San Diego will be witness to the Xolos Tijuana vs America friendly this Saturday, July 6, 2013 (7:30 PM PST) at the home of the Padres baseball stadium, Petco Park. This game is just a friendly, but it is also labeled as the ‘campeon de campeones’ match, as both Xolos and America won the titles in the last two Liga MX tournaments. Club America comes into this game after losing 1-0 against Chivas in the embarrassing boxing show in Las Vegas last Wednesday. Club Tijuana will play their first preseason match against a major rival as they lastly played San Diego Boca and won 5-0.
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Update: Xolos defeated America 5-2 at Petco Park.
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Xoloitzcuintles is ready to embark into another Liga MX tournament; after 4 seasons, they have been saved from relegation, competed in two playoffs, won the Apertura 2012 title, participated in the Copa Libertadores, and qualified into the 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League. What more can a fan ask from this team in such a short time? In the long-run a title one might say, but for now, defeating the loved/hated Club America will be nice to handle after that sour loss in the last minute against Atletico Mineiro in the Libertadores one month ago.
Since that missed penalty kick, Xolos has a new coach (Jorge Almiron), transferred Duvier Riascos to Pachuca, and signed strikers Herculez Gomez and Dario Benedetto. On Saturday, they will try to show the fans that even with all the changes, this is still a team that will compete for big things in the upcoming Apertura 2013 which will begin this July 19.
Club America has had a poor preseason in which they have done poorly in their games, and in which they lost top striker Christian Benitez. Against Tijuana, the team coached by Miguel Herrera will play to improve things, and to get back to their winning form from the Clausura 2013 title.
Xolos Tijuana vs America Prediction
The Xolos vs America match has been promoted for some months, therefore it will be in a nice atmosphere at Petco Park. This will be a match for those who have never seen a live Club America match, and for those Xolos fans in Southern California who have not traveled south of the border to the Estadio Caliente.
Considering the fans’ expectations and the game’s title, ‘campeon de campeones’, both squads will align their best lineups in an attempt to win a tough preseason game. This will be a tough contest between two good teams, but America is in better form as they have had a longer preseason. The Xolos Tijuana vs America match will end 2-1 in favor of the team from coapa.