Cruz Azul's Villa: La Maquina Not About To Squander Final

Cruz Azul lost both finals they disputed in 2008, but the club is not about to let another chance slip through their fingers, striker Emanuel Villa said.

Dec 7, 2009 6:27:30 PM

More On :  Cruz Azul
Emanuel Villa - Cruz Azul (Mexsport)
Cruz Azul have not won a league title since 1997, but the club has been close to glory much more recently than that.

In 2008, Cruz Azul reached both finals that year but lost to Santos Laguna in the Clausura final and fell in the Apertura finale to Toluca.

Now that Cruz Azul are back within reach of glory, players said they are not about to squander this opportunity.
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"Not winning a final is not an option for us," Cruz Azul star Emanuel Villa said in a press conference. "In fact, we're realistic. The thinking is that we've got the experience as a group (to win)."

Cruz Azul fell to the abyss of the league in the Clausura '09 season but recovered tremendously this season, in part to Villa. The former Derby County striker joined Cruz Azul before the Apertura season and responded in a big way, scoring a league-high 17 goals during the regular season. He also scored the match-winner in Saturday's 2-1 win over Morelia, the second leg of the semifinal series that led Cruz Azul to the final.

While Villa was one of a handful of players not to have been around for the either of the previous two finals, he has confidence in those who suffered through the finals losses.

"My teammates know what it was like during the two previous finals," Villa said. "They werne't able to win the title in those situations but now we're going to do things the best way possible so that we could win the title."


Cruz Azul have suffered since 1997, having nothing but failed opportunities since then. The other three clubs with massive support - America, Chivas and Pumas - all suffered stretches of time without having won a championship, but each snapped their title-less skids earlier this decade.

America won a league title in the 1988-89 season and did not win another one until the Verano 2002 season; Chivas won the Verano '97 season and went without another league title until the Apertura 2006 season while Pumas' Clausura 2004 title was their first since the 1990-91 season.

Cruz Azul lost the Invierno 99 title to a recently-promoted and surprising Pachuca side and did not reach another final until the Apertura '08 season.

"For everything that this club has been through, we are going to stick with our dreams," Villa said. "It's like our manager tells us, when he says that nobody can take this dream away from us, and we are going to stick with that."

Even though Cruz Azul's losses were to Santos and Toluca, the club is taking the mentality that Rayados have done damage to Cruz Azul.

"There's a sense of revenge with this group," he said. "Everyone is concentrated and very aware of that horrible experience and do not want to repeat it once more."

Now that Cruz Azul have another great opportunity to snap their decade-long streak of futility, the club is anxious to put that stretch of time in the past and finally add their ninth Mexican league championship.

"The title has been very close and for one reason or another we have not gotten it," Villa said. "But we're very aware of that and with that experience hopefully it will help us."

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