Liga MX: Raul Gudino is now a hero to Chivas supporters

Raul Gudino may only be 22-years-old, but he’s already a hero in the minds of Chivas supporters after his brilliant saves against America.

It’s hard to imagine something more stressful than being required to save a penalty in stoppage time of a Clasico Nacional. That’s just what Raul Gudino did to delight Chivas fans and send America supporters home disappointed.

In fairness, it was also Gudino who conceded the penalty in the match’s closing moments. He came out to combat a ball into the box, but the referee decided he got more ball than man. That set up the scene for him to make an epic save against Mateus Uribe. Gudino denied him with a sprawling save to his right and etched his name into Chivas history.

See footage of his excellent save below. For the record, this wasn’t his best save of the match, but it was the most dramatic.

As you might expect, Chivas supporters have gone crazy with their support of the young goalkeeper. Many want to see him step up and play for El Tri in the future.

Other fans were forced to admit they’d judged Gudino harshly in the past. Making such a big save will cause people to change their opinions.

Of course, some fans are already wondering when he might leave Guadalajara. Such speculation is certainly premature, but he did raise his profile significantly on the big stage.

Other ardent supporters insist they’ve always seen a quality keeper when Gudino has been on the pitch. Whether or not you should believe these fans depends on just how far back you want to go on their Twitter timelines.

The one thing we know for sure is that fans will remember Gudino’s save for a long time. It may not have been the best Clasico Nacional we’ve ever seen, but it had plenty of drama.

The real question now becomes just how Gudino can build on his fine performance. Chivas supporters will hope they can ride him all the way to a Liga MX title.