alvarez and Joffre Guerron leading their attack, hoping to extend their lead in the aggregate.
Tigres will try to dedicate this title to their captain and leader Juninho, who came down with a season-ending injury before the semifinal match against Toluca. Juninho even led his team in the goal scoring department, despite being a center-back.
The game will start at 7:00 p.m. EST.
