With four teams remaining, only two could book their ticket to the final.
Who are the finalists?
Rayadas de Monterrey vs Pachuca
“Anyone who doesn’t believe in us can leave this locker room right now,” said former Rayadas’ captain Rebeca Bernal before her team won the championship in 2024. The aggregate was in Tigres’ favor (3-0), and Monterrey needed three goals to force extra time and, ultimately, penalty kicks.
And so they did. Rayadas were the crown champions and the rest is history.
This tournament under a different coach, 12 players from that championship, and that fight still remain in the team.
They may have remembered Bernal’s famous words. Why? Because Pachuca, the team they had to overcome to get to the final, won the first leg 2-0.
However, coach Amandine Miquel orchestrated a perfect comeback in the second leg, executed through Valerie Vargas, Christina Burkenroad and Lucía García. Despite an early scare when Pachuca’s Natalia Mauleón scored only three minutes into the game, Rayadas dusted themselves off and fought. Of course, Osinachi’s own goal helped to level things and after that, Rayadas got enough confidence back to believe that a comeback was doable.
Club América vs Toluca
This bracket created a lot of expectations, since it was the first time Toluca’s Diablas reached the semifinals, and the fact that the roster was full of international stars led fans to think they could go all the way to the final.
However, the first leg became a nightmare for Toluca. Only 13 minutes into the first half, they were losing 0-2 with Scarlett Camberos scored from the penalty spot in the 8th minute and then Kim Rodríguez in the 13th minute.
Defender Abby Erceg scored the lone goal for the hosts and América didn’t stop until they put seven tallies past the Diablas. Brazilian international Geyse Ferreira scored a brace, Spaniard international Irene Guerrero also scored one, and midfielder Nancy Antonio scored this incredible goal.
Aylin Aviléz completed the first leg’s 7-1 score.
Not only was the score scandalous but there was a lot of controversy after the match finished due to what Toluca’s coach, Patrice Lair, said in the post-match press conference.
Lair said his team didn’t have the level to be playing that semifinal and that it was a miracle they reached that stage of the playoffs.
“The América team was definitely above us… It is a miracle that Toluca is in the Semifinals. Right now, we have too many weaknesses,” he said, and added, “This is the last conference I am giving as I am going back to France. Perhaps I will return to Mexico later, but it would be with a men’s football team, because at the moment in women’s football, I have given what I had to give.”
The timing of his words was terrible since Toluca still had to play the second leg. Nonetheless, the Diablas looked better and would’ve finished with a 3-3 draw if it hadn’t been for the late goal scored by Alexa Soto, who sealed the win.
It’s worth mentioning the hat-trick Faustine Robert scored in that second leg.
The final is set but not without dissension
There was a lot of discussion around the time set for the second leg. It will be played next Sunday at 12:00 a.m. local time.
Rayadas’ fans were complaining about the advantage Club América’s players might have since they’re used to the intense heat Mexico City suffers from at midday. The time slot is also not ideal for a final.
Leaving that aside, many storylines will be headlining the finals.
On one hand, this is going to be the seventh final that Spanish coach Ángel Villacampa has helped Club América reach. However, despite his success in reaching finals, he has helped them to win only one, in the Clausura 2023 tournament, when they defeated Pachuca 4-2. Ever since he took over in 2022, he has helped the team to reach the finals. Nonetheless, the lack of success in finals has added additional pressure from the supporters.
On the other hand, this is French coach Amandine Miquel’s first tournament at the helm and she has been helping Rayadas to go back to its roots and playing good football again. Without market-breaking signings, Miquel has been able to ‘put the house in order’ and work with the roster given, only adding three new signings.
Leaving the coaches’ aside, this final will give América a chance to enact revenge on Rayadas for what happened in the Clausura 2024 tournament, when the Eagles were close to savoring victory only to finish empty-handed.
Are the odds in América’s favor? You might say so. After all, Rayadas haven’t been able to win ever since those two teams played in the aforementioned final. Moreover, these two teams faced each other in last season’s quarterfinals when América beat Monterrey 6-1 on aggregate.
So, what’s going to be? No doubt this final will be 180 minutes where both teams will have to be focused until the final whistle.
How to watch? The first leg will be played on Thursday, May 14, and will be streamed on VIX and Liga MX Femenil official channels on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. The game will kick off at 10:10 EST.
