Cruz Azul manager Pedro Caixinha will head into work this week knowing he has the pieces to build a team capable of competing in Liga MX. Prior to a 3-1 victory Saturday over Chivas, he had to have had his doubts. After a subpar draw with Tijuana in Round 1 and a Copa MX defeat to a second-division team (the champions of the division but a second-division team all the same), Cruz Azul needed a result and found one this weekend.
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Players new to La Maquina and veterans contributed to the effort. After Chivas took an early lead, Cruz Azul rallied after halftime to put in three unanswered with a double from Felipe Mora sandwiching a stunning left-footed goal from midfielder Rafa Baca.
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Walter Montoya and Carlos "Gullit" Pena both made their Cruz Azul debuts with Pena withstanding boos and whistles from the Estadio Chivas crowd. Carlos Fierro, also a former Chivas player, put in a much better shift than he did in the opening week, and all in all there can be enthusiasm in the capital after Caixinha's debut win at the helm of the club.
Let's get this out of the way: This result could've gone differently. Cruz Azul's first penalty was by no means a stone-cold call. "Referee kills Chivas," read Ovaciones' front page. The true murderer, however, was Chivas themselves. After dominating in the first half but earning just a 1-0 lead heading into the break, Chivas tried to maintain their dominance but left the door open for Cruz Azul. In the end, it was another disappointing result for the home fans at Estadio Chivas who now have seen their team win just once in the last 10 home matches.
Halftime certainly seemed like a turning point in the match. Caixinha recalled giving a halftime talk that emphasized the club's importance and reminding players of its status as a 'grande' - one of the four biggest clubs in Mexico. Chivas too is a grande and Saturday's match was critical for both teams in their quest to re-establish themselves among the country's elite.
"The thinking that we did was that we're Cruz Azul, one of the grandes of Mexico, and we should have this in our mind. Beyond the result, the thinking in halftime is what we should always take going forward," Caixinha said after the match. "I've been at the club for a month. It's a grande in Mexico. We should think in big things to do big things. People should see the pride we have, the determination. You can't have the luxury of being afraid. This is my job from here on. We haven't won anything. Beyond soccer, we have to have determination to play like a big team."
Neither of his big-ticket new additions, Montoya and Pena, were ready to go the full 90 minutes but each showed plenty of promise. And Paco Jemez didn't leave a bare cupboard for Caixinha, who flopped at Rangers but is still well-respected in Mexico after winning a title with Santos Laguna.
Baca was asked to play in a different role than he did under the Spaniard, with the idea being to get the former San Jose Earthquake into the attack more often. An injury to Francisco Silva in the first half modified those plans somewhat, but his gorgeous goal showed he has the ability to play in that style. Martin Rodriguez played well off Montoya. There were miscommunications at the back on Carlos Cisneros' headed opener, but Jesus Corona continues to be one of the league's better goalkeepers as he shores up his spot in El Tri's 2018 squad.
Caixinha needs to build this team into a title contender, but he has the pieces needed to do so. Now, with another Copa MX match coming this week and a visit from undefeated Leon to the Estadio Azul, it's time for the manager to continue rebuilding both his reputation and that of a once-great club that showed this weekend that it could return to greatness once more.
