The "curse" that Cruz Azul wants to break in the Liga MX

Cruz Azul's one step away from writing its name in the history of Mexican football, because if it beat Guadalajara next Saturday, April 10, they would reach 12 consecutive victories and equal the maximum record that has been recorded in the history of the Mexican soccer. Necaxa did it first in the 1934-1935 season and then the León achieved it in the Clausura 2019, so there are very few privileged people to reach that mark and if they do, this squad would be remembered for a very long period of time. However, at the end of the day the only thing that will be worth for this generation's the league title and there they could have more complications.

It's true that Necaxa was proclaimed champion in 1935 after achieving that mark that lasted 84 years, but León could not do the same in the Clausura 2019 and that responds to a bad statistic that prevails in short tournaments for those who break a streak of victories. The data's clear and speaks exclusively of short tournaments: every time a team imposes or equals a record of consecutive victories, in that tournament they fail to finish as champions. To highlight the above, below are the best streaks of matches won since 1996, the year in which the short tournaments began to be played in Mexico.

1. Club América - 8 consecutive victories in the 1997 Summer tournament

The first team to set a record for matches won in short tournaments was América, in the summer of 1997 and with Jorge Solari, Santiago's uncle, on the Azulcrema bench. In that tournament, America only recorded wins from dates 7 to 14 and finished in first place in the table, but succumbed in the first phase of the league.

2. Veracruz - 8 consecutive victories in the 2004 Apertura tournament

The next team to equal a record of victories was Veracruz of Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Kléber Boas, Chaco Giménez and company, who equaled the first América of Solari and added eight consecutive wins between dates 2 and 9. That season they also concluded as leaders of the but they didn't reach the league in the best shape and also succumbed 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

3. Chivas - 8 consecutive victories in the 2010 Bicentennial tournament

Six years later, the Chivas also equaled the victories record of América and Veracruz. They added eight wins in the first eight days; however, in the second half of the tournament they only achieved two wins and ended up qualifying in second place with 32 points. Already in the league, Morelia was the Rojiblancos' executioner and they eliminated them in the quarterfinals by an aggregate score of 5-2.

4. Cruz Azul - 8 consecutive victories in the Clausura 2014 tournament

Although it may seem like a joke, Cruz Azul already suffered this curse before, because in the Clausura 2014 they also achieved a good streak of consecutive victories. He equaled the mark of América, Veracruz and Chivas with eight consecutive wins, but they also failed to lift the title. Similar to the Chivas situation, the 2014 Machine counted pure victories between dates 2 and 9, but in the last eight dates they suffered three setbacks, two draws and only three wins, so they did not reach the league in good shape. where they fell on away goals to León in the quarterfinals.

5. Toluca - 9 consecutive victories in the Clausura 2018 tournament

Los Diablos were the first team to impose a new winning streak in short tournaments, with nine in the 2018 Clausura and were also the first on the list to reach the final of the tournament; However, the statistics closed the doors of glory for them again and they fell 3-2 against Santos Laguna. The scarlet box spun the nine victories between dates 8 and 16, finished as leaders, but also could not lift the championship at the end of the day.

6. Club León - 12 consecutive victories in the Clausura 2019 tournament

The last club to suffer this strange “curse” was León two years ago, when Ambriz's team set the new record in short tournaments and equaled the one achieved by Necaxa in 1935. It was at the Clausura 2019 when La Fiera finished leader of the competition with 41 points and 12 consecutive victories, achieved between dates 4 and 16; however, in the final they lost to the Tigers by an aggregate score of 1-0.