Breathe
By Rosa Covarrubias
Legend has it that a few years ago, approximately 5 years ago, there was a category in Mexico called Liga de Ascenso and although the treatment of its players was not the best or the most professional, they were aspirational. Yes, they sought to fight for the title for two tournaments in order to return to the maximum circuit.
Necaxa, León and Atlante, three traditional teams of our football in the 50's and 60's, passed through the silver circuit, unfortunately for the glorious "Potros de Hierro" (Iron Colts) they have not been able to return to the first division.
That aspirational League left when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived and left us with the MX Expansion; players only step on the field to be visible to someone who can take them to the First Division, even for many it is the league of retirement or of the excluded, of those who nobody wants and who bury in that division until they put an end to their career.
The playoffs in this category seem to have no reason to exist, other than to fight for another title in the expansion category that will not return you to the maximum circuit, obviously, there is also a fight to win an extra in economic terms, but in sporting terms, little.
Curiously, 4 years after its transformation to the MX Expansion League, there are two teams that face each other in the playoffs and have been left without a home to play in, one at least could return, the other, sought shelter in the house of the older brother because it is in danger in its own stadium.
Let's go by parts. The Dorados de Culiacán had to leave the city for security reasons, the constant shootings in the city forced the owners of the club to lower the curtain of the Carlos González y González stadium, to close the tournament in the kennel of the Xolos de Tijuana.
As if it were a joke, the Culiacán team will face another team that was left without a home, this one due to administrative errors; Atlante was forced to leave the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium, due to the suspension of activities because Cruz Azul played on Saturday, November 2 at that venue and the Coco concert at the Plaza de Toros led those who issued the permits to "close" both buildings. The Potros de Hierro will move to Pachuca to face the second leg of the quarterfinals.
Atlante has become a nomadic team, unable to find that historical identity that in the 1960s transformed it into a team of the people. The Ciudad de los Deportes and the Azteca Stadium have been their home on more than one occasion; at the end of the 80's they moved to Querétaro, returned to the building in the Nochebuena neighborhood, in 2002 they went to Neza 86, returned to the Azteca and in 2007 they went to the Andrés Quintana Roo in Cancún. After the pandemic, they returned to the Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium where they have played for the last 4 years.
Everything changed this season when the uncomfortable and empowered neighbors arrived to disturb the peace, because their luxurious home (the Azteca Stadium) is being remodeled and they needed accommodation with the "Colt", the league with the Mayor's Office was stretched until it broke and now they will go to Pachuca, at least for one game this season.
The abandonment of most of the fans, the poor condition of the stadium, among other things, have made the team's owners reconsider staying in Mexico City and moving to Zacatepec.
All this happens in a league with little competitive level, without aspirations to reach the first division... All this happens in the League of the exiles.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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