International tournaments and Liga MX: Tigres have been right the whole time

With no chances to advance to Apertura 2017 playoffs, Pachuca are headed towards another lacklustre performance at the FIFA Club World Cup. It’s more than a month till the start of the tournament and past experiences are bad, to put it mildly.

But all was joy and hopeful thinking for the Tuzos when they defeated Tigres at the most recent Concacaf Champions League Final. Conversely, all was doom and gloom and mocking memes against Ricardo Ferretti’s side, which had been beaten by a rival with way less money invested than them.

Until the arrival of Andre Pierre Gignac in 2015, Tigres was seen as a narrow-minded rich: always strong at the Volcán, always weak away… and always snubbing international tournaments. Back then it was common Tigres practice to get eliminated in early stages of Copa Libertadores by South American minnows such as Chile’s Unión Española.

Yet, guess what: Los Felinos have had it right all this time and we’ve been all wrong in criticizing them.

It is somehow telling that the last time they took Libertadores seriously they almost won it. It is also telling that it was the last time that any Mexican side could have won it following Liga MX’s refusal to participate under the new format.

The new reality is that Liga MX is already so demanding for its 18 clubs that international competitions increasingly look as a waste of time and precious resources. Surely Matias Almeyda considered his side would do fairly good with no summer signings. BIG mistake: Chivas are one of the worst defending champions ever.

The thing is that Liga MX’s format is designed to meet the demands of… Liga MX itself. The change of format in Libertadores aims at enabling Conmebol’s champions to fare better in the FIFA Club World Cup. But Liga MX’s first concern is Liga MX. 

Call it selfish if you like, but makes sense.

So, while the supporters of Chivas and Pachuca who made fun of Tigres some months ago are ready to watch the Liguilla on tv, Tigres are more than ready to have yet another go at getting Liga MX’s title.

This club managed by Ingeniero Alejandro Rodríguez has understood better than any other the new reality of the Mexican league. One in which international tournaments drag far too many resources which would be better employed domestically, where it matters the most.

Pachuca is headed towards another mediocre Club World Cup in their endless pursuit of international recognition. Reality has changed and only Tigres seem to get it right.