Campeonísimo?

28th May, 2022
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

"It's great to see you, coach." Amaury smiled warmly, as he pointed towards a chair infront of his desk.
I don't think I had ever been in the owner's office before. Although, I must admit there's a lot of places I haven't been in my short time here. I had barely finished obtaining my "A" License while managing the U15s with my hometown club, Chivas. We had been successful, winning 2 championships in my one year here. Was I being moved to the U17, I know the club's being restructured after Cadena's failure. But now I'm rambling, breathe and get on with the meeting.
"Likewise, Mr. Vergara." I answered as I sat down. "This is a very nice office." I tend to blabber on when I'm nervous, not one of my proudest traits.
"Yeah well, my dad didn't spare any expenses." he said coldly. "I'll get straight to the point: we need a new manager, you're fresh blood and you've done great here so far."
"We're talking about Tapatío, right? Espinoza is moving up?" The nerves were hitting hard, moving from U15s to a professional division was a big leap.
"Espinoza is out anyways, Peláez is out, we'll have a whole new staff for you. We're talking MX of course, Chivas, why else would you be talking directly to me?" He said, smirking, almost making fun of my incredulity. "I'm appointing you Chivas manager, effective immediately."
"...Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I promise I'll do my best." I mumbled. Shock. I even felt kind of numb. This was probably the moment I had been working for since I decided to enroll in the National School for Technical Directors, and yet I wasn't as happy as I was overwhelmed.
I turned around and left the office, I had to say goodbye to my kids.

Club Deportivo Guadalajara, a brief background

So, maybe you're wondering what I'm even going on and on about. Here's all you need to know about the club:



It's situated in my hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Mexico's second biggest city and economic hub. More or less 5 million tapatíos (what us people from here are called) live here, 46 thousand of which fit inside Estadio Chivas, now known as Estadio Akron due to sponsorship reasons. The club used to play in Estadio Jalisco, which it shared with fierce rivals Atlas, but Chivas moved out a little over 10 years ago.



It's one of the older clubs in Mexico, being founded in 1906, which also makes its rivalry with Atlas (founded 1916) the oldest one in the country. It's also their rivals who gave them the name they are most known as. "Corren como chivas locas." "They run like crazy goats," they said it and it stuck, becoming the team's main nickname. Chivas Rayadas (striped goats), Rojiblanco (red and white), Rebaño Sagrado (Sacred flock) or Campeonísimo (The biggest champions) are other nicknames.

In 1957 Pope Pius XII wrote a telegram conmemorating the club's first professional championship, thus why they earned the nickname of Sacred Flock. The Campeonísimo nickname was earned in the 60s, decade in which the won 5 championships! They are the second most winningest club in Mexico, with 12 first division championships. Although, they have fallen on hard times recently.



Jorge Vergara, entrepeneur, acquired control of the club in 2002. Since then, they have had more crisis than championships, winning only in 2006 and 2017. Don Jorge, and his great love for the club, passed away in 2019. However, the club stayed in the family, with his son Amaury Vergara becoming the 38th president of the club.



Amaury, worth an estimated 6 billion dollars, had a lot of weight on his shoulders. Bring the club more success, after all they're one of the greats in Mexican footballing history. He brought in Ricardo Peláez, who was thought of as one of the greatest sporting directors in Mexico. Tens of millions of dollars were invested in bringing players and managers to Guadalajara. To call it anything short of a failure is being too kind.

[img]https://laopinion.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/09/gettyimages-1177770125.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1200[/img]

They made the playoffs in Fall 2020, only to be eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions León. Chivas would make the playoffs again in Spring 2021, but left humiliated by Pachuca in the first round. Fall 2021 would mean another first round exit, this time at the hands of Puebla. Spring 2022 would hurt a lot, as a quarter final elimination at the hands of bitter rivals Atlas would mean the Championship was not to be in manager Ricardo Cadena's tenure.

That leads us all the way to May 2022. That's where I, Jesús Sánchez, an unknown 22-year-old, takes control of this club. Will I become another scapegoat in the Amaury Vergara era, as this massive club refuses to rebuild with all the expectation from the fans? Or will I break through, become the youngest ever manager to succeed in this league? I guess we'll find out.

An interesting move to appoint such an inexperienced manager! Time will only tell if it was a smart one! Good luck!

A really interesting league to begin your career in, I'm looking forward to learning more about Mexican football along the way! Best of luck mate

Club Deportivo Guadalajara will be a huge challenge for Jesús Sánchez, which is why he'll need the backing from well-qualified people who complement the new manager's intentions. Here we present the coaches who will aid the strategist ahead of the Apertura 2022 tournament.

8 is the magic number... 8 are the coaches that Sánchez will have in Guadalajara. Who are they? None less and none more than Octavio Becerril, José Manuel Cruzalta, Álex Diego, Leonardo Medina, Enrique Jiménez, Fernando Signorini, Adrián Cruz and Jaume Bartrès.

We'll start with Octavio Becerril, who was born in Mexico City and just recently turned 58. He was a professional player from 1985 to 2000. His last stint as a pro was with Necaxa, team with whom he started his coaching career. An ample resume in pretty much all levels of Mexican football will certainly complement Jesús Sánchez' percieved inexperience.

What does he bring to the table?
- 35 years of experience in Mexican football
- Great discipline and people management, to deal with the senior squad member's qualms about the manager's lack of experience at this level

Let's talk about José Manuel Cruzalta. The 44-year-old was born in Toluca and also had an illustrious playing career that includes 4 Liga MX titles. Having played as a fullback, he'll be in charge of the defensive coaching at Chivas.

What does he bring to the table?
- A winning pedigree that is certainly needed at Chivas
- He knows how to coach possession sides, which fits in perfectly with Sánchez' style

Next is Álex Diego. Diego is another Liga MX champion, winning it all with Pumas in 2009. He also knows what managing in Liga MX, having a short stint with Querétaro in 2020. With Chivas, he'll be the main tactical coach, working closely with Jesús Sánchez in developing the team's style of play.

What does he bring to the table?
- Management experience at this level, he's the most qualified coach on this staff
- Knowledge of the league's players, which could help the manager in playing staff decision-making

Leonardo Medina is, like Sánchez, largely an unknown in Mexican football. Despite his 14 years of coaching experience, he hasn't coached at a high level with his most recent job being in Malaysia. He will be handling attacking coaching duties at Chivas.

What does he bring to the table?
- He'll smooth over the technical aspects of players, especially those who work in the final third
- He'll a key part in generating mechanisms that will make Chivas a more creative team

Last but not least important, Signorini, Cruz and Bartrès will remain at the club, filling the role of fitness coaches.

There's not much left to say other than wish luck to all of Jesús Sánchez' coaching staff. We're certain they'll do an excellent job and bring to club to where its 40 million followers want to see it

Welcome to Chivas!

Chivas have successful preseason

Guadalajara, Jalisco. July 4th, 2022.

Chivas capped off a very international preseason after defeating 3rd tier side Halcones de Zapopan at home.
The red-and-whites began their preparation by traveling to Germany and beating Hamburg in their own Volksparkstadion thanks to a great chip-in goal by Alexis Vega.

Chivas then traveled to Tulsa where, after falling behind in the first half, goals from Jesús Angulo and youngster Pável Pérez secured the win. The squad came home to play their last remaining friendlies, both 2-0 wins against 3rd tier sides Tecos and Halcones de Zapopan.

Luis Malagón signs with Chivas

Chivas have completed the signing of goalkeeper Luis Malagón, following the news of Miguel Jiménez' hip injury that will keep him out until October.

The Olympic bronze-medalist became Chivas' only reinforcement ahead of the Apertura 2022 tournament, replacing Miguel Jiménez, who suffered a hip injury that will keep him out until the Clausura 2023 preseason. The goalkeeper arrives with 64 Liga MX games under his belt.

The Guadalajara team welcomed Malagón, who owns bronze medals from the 2019 Panamerican Games as well as the 2020 Olympic Games. The Zamora, Michoacán native will hope the Chivas spotlight will earn him his first cap for the Mexican national team, as he was only previously called up in December 2021.

Jesús has got off to the best possible start in his career, with the results during pre-season quite tremendous. I remember several editions of FM having Carlos Fierro as a bit of a wonderkid, and he'd become God-like on most saves.

The signing of Luis Malagón is a great investment, and if Jesús can build a strong 'spine' to his team: a title challenge is inevitable.

July 1st, 2022
Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

"What do you mean he wants lo leave?!" I'm not really someone who's known for being a hot-head, but here I am now, yelling at the phone.

"Listen, I'm just the messenger. Christian said he doesn't really want to play for you and he's specially aggravated by the fact you refused to let him go to Monterrey." Goddamn Sergio Suárez. He owns half the league, including 8 of our players. That means 8 reasons to play ball with him unless I want this locker room to turn into the Theatre of Pompey. "I know you've got offers from 4 teams because I've already talked to them, so Christian better be on a plane by the end of the day, preferably to Torreón or Pachuca."

"Fine, let me make some calls." Let's pretend we have enough money to replace our best left-back. Everything's going sooo well.

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July 5th, 2022 - 8:57 a.m.

"Please Eduardo, you know he's one of the best left-backs in the league and if we want to replace him before SIID closes we're going to need at least double of what you're offering." The League's Integral Sporting Information System (SIID by its acronym in Spanish) allows for registering players before tonight at midnight. Eduardo Fentanes is Santos' manager. I have absolutely no idea why they're interested in Calderón when their Omar Campos is already top-level, and he's only 19 to boot.

"Well, Suárez told us you'd take less than a million. Besides, we're already paying for the loan so it sort of adds up to the 2 million dollars you want," replied Fentanes, I could imagine the smug look he had on his face right now. Goddamn Sergio Suárez. "2 million total. Take it or leave it," I replied firmly. My best guess is the beeping at the other end of the line meant no.

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July 5th, 2022 - 4:56 p.m.

"Here's the breakdown," working with Jaime Ordiales is really a blessing. He turned Cruz Azul into a championship side after years of being the league's laughing stock. "Pachuca have made the biggest offer, but do we really want to strengthen them? Puebla and Tijuana have made smaller offers but they're not predicted to stand in our way to the quarter-finals. It's you call, coach."

"We need the money and we should be good enough elsewhere to compete. Also they're offering to pay all of his wages and you know they're not small." I had my mind made up, we've just resigned a 33-year-old Miguel Ponce and I think he still has some left in the tank to do a good enough job at left-back. "Now let's look at someone to sit on the bench just in case. Tapatío has nobody and Flores isn't ready for the first team."

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July 5th, 2022 - 6:24 p.m.

"They've accepted," said Ordiales, calmly, "we have to pay half his wages, which means 2 thousand dollars a month." There we go, Diego González is now a Chivas player for the next 9 months. He's not even close to being a 'Chicote' Calderón replacement but he'll do a decent job coming in when Ponce gets tired.

We're all set now, time to focus 100% on getting results on the pitch. Our season begins in 4 days when Pachuca come to town.

Sánchez debuts in Pachuca comeback

July 10th, 2022
Guadalajara, Jalisco

This Sunday, Guadalajara's Jesús Sánchez became the youngest manager in Liga MX history, making his debut at only 22 years old. The previous record holder was Marcelo Michel Leaño who was 31 years old when he managed his first game for Necaxa in 2018. However, there was no time to celebrate as his Chivas side collapsed under the Pachuca pressure, letting go of an early lead.

Isaác Brizuela opened the scoring after only 45 seconds, hitting a great volley from just inside the penalty area. VAR was used to ratify 'El Cone' wasn't offside. Fernando Beltrán was credited with the assist for his good cross.

Chivas' lead lasted all of 23 minutes before Pachuca converged on the red-and-whites' area. A blocked shot from Victor Guzmán landed at Roberto de la Rosa's feet who managed to find Luis Chávez wide open. Chávez skillfully slotted in a moving penalty to equalize the game for the Tuzos.

With almost 20 minutes left in the game, 16 year-old Ari Contreras found Paulino at the far post. The Spaniard was able to head it in easily, with VAR verifying he wasn't offside. In the end, Pachuca, who created more quality chances over the course of the 90 minutes, managed to edge a tight game against a Chivas side who failed to create clear cut chances despite having the biggest share of possession.

Querétaro the only Liga MX team in the Leagues Cup Quarter Finals

[size=8]July 20th, 2022
Guadalajara, Jalisco[/size]

Following CD Guadalajara's defeat in Dallas today, Querétaro FC are the only Mexican team to make it out of the Leagues Cup First Round.

It all started well for Chivas, as Fernando González scored from just outside the box with a powerful shot that went in after hitting the bar. Their lead would last all of the first half, but 10 minutes into the second half Franco Jara would score on a perfectly placed header to tie the game.

It seemed as though there would be penalties for the second time in this round, however there was only one. In the 88th minute, Jáder Obrian was pushed by Gilberto Sepúlveda with VAR confirming the penalty for the Toros. Franco Jara would step up once again for FC Dallas, giving them a late lead and, ultimately, the pass to the Leagues Cup quarter finals.

Querétaro were the only Mexican team to advance, beating Nashville 2-1. This has renewed criticisms against FEMEXFUT and Yon de Luisa's plan for Liga MX, as critics claim that removing relegation and expanding the playoffs to 12 teams have had a negative effect on the quality of the league.

First Round Results:
Sporting KC 2-0 León
FC Dallas 2-1 Chivas
Columbus Crew 2-0 Cruz Azul
Minnesota 2-0 Necaxa
Atlanta United 2-0 Santos Laguna
Nashville 1-2 Querétaro
Orlando City 2-0 América
Philadelphia Union p 2-2 Tigres

A tough start in the first game after a big disruption right before the start of the season. Looks to be a couple of bounce back wins there, despite the loss to Dallas.

August 4th, 2022

What am I to do now? I guess this is what we get for being one of the best at developing players. At least the money's good, and if we're going to ask money from a club it has to be Manchester City. There's no way we were going to win this one, I could imagine the headlines. "Chivas limits Vega's career by denying Champions League move" but now the headlines will be "Chivas to depend on Zaldivar, Macías and Yrizar up front."

I wouldn't call this a disaster. Unfortunate, yes, but getting this amount of money is never a disaster. Here's the breakdown:
- $4.5 million up front
- $1.5 million spread over the next 12 months, that makes 6 million
- $250k when he plays 30 games
- $500k when he plays 40
- $1 million if he plays 50
- $3 million for winning the Champions League, after all that's the kind of football he wants to be playing in and I'm certain he'll show up when it matters for City.
- $1.5 million for winning the Premier League, this is just easy money seen as how they've won it the last 2 years in a row and are favorites to win it again this year.

This means Zaldívar stays up front, he's been putting in decent numbers, but we'll have to wait until January to get a better striker.

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August 5th, 2022

Things just got wayyyy crazier. "Jaime, you've got to tell Begiristain the deal is off." I couldn't hide my excitement. Ordiales seemed much more calm on the other end of the line: "Alexis said he wants Champions League football, it will also look better for us in the media if we sell to City."

"We got them to offer more, I don't care if he doesn't play in the Champions League!" I was just about to leave my office when the offer from Brighton came in. After some negotiation we managed to agree on this:
- $12.5 million up front. They're offering double the guaranteed money. Up front. It's a no-brainer.
- $2.6 million over the next 3 years
- $100k after 10 games
- $200k after 20 games
- $400k after 30 games
- $800k after 40 games
- $1.6 million if he plays 50 games
- $750k if he scores 20 goals

Like I said, no-brainer. So now two things might happen: either City offers us way more money or Vega is signing with Brighton. Just one day before our game against Santos, hopefully Vega can say goodbye with a goal or two.

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@TheLFCFan: Looks like we're getting disruptions all year-round lol Thankfully it also looks like the team can cope. However, support for me is very flimsy seen as how I am a nobody in the world of Mexican football.

"How much can you really fault Sánchez? This is just the same old Chivas." Héctor Huerta's voice over the TV caught my attention. I was in the middle of cooking my dinner following a tough loss to Puebla. "Remember that Cadena's run with Chivas had 5 wins and 2 losses before the tie with Atlas and the elimination in the quarter finals cost him his job. Heck, Michel Leaño only won 3 games out of his first 9 back in 2021. The squad is pretty much the same."

"Then what is it that Chivas needs? It can't be the manager that's the problem," said David Faitelson, it seemed like his job is criticizing Chivas or América, "they've tried experimenting with new managers, Leaño, Cadena and now Sánchez. They've tried bringing in experienced managers, Vucetich, Tena and Boy before them. None of them have lasted half of what Almeyda lasted back when they won the championship in 2017."

Ugh, nobody likes being compared. Imagine how I feel, being compared to the likes of "King Midas" Victor Vuctetich, or Luis Fernando Tena, who owns 2 Liga MX and 3 CONCACAF gold medals, or even Matías Almeyda, who won Chivas' latest championship alongside 2 Copa MX and 1 CONCACAF Champions League. I guess that's just how it goes in Mexican football, no matter what you do, the media is always talking about you, especially working such a high-profile club.

"The problem comes from within, the players are up on a pedestal and they play when they want to. What is Sánchez to do now that Vega is leaving?" Faitelson just keeps on pouring the criticism. "This is a rag-tag squad, built by 5 different managers with different ideas, full of old and over-payed players, who-" I turned off the TV, God, I hate how they just like to run their mouth without knowing how it really is to be in my seat.

Something's burning. Oh, that's right, I was in the middle of cooking!

I really admire Jesús
geometry dash lite

Chivas manage European signing to replace Vega

August 19th, 2022
Guadalajara, Jalisco

Club Deportivo Guadalajara have announced the loan signing of Eduardo Aguirre, who had signed earlier this season for Bundesliga side Mainz 05.

"I'm grateful for this opportunity with one of Mexico's biggest clubs," said Aguirre in a video published to Chivas' social media. "It has excellent facilities, comparable to any club in Europe. There's no better place than this to develop in the best way and be Champion with Chivas."

The 24-year-old signed for two years with the Guadalajara outfit, although allegedly they would be able to sign him permanently for less than 1.5 million dollars. The striker made his Liga MX debut for Santos Laguna in 2019 and then went on to score 14 goals in 58 games for the Torreón side.

"It's my dream to win the Liga MX, today there's no better option than with this club and this squad," he added.

Eduardo Aguirre might take up the spot left by Alexis Vega's transfer to Brighton earlier this season. Rumors say Chivas could still add another striker in Santiago Muñoz, currently playing for Newcastle. Muñoz is also a product of Santos Laguna's academy.