Semifinal Preview: Toluca vs. Monterrey

Toluca and Monterrey will meet for a spot in the final.

Nov 30, 2009 11:37:11 AM

More On :  Monterrey, Toluca
Carlos Esquivel- Toluca (Mexsport)
Toluca and Monterrey will meet in the postseason with a ticket in the league final on the line. Monterrey will host the first leg on Thursday with the second leg slated for Estadio Nemesio Diez on Sunday.

TOLUCA

Record: 11-4-2, 35 points. Goals scored: 32. Goals allowed: 19.

Key Players: Antonio Naelson “Zinha,” Hector Raul Mancilla, Edgar Dueñas
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Regular-season 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.  

Liguilla 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.  

Liguilla update: Toluca beat San Luis in the decisive second leg of their semifinal series but struggled overall. San Luis shut out Toluca 1-0 in their home leg and held Toluca scoreless for most of the second leg. Toluca in fact were only able to manage a 1-1 draw against San Luis in their series but advanced because they were the superlider.

Semifinal outlook: Toluca may have gotten the monkey off their back. After winning the Apertura 2008 title, Toluca were favorites to reach the Clausura '09 final but crahsed out in the quarterfinal round. While players said they were not concerned about last season and losing to lowly Indios, on the field Toluca showed otherwise. Now that the quarters are in the past, perhaps Toluca can focus on playing to win instead of playing not to lose.

MONTERREY

Record: 9-5-3, 30 points. Goals scored: 27. Goals allowed: 16.

Key players: Humberto "Chupete" Suazo, Aldo De Nigris, Felipe Baloy, Jonathan Orozco.

Regular-season update: Monterrey were one of the two or three best teams in the league through Jornada 10, as the club had compiled a 7-1-2 record just past the midway point, but the team took a dip and lost three consecutive games. Monterrey's quality and danger, though, is still present. Suazo and De Nigris combined for seven goals and present a strong attack force while Baloy is a rock in defense. Midfielder Luis Perez, though, entered the postseason with an injury and his potential absence could hurt the club.

Liguilla outlook: With Perez not around to pull the string, it could be difficult for Monterrey to match up well in the midfield. But with Suazo around to provide offense, Monterrey are dangerous.

Liguilla update: Monterrey dealt with various issues before the playoffs started, notably the loss of former star Antonio De Nigris. Aldo De Nigris, the late footballer's brother, did well in dealing with the loss and scored the only goal in Monterrey's 1-0 home win. Monterrey had to overcome a deficit in the second leg, in front of a hostile crowd at Estadio Azteca, but scored the series-clinching goal late in the second leg, showing some resiliency in doing so.

Semifinal outlook: Monterrey have a strong roster with talented players leading the charge. The problem isn't necessarily in the talent but whether Monterrey can break through at this point of the playoffs. Monterrey seemingly breaks down before the finish.

Regular-season meeting: Humberto Suazo scored in the 70th minute to give Monterrey a 1-0 win over Toluca in Estadio Tecnologico on Aug. 15. While the score was not a convincing scoreline, it was significant for this reason: it was the only time in the regular season that Toluca did not score a goal.

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For more coverage of the Mexican league playoffs, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.
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