Weekend preview: The Tuca train leaves the station, four left for U-17 glory
And MLS is back!
It’s the weekend update! Today we take a spin around North America before looking at the climax of the U-17 Championship in Central America.
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🚂 Tuca and the Machine
Cruz Azul is a mess.
On the field, the team sits 13th in the Liga MX table, with Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Atlas doubling its win total for the season.
Off the field, a revolving door of officials have overseen the club since president Billy Álvarez had to go underground because of money laundering charges. Sometimes it’s tough to figure out who actually is calling the shots, be it a club official, a cement exec or some combination.
Things briefly went right for La Maquina - very right. With club legend Juan Reynoso at the helm, Cruz Azul ended its 24-year title drought in 2021. Less than a year later, the Peruvians’ allies in the front office were forced out, and Reynoso was sent packing in May 2022.
Cruz Azul has had two managers since, Diego Aguirre and Raul Gutierrez, neither of whom were able to get over a 45% winning percentage.
Well, here goes…something.
Tuca Ferretti arrived this week, signing a three-year deal to manage Cruz Azul. Fans in Mexico City hope he can put the grande back on the perch they believed the team could stay on after that 2021 title.
He’s now registered as the manager with the league and eligible to debut on the bench Saturday when Juarez visits the Estadio Azteca.
It’s tough to take the temperature of a fan base, especially one as big and disparate as Cruz Azul’s, but the initial reactions to Ferretti’s appointment have been positive. Supporters seemed to sing along when the club played Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s “Tucanazo” during Wednesday’s match.
Fans no doubt are hoping Ferretti is able to turn back the clock to what he did the last time he led a team backed by an enormous cement company, winning five league titles and a Concacaf Champions League with Tigres.
That conveniently overlooks what was a disastrous pair of tournaments in Juarez, when the club finished 16th of 18 teams in the Apertura and dead last in the Clausura, losing a dozen matches and paying the fine incurred by the last-place club that in most other leagues would be relegated.
Ferretti will have better support leading Cruz Azul, though Juarez did spend when the veteran manager arrived. Current president Víctor Manuel Velázquez said he’s assembled a “dream team” with former Cruz Azul and Pumas manager Guillermo Vázquez serving as an assistant along with Joaquín Moreno, who won both matches as interim manager.
Beloved goalkeeper Oscar “Conejo” Perez will become sporting director after serving as goalkeeper coach. Joel “Huiquidios” Huiqui, a former Cruz Azul center back, takes over the U-20 squad.
For better or worse, the 69-year-old Ferretti is old school: He insisted on taking a company-branded taxi to Cruz Azul’s HQ rather than accepting a private ride since he was yet to put pen to paper on a contract.
His tactics have reflected that as well, and he hardly proved to be extremely adaptive during his stint in Juarez. He’ll have more talent at his disposal with Cruz Azul, but far more pressure on his shoulders as well.