Chivas Femenil: ‘Chingonas’ EP 1: ‘En Busca del Exito’

Chivas have come out with a miniseries about their beloved women’s team that will tell their history and journey to success. The first episode has been released and is available on their YouTube page as well as ChivasTV. Here’s a review of the first episode of the miniseries called ‘Chingonas’ or in English. ‘Badass’. There will be spoilers in the article, so if you haven’t watched the episode yet, go do that first.

The episode doesn’t waste any time with fluff or anything of that manner and decides to delve right into things.

Planting Seeds and Hope Arrives

After a disappointing end to the Apertura 2020, Guadalajara were now focused on the Clausura 2021. In order to do that, they had to make some difficult decisions that did not land well with fans after they let go of seven players, but Sporting Director Nelly Simon made it clear the club made decisions they felt were in the best interest of the team and its future. Those decisions did not pay off right away, but did plant the seeds for the future.

The rojiblancas ended the season in second place and blew by Toluca and rivals Atlas to book their ticket to the final against Tigres. Unfortunately, they were too much for Chivas to handle and after the two games, Tigres were crowned champions.

While the previous tournament didn’t end with a trophy, there was a newfound hope when the team realized they’re just as capable of battling for a title like the other big teams in the league. They finished fourth place and faced their main rivals, Club America, in the first round. After going down 2-1 in the first leg, all they had to do in the second was win by the minimum 1-0 to move to the semifinals. Unfortunately, they couldn’t score and their rivals moved onto the next round. Guadalajara had once again let the title slip from their hands.

The Payoff

The season started off with a coaching change when Juan Pablo Alfaro was named the head coach and many, both fans and media alike, wondered if he was the correct choice. Spoiler alert, he was. Chivas finished the season in second place with goal differential separating first and second place. They also had the best defense, only allowing six goals in 17 games. Alicia ‘Licha’ Cervantes won the golden boot for a consecutive time with 14 goals, compared to her 17 during the Apertura.

The quarterfinals against Pumas saw Chivas tie the first leg and come back to put the nail in the coffin in the second leg. Then, the Rojiblancas saw themselves against Tigres in the semifinals where they were defeated 2-0 in the first leg, but made an incredible comeback in the second, which booked them their ticket to the final. The showdown against underdog Pachuca was electrifying from start to finish. Pachuca were within one goal of equalizing the game, which would send it to penalties once the 90 minutes were up. Fortunately for Chivas, Blanca Felix saved the penalty and helped them win their second title.

Chivas saw themselves against Apertura 2021 winner Monterrey in the Campeon de Campeones. Over the two games, it was obvious both teams were exhausted. Monterrey were tired because they hadn’t played a game in weeks and Chivas had been playing once every three days for weeks without much needed rest. The game went into penalties where goalkeeper Celeste Espino was subbed out for Blanca Felix right before the shootout, and while some critiqued the decision, it was the right one. Monterrey skied one penalty and had the other two blocked. Chivas made all of theirs and were named Campeon de Campeones, bringing home two trophies.

Thoughts

As a Chivas fan, the episode was great. It went into a short history of the team and how they came out on top for the 2021/2022 season. The only thing left to be desired was the omission of part of its history and some interviews with players. Yes, there are fans who’d love to forget about the dark times, but you can’t tell the good parts of history without the bad as well. Maybe itt’ll be told in future episodes. Right now (as of this writing) it’s unknown how many episodes there will be or if there’ll even be more for that matter. It was titled episode one, so hopefully there’s more because it’s been more than seven days since the release of this miniseries. Chivashermanos would love to see more of their favorite ‘Chingonas.’

What are your thoughts of the first episode?