Liga MX Femenil 2020 Guard1anes Final match preview: Tigres UANL vs. Rayadas

Game: Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Femenil vs. CClub de Fútbol Monterrey Femenil

Date: Monday, December 14th

Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 1:00 a.m. UTC

Venue: Estadio Universitario (San Nicolás de la Garza, N.L.)

Referees: REF: Katia Itzel García Mendoza, AR1: Mayra Alejandra Mora Cerero, AR2: Damaris Saray Jiménez Díaz, 4TH: Lizzet Amairany García Olvera, Asesor: Jorge Davila Godinez

Television: United States - TUDN; Mexico - TUDN, Afizzionados

Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), TUDN En Vivo

Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images

Tigres returns home with an opportunity to add its third star, leading Rayadas 1-0 after the first leg of the 2020 Liga MX Femenil Guard1anes Final. Jackie Ovalle was the lone goalscorer, netting a free kick that goalkeeper Alejandría “Alex” Godínez bobbled in the 61st minute.

Both teams played a bit conservatively and were about as even as the resulting score line indicates. Tigres were the marginally better side, taking the game to Rayadas and looking dangerous in the attacking third. Stefany Mayor played exceptionally well, creating chances and almost drawing a penalty in a controversial play in the eighteenth minute of play.

Tigres played a bit more defensively on the road, with winger Belén Cruz out of the 18. An offensive presence along the right, she hasn’t played since the second leg of the quarterfinal round against Pachuca. Instead they have been starting midfielder Natalia Gómez Junco in her place, with Gómez Junco and Katty “Killer” Martínez alternating between remaining central and pushing wide to the right where Cruz would be. It will be interesting to see if Cruz makes the gameday 18 and if Roberto Medina thinks his team’s best chances lie in defending the lead or pressing for more.

Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images

Rayadas have themselves in a tough spot. They didn’t play poorly in the first leg per se, but they also didn’t exactly play well. The error from Alex Godínez was the difference in the match. Nine times out of ten she makes that stop, and if it was any of those other nine times the narrative would be around how both teams will look to seize on the second leg after a relatively flat first leg.

Monterrey will be forced to attack, which may be difficult for a team who prefers to be patient and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. This isn’t to say that they don’t have the attacking talent to do so; any team with Desirée Monsiváis, Christina Burkenroad, Diana Evangelista, and Dani Solís up top can score with the best of them. The error by Godínez aside, their defense is solid and will need to continue to flex its muscle against one of the best offensive units in the league. Héctor Becerra indicated in a press conference however that Mónica Flores might get the start over Ricla Rajunov, which would replace Rajunov’s defensive capabilities with the playmaking abilities that Flores brings.

The game should be a chess match between two very evenly matched teams, and it should be a fun game to watch even for neutral fans. Thankfully the match will be broadcast over the air in both Mexico and the United States, and Tigres has a good track record of transmitting their matches on social media for those outside of the US and Mexico.