I try to be really thorough for you guys. Before posting up lineups with analysis, I made a point of checking more than one source for lineups. Both Medio Tiempo and ESPN listed the exact same lineups, which I posted here. Both sites were wrong. Jesus Eduardo Zavala is starting instead of Hector Morales, which makes sense. Zavala is a natural defensive midfielder, while Morales would have been out of position playing there. Santos is starting Francisco Torres in place of Juan Rodriguez, which also makes sense. Rodriguez was injured against Club America and I was surprised to see that he was fit enough to be included in the starting lineup. Apparently, he is not fit enough to start, and is not even on the bench for Santos. Additionally, Daniel Ludueña is starting in place of Jose Cardenas, which has made for an exciting start from Santos.
Mexican Liguilla Final, Santos Laguna Vs. Monterrey: Lineups Were Wrong, Telefutura Started Late, We All Die And Pay Taxes
Also, those of you who are regular consumers of the Mexican Primera will be stunned (sarcasm) to learn that Telefutura started showing the game about three minutes after kickoff. This has been their policy as long as the sky has been blue, but I naively believed that they would start on time for “La Gran Final.” Thankfully, the second leg of the final will be shown on Telemundo, which starts matches on time in addition to having the delightful Andres Cantor of Geico commercial fame call their matches.
Early on, the match has unsurprisingly featured pretty fluid formations and a quick pace of play. Both teams have shots on target, with Santos having the better of the early opportunities. Jonathan Orozco has been forced into a couple of solid, though fairly comfortable saves. Monterrey’s lone shot on target came in the first minute of the match.
