Liga MX: Timid America stares down brave Pumas side
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Key players
Pumas UNAM: Felipe Mora will need to be an offensive driver, I believe. He was tied for the team-lead with Carlos Gonzalez, but the way America’s center backs are playing and how good they are in the air, leads me to think he might have some difficulty against Las Aguilas. Gonzalez’s goal in the regular season match came after Bruno Valdez was sent off and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence to my eyes. Mora on the other hand scores his goals other ways, and so he’ll probably be relied on to get things going for Pumas.
Club America: Guido Rodriguez is the most important player on the Club America team, in my opinion. If Carlos Gonzalez is mitigated by the America center backs, it will be up to Guido Rodriguez and, to a lesser extent, Mateus Uribe to make sure no one from the Pumas midfield is generating that offense. Rodriguez suffered a bit of a knock in the 2nd leg against Toluca, but if he’s healthy enough to play, he’ll be the key player for Las Aguilas.
It feels like this will be a battle of the Pumas offense against the defense of America. In Liga MX, though, it could very easily become the offense of America and defense of Pumas that become the major story lines.