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Liguilla Preview: Toluca vs. San Luis
Toluca topped the Apertura 2009 table while San Luis were closer to the bottom. The clubs will meet up in the Liguilla quarterfinals.
Nov 19, 2009 9:47:01 AM
On the contrary, no other team is less deserving of a playoff spot than San Luis. Not only did los Gladiadores finish with a losing record and a goal differential in the negative, but the club finished with the 11th highest point total during the season. Only their spot in Group 1 helped pave the way for the postseason.
Will form hold between a matchup of title favorites and regular-season failures?
TOLUCA
Record: 11-4-2, 35 points. Goals scored: 32. Goals allowed: 19.
Key Players: Antonio Naelson “Zinha,” Hector Raul Mancilla, Edgar Dueñas
Update: Toluca finished as Superlider and picked up the tab as favorites for the Liguilla. They’ve been the most prolific team playing at home and were the second highest scoring team in the league. San Luis was one of the few teams able to take points away from the team, drawing 1-1. Trusty veteran Hernan Cristante won’t be available for the Liguilla, but his absence wasn’t missed too much with Alfredo Talavera filling the role adequately. Vladimir Marin will not be part of the team for the first game because of an accumulation of yellow cards.
Outlook: Los Diablos have a strong possibility to end up going far in the tournament. They had a strong season and it’s hard to argue that they won’t have any momentum going into the final stretch. Look for Toluca to keep up their form and make a deep run into the Liguilla.
SAN LUIS
Record: 5-6-6, 21 points. Goals scored: 21. Goals allowed: 24.
Key Players: Alfredo Moreno, Braulio Luna, Oscar Mascorro
Update: The team let in 24 goals during the season and scoring 21. San Luis didn’t play so well and had performances all over the chart. They will also have to deal without Leonel Olmedo because of disciplinary actions for the first game for accumulation of yellow cards.
Outlook: The team just squeezed in to the Liguilla thanks to the opportunities not taken advantage of by the others in the group. The performance during the league was average and they ended with a thumping courtesy of Queretaro. The game against the best team during the season will be tough hurdle; San Luis isn’t likely to go far.
Apertura 2009 meeting: During Jornada 11, when San Luis still had a shot at respectability, the two teams met up in Estadio Nemesio Diez. The matchup was strange as the teams only managed a pair of penalty kicks en route to a 1-1 draw. The result was just one of two draws Toluca had at home.
Andrea Martinez, oal.com
For more coverage of the Mexican Apertura playoffs, visit Goal.com.
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