The Tuzos repeat in the final for the second consecutive tournament, guided by Guillermo Almada, in search of their seventh championship title
Pachuca simply completed the task against Rayados and will now compete for the Apertura 2022 title against Toluca, in search of their seventh in their history.
The Tuzos won their first championship in the Winter 1999 Tournament when they defeated Cruz Azul in the final, after drawing 2-2 in the first leg and winning 1-0 in the second leg. Since then, Pachuca has established itself as one of the most successful teams in the era of short tournaments.
In the current tournament format (since 1996-97), Pachuca and Toluca are among the top 3 in most final appearances and titles, but had never faced each other in a final until this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Pachuca has reached 11 finals in short tournaments, winning six titles, and Toluca has reached 12 finals.
Pachuca was crowned again in the Winter 2001 and it was when they defeated Tigres in the final, winning 2-0 in the first leg and drawing 1-1 in the second leg at the Universitario Stadium to be crowned champions.
The Hidalgo team won the championship again in the Apertura 2003, this time against Tigres, who were coached by Nery Pumpido. On that occasion, the second leg was also played in Nuevo León.
The Hidalgo team once again became champions of Mexican football in the Clausura 2006 and Clausura 2007 tournaments. After that, they had to wait nine years to win another Liga MX title.
This happened in the Clausura 2016 when they took the trophy by defeating Rayados in the final. They won 1-0 in the first leg and drew 1-1 in the second leg, which allowed them to win their sixth championship in their history.
Pachuca has reached a total of 10 finals in short tournaments, of which they have lost three, and now they are looking for one more under the leadership of coach Guillermo Almada, who has come close to winning the championship with the Hidalgo team.
Almada came to Mexican football to coach Santos for the Clausura 2019, and after that, he took over Pachuca in search of winning a championship, which he will now pursue against Toluca.
The coach gained recognition in his country when he coached River Plate. In Uruguay, he is considered a mature strategist, belonging to an intermediate generation between Oscar Washington Tabárez, Jorge FossatI, and Gregorio Pérez, and the generation of coaches like Paulo Pezzolano and Román Cuello. He reached the Copa Sudamericana final with River Plate in 2013 and 2014, and won the title with Barcelona de Guayaquil in 2016.
Now, he will try to lead Pachuca to their seventh championship to equal Pumas and Tigres in terms of titles when they face the team led by Ignacio Ambriz, who eliminated América in the semifinals. The first leg will be played at the Nemesio Díez Stadium, and the second leg at the Hidalgo Stadium.