MEXICO -- Iván Zamorano, former scorer of America and champion in 2002, stated that "it is of no use to have a streak of 11 games without losing if you do not win the title".
"For statistics, that's very good - to have a tournament start with 11 games undefeated like the Eagles hadn't done since the Apertura 2005. Being unbeaten helps to keep the desire to win alive, but the most important thing is to reach the final and fight for the championship; that is the objective and the goal of a big team like America," he commented.
The former player assures that "'Piojo' Herrera has found a dynamic, a solid team. It has helped that there have been no injuries this year and the squad has remained in good physical condition, which is important."
Furthermore, "there are moments when if the team doesn't play well, individualities appear that have been important this year, such as Cecilio Dominguez, Mateus Uribe, and William da Silva himself, who has done well when required to play in other positions."
For Ivan, the current moment that the clubs are going through in the tournament serves as an idea of how it could end.
His biggest bet is with the Eagles, but he warns that Tigres, Toluca, and although Santos is playing very well and is the leader, he doesn't know if they will have the football and physical level to make it to the final stage. He believes that between four and five clubs will fight for the championship.
Looking back on his time in Mexican football (from 2000 to 2002), Zamorano affirms that the difference with the present is that "now the teams from Monterrey are very well formed (Monterrey and Tigres); they have the economic consistency to form great squads. In my time, they were not considered to be the protagonists in the league and now it is different."
He emphasized that the Liga Bancomer is very competitive. "I came to play for America when they hadn't been champions in 12 years, something unimaginable. Right now, Cruz Azul is experiencing that and it happened to Chivas in their moment."