Cruz Azul


Club Deportivo Social y Cultural Cruz Azul Asociación S.A. de C.V. or simply Cruz Azul is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football.
Originally from Jasso, Hidalgo the club moved to Mexico City in 1971. Estadio Azteca, the nation's largest sports venue, served as their home venue until 1996, when they moved to the Estadio Azul. After 22 years the team returned to the Azteca at the conclusion of the 2017-18 Liga MX season. Its headquarters are in La Noria, a suburb within Xochimilco in the southern part of Mexico City.
Cruz Azul has been the Primera División champion eight times, trailing Toluca's 10, C.D. Guadalajara's 12, and Club América's 13. Cruz Azul's six titles makes it the second-most successful club in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League, the most prestigious international club competition in North American football, trailing intracity rival Club America. Cruz Azul was also the first CONCACAF team to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South American football, losing on penalties to Argentine football giants Boca Juniors in 2001. In the 1968–69 season, Cruz Azul was the first CONCACAF club to complete a rare Continental Treble, winning the Mexican Primera División championship, the Copa México national tournament, and the CONCACAF Champions League.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics, in its Club World Ranking for year ending December 31, 2014, places Cruz Azul as the 99th-best club in the world and the third-best club in CONCACAF. According to several polls published, Cruz Azul is the third-most popular team in Mexico, behind only C.D. Guadalajara and Club América.

History

Foundation

Cruz Azul was founded under the name Club Deportivo Cruz Azul as an amateur team on 22 March 1927. The founders were the workers of cement maker Cemento Cruz Azul; the team played in the town of Jasso in the state of Hidalgo. Cemento Cruz Azul was the only official sponsor until 1997, and remains a primary sponsor today.
Guillermo Álvarez Marcia and Carlos Garcés were the main force behind the effort to organize the club, and the quick success of the team led to frequently representing the state of Hidalgo in national amateur tournaments.

1927–1960

From 1927 to 1960, the amateur team played many times in Mexico City against the reserve squads of established professional teams such as the América, the Necaxa, the Atlante F.C., the Asturias F.C. and the Club Deportivo Marte. The Cemento Cruz Azul changed its name to the "Cooperativa Cruz Azul", and in 1960 the consistent success of the team caused the new administration of the cement company to build the Estadio 10 de Diciembre in Jasso. The team entered professional competition in the Segunda División de México for the 1960–61 season.

1960s–2000

Hungarian coach Jorge Marik guided the team to the Segunda División championship for the 1963–64 season, elevating them to the Primera División the following season. That season ended with an eighth-place finish. Four years later, the Cruz Azul won its first Primera División league tournament, under coach Raúl Cárdenas.
Between 1970–1980, the Cruz Azul led the Primera División with six league tournament championships; four under Cárdenas and the last two under Ignacio Trelles. This powerful version of the team earned the nickname La Máquina Celeste, which continues as one of the unofficial nicknames of the team.
The team earned its eighth and most recent championship in 1997 under coach Luis Fernando Tena, beating the León 2–1 on a last minute penalty kick scored by Carlos Hermosillo. This was still the quickest a Primera División club had ever won eight championships, achieving the feat within 33 years of entering the Primera División.

2000–2009

Copa Libertadores 2001

In 2001, the Cruz Azul was invited to a tournament between select Mexican and Venezuelan teams that would then compete in the Copa Libertadores, a tournament of the best South American teams. The two best teams of this qualifying tournament earned immediate placement on the roster.
The Cruz Azul was one of the seeded teams and reached the 2001 Copa Libertadores final match. The Cruz Azul started the tournament in Group 7 along with teams such as the Sao Caetano, the Defensor Sporting, and Olmedo. The Cruz Azul finished as leader of the group with 13 points. In round 16 the Cruz Azul faced the Cerro Porteño. The first leg was played in Asunción and the Cruz Azul lost 2–1. The second leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won the game 3–1. The aggregate score was 4–3 in favor of the Cruz Azul and they moved on to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals the Cruz Azul faced the CA River Plate of Argentina. The first leg of the match was played in Buenos Aires and ended in a 0–0 draw. The second leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won 3–0. The Cruz Azul was having a great run and played the Rosario Central in the semifinals. The first leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won the game 2–0. The second leg was played in Rosario in a very exciting match that ended in a 3–3 draw in favor of the Cruz Azul due to the 2–0 victory in the first leg.
In the final match the Cruz Azul played against the Argentinian club the Boca Juniors. The Cruz Azul lost at home the first leg 1–0, but came back to win the second leg with the same score at the Boca's La Bombonera stadium with Paco Palencia scoring the goal. Until then, no team had ever won a Copa Libertadores final match there. After overtime the championship was decided by penalty kicks. The Boca Juniors prevailed. Still, the Cruz Azul surprised everybody with the unprecedented feat of reaching the final and defeating established Argentinian teams such as the Rosario Central and the CA River Plate.

2006–2007

In the 2006 Apertura, the team started off great but in the middle of the season, they had a hard time adding points on the board. The Cruz Azul recovered and finished the regular season as the points leader. They have not won a title since the championship they won against Leon in 1997. For the Apertura 2006, the Cruz Azul made it to the quarterfinals and faced the Chivas in the Estadio Jalisco. In the first leg, the Cruz Azul played a very poor game and lost 2–0. On November 25, 2006 the Cruz Azul played the second leg at Estadio Azul and played a brilliant game. The Cruz Azul started off strong and put the Chivas keeper Oswaldo Sánchez to the test on many occasions. In the middle of the first half, defender Salvador Carmona pushed a Chivas player in the penalty area and cost the Cruz Azul a penalty.Ramón Morales had no problem and put the score 1–0 in favor of the Chivas in the 39th minute. The Cruz Azul kept creating opportunities and at the end of the first half, César Delgado made a great play that Richard Núñez finished with a goal to tie the game right before halftime in the 45th minute. In the second half, the Chivas scored thanks to Ramón Morales again to put the score 2–1 in favor of the Chivas. The Cruz Azul did not give up and Miguel Sabah tied the game 2–2 in the 62nd minute. The Cruz Azul played a great game and ended up tying the game 2–2 but losing 4–2 on aggregate.
In the 2007 Clausura the team had a great start, finishing among the first 8 teams in the league that went to playoffs. The team had a great quarterfinal series against the Tecos of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, thanks to two magnificent goals from striker Richard Núñez and moved to semifinals against the Pachuca FC, the top team in the league. The Pachuca beat the Cruz Azul in the Estadio Azul in the first leg of the series with a strong 3–1. The Cruz Azul still had a chance to overcome the adverse score, but on that same evening, the Court of Arbitration for Sport communicated that team captain Salvador Carmona was declared ineligible with immediate and lifetime effect, because of a repeated doping indiscipline that occurred back in January 2006. The sanction was dated May 18, 2007, the very day of the first match against the Pachuca. Arguing that player Salvador Carmona did play on that day for the Cruz Azul, the Mexican Football Federation, aka Federacion Mexicana de Futbol sanctioned the Cruz Azul by suspending the team one game from competition, under the argument of aligning an ineligible player. Many legal arguments have been raised by both the player's lawyer and the Cruz Azul, but the sanction stood and the Cruz Azul lost its opportunity to overcome the 3–1 and go to the final series against the America. The Cruz Azul had one of the best seasons of their victory against the Mexiel.

Clausura 2008

In the Clausura the team played a great tournament, finishing in second place. The team won 9 games, had 4 draws and lost only 4 times. In quarterfinals they played against the Jaguares losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 2–1 in the second leg with goals of Pablo Zeballos and Miguel Sabah. They moved to semifinals against the San Luis, the first leg was played in San Luis and the Cruz Azul won 0–1 with a goal of Miguel Sabah. In the second leg, the Cruz Azul and the San Luis played a formidable match that ended 1–1 with goals of Eduardo Coudet and Pablo Zeballos. In the final, the Cruz Azul played against the Santos Laguna, second place in the tournament. The first leg ended 1–2 with a victory for the Santos, and in the second leg a 1–1 make Laguna team champions.

Apertura 2008

In the Apertura the team had a good tournament, finishing in 5th place on the Mexican league. The team won 7 games, drew 5 times and lost only 5 times. In the quarterfinals they played against the Pumas UNAM with a 0–0 scoreline in the first leg in the "Estadio Azul", and won 3–1 in the second leg, in the "Estadio Olímpico Universitario 1968" leaving the Pumas on the way. They moved to semifinals against the Atlante, the first leg was played in Mexico City, and the Cruz Azul won 3–1. In the second leg, the Cruz Azul and the Atlante played a regular match in Cancún, Quintana Roo, that ended 1–1, resulting in the Cruz Azul reaching the Final for the second consecutive time in 2008. In the final, the Cruz Azul played against the Toluca, both teams tied on winning Mexican titles. The first leg played in Mexico City, and ended with a dramatic 0–2 with a victory for visitors, the Toluca, and in the second leg, which was played at "Estadio Nemesio Díez". The Cruz Azul won 0–2, making the tie on aggregate "2–2", as the match was tied, they played "extra time" and the draw continued until going to the "Penalty – Shoot out", where the Toluca won 7–6 over the Cruz Azul, Alejandro Vela was the Cruz Azul "villain" because he failed the last "penalty shoot-out", another incident before the match went to "extra time", was a clear foul suffered by Villaluz on the Goal area, the Toluca player "Jose Manuel Cruz Alta" crashed with the Cruz Azul player, making him unconscious, but the referee didn't mark the foul even though the Cruz Azul player was knocked out, he didn't even take a red card on the Toluca player, this made the Toluca team becoming champions winning their 9th Mexican title, becoming the 3rd most successful of Mexican title winning teams.
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Clausura 2009

In the Clausura 2009, the team had the worst tournament in club history en route to a last place finish. They accumulated just 13 points in 17 games, winning only two games, with seven draws and eight losses. The Club sacked their manager Benjamín Galindo with one game left in the Clausura. He was replaced for the remainder of the season by Robert Siboldi who was then coaching the Cruz Azul's affiliate in Hidalgo.

2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League

In the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League, the team had a good tournament. In the first stage, they finished second in Group A, qualifying to the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they defeated the Pumas UNAM, by 2–0; in the semi-finals, they defeated the Islanders of Puerto Rico on penalties. In the final against the Atlante, they lost the first game 0–2 and tied the second 0–0, losing on aggregate.

Apertura 2009

In the Apertura 2009, the team had signed Javier Cambranis to manage the team, and signed several players, including the best goalkeeper on the previous Mexican tournament Jose de Jesus Corona, the Derby County Striker Emanuel "Tito" Villa, Ramon Nuñez, and Emilio Hernandez. The team finished the regular season in second place with 33 points, winning 11 games of 17 played, and qualifying for the playoffs; Villa was the top scorer of the tournament with 17 goals. In the quarter-finals, they beat Puebla, and in the semi-finals, they beat Monarcas Morelia. In the final, they lost to Monterrey.

2010–present

In April 2012, the Cruz Azul changed their official name from Club Deportivo, Social y Cultural Cruz Azul, A.C. to simply The Cruz Azul Futbol Club, A.C.

2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League

In the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League, the team had a good tournament, finishing first in Group C and qualifying for the final stage of playoffs. In the quarter-finals, they defeated the Panamanian team the Árabe Unido, by 4–0, and then in the semifinal round, the played against the Mexican team the Universidad Nacional, by 5–1 at Mexico City. In the final, against another Mexican club, the C. F. Pachuca, they had the chance to win their 6th CONCACAF championship, winning the first game 2–1, but losing in the Pachuca's home at the last minute 1–0 by the away goals rule, thus losing the opportunity to participate on the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE.

Liga MX Clausura/Copa MX Clausura 2013

During the 2013 season, the Cruz Azul started slow but regained confidence after beating the Club America in Copa MX semi-finals and winning Copa MX final over the Atlante. After the Cruz Azul won the Copa MX, their Liga MX performance improved and they were considered one of the contenders for the title due to a good streak. They would face bitter rivals the Club America in a historical final series of the "Clásico Joven." The Cruz Azul was up 2–0 in aggregate when the Club America made a miraculous comeback with goals in the 89th and 93rd minutes of the second leg; the Club America would go on to win on penalties.

CONCACAF Champions League win and FIFA Club World Cup debut

On April 23, 2014, after defeating the Toluca, the Cruz Azul won their 6th CONCACAF championship, a record at the time. This gave the Cruz Azul a berth at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, where they would earn a fourth place finish.

Decline: 2014–2017

Since the Apertura 2014, the Cruz Azul has been unable to qualify to the liguilla playoffs for six consecutive tournaments. The Cruz Azul qualified for the liguilla for the first time in three years in the Apertura 2017 season. However, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the América, who advanced as the higher ranked seed, with an aggregate score of 0–0. On 27 November 2017, the Cruz Azul announced that Paco Jémez would not renew his contract for the following season.

A new era: 2018–present

In the Liga MX Clausura 2018 tournament, the Cruz Azul ended up ranked 12th and failed to qualify for the liguilla. The Cruz Azul were last place in the group stage of the Clausura 2018 Copa MX.
On 7 May 2018, the club announced director of football Eduardo de la Torre's contract had ended and would be replaced by Ricardo Peláez, former director of football for the América.
The Cruz Azul televised matches for several years were on TV Azteca in Mexico, but in the fall of 2013 they moved to Televisa in Mexico.
On 31 October, they would face the Monterrey in the Apertura 2018 Copa MX Final, winning 2–0 with goals from Elías Hernández and Martín Cauteruccio. It was their first trophy in the tournament since 2013.
The Cruz Azul faced the Club América in a rematch of the Clausura 2013 final for the Apertura 2018 final. The first leg was played on 13 December 2018 which ended in a scoreless draw. The second leg was played on 16 December 2018 and ended in a 2–0 victory for the Club América. With this defeat the Cruz Azul extended its 21-year-old championship drought in the league for at least another season.

Personnel

Management

Listed on the official website of Cruz Azul.

Coaching staff

Players

First-team squad

Out on loan

Reserve teams

;Cruz Azul Hidalgo
;Cruz Azul Lagunas

Former players

Managerial history

DatesNameNotes
1962–66 Jorge MarikFirst coach of the Cruz Azul in Primera División.
1966 Walter Ormeño
1966–75 Raúl CárdenasWon five league titles, three CONCACAF Champions' Cup titles, one cup title, and two Campeón de Campeones titles
1975–76 José Moncebáez
1976 Jorge Marik
1976 Alfonso Portugal
1977–82 Ignacio TrellesWon two league titles
1982 Miguel Marín
1982–83 Enrique Meza
1983–86 Alberto Quintano
1986–88 Hector Pulido
1988 Manuel Lapuente
1988–90 Mario Velarde
1990–92 Ignacio Prieto
July 1, 1992 – Dec 31, 1992 Nelson Acosta
July 1, 1992 – Jan 29, 1995 Enrique MezaSecond tenure at the club.
1995–96 Luis Fernando TenaWon 1996 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
July 1, 1996 – March 9, 1997Won the second Mexican Cup tournament for the Cruz Azul.
1997 Jesús del Muro
1997–2000 Luis Fernando TenaWon the Cruz Azul's eighth title, against León, and the 1997 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Lost a final against Pachuca in 1999.
March 31, 2000 – Dec 31, 2002 José Luis TrejoLed the Cruz Azul to the Copa Libertadores final in 2001.
Jan 1, 2003 – March 7, 2003 Mario Carrillo
March 15, 2003 – March 7, 2004 Enrique Meza
March 12, 2004 – Oct 17, 2004 Luis Fernando Tena
Sept 27, 2005 – Dec 31, 2005 Rubén Omar RomanoKidnapped and held hostage for 65 days during his tenure.
Jan 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007 Isaac Mizrahi Smeke
July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 Sergio MarkariánLed the Cruz Azul to a final after nearly 10 years, lost against Santos Laguna.
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009 Benjamín GalindoLost 2 finals with the Cruz Azul,.
July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2012 Enrique MezaLed the team to another Mexican Tournament Final, but lost against Monterrey, and a Final Concacaf against Pachuca.
July 1, 2012 – December 3, 2013 Guillermo VázquezWon the third Mexican Cup tournament for the Cruz Azul.
December 4, 2013 – May 19, 2015 Luis Fernando TenaWon 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League
June 1, 2015 – September 28, 2015 Sergio Bueno
October 2, 2015 – October 22, 2016 Tomás Boy
November 28, 2016 – November 27, 2017 Paco JémezLed the Cruz Azul to first liguilla appearance since Clausura 2014 in the Apertura 2017 season.
December 5, 2017 – September 2, 2019 Pedro CaixinhaWon Apertura 2018 Copa MX, 2019 Supercopa MX, and led the Cruz Azul to first league final since Clausura 2013.
September 6, 2019 – Robert SiboldiWon 1st edition of Leagues Cup 2019

Crest

The club's crest has stayed relatively consistent since its foundation in the 1920s, with a blue cross in a white circle surrounded by a red square, with the club's name above and below. As years went by and titles were won, the crest was modified to proclaim the Cruz Azul's achievements, adding a larger blue circle/frame after the 1971–72 season showing three stars for each Liga MX championship win.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Honors

Domestic

The Cruz Azul has a rich variety of nicknames over its history, listed chronologically:
The club has its official cheerleading club, which were included as part of the institution since 2004, since then, act as cheerleaders in the proceedings of the club in their home games before and at halftime.
From its appearance of "Las Celestes" have formed part of the tradition of the club. And the only Mexican team that has as part of their group at their official cheerleaders.

Popularity and rivalries

Popularity

Since its inception the team was supported mainly by cement workers. After promotion to the Primera División in the 1960s, more people began to follow the team. In the 1970s when the team managed six of their eight titles even more people joined the group of supporters of the team, until now that in this 21st century according to various surveys is the third team with the most supporters in Mexico, behind the Club Guadalajara and the América respectively, above the club UNAM.

Rivalries

National Rivalries:

Professional Era (1964 – )

The team currently plays in the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. The Cruz Azul's training facilities are named "La Noria", which are located in Xochimilco.
The team returned to the Aztec Stadium in the Apertura 2018 season after spending 22 years at Azul Stadium, which has been slated to be demolished. The team has indicated that it intends to build a new stadium, but solid plans such as location have not materialized.

Top Goalscorers

Symbols:
LIG: Ligue

CUP: Cup

SPC: Campeón de Campeones

CON: CONCACAF Champions League

LIB: Copa Libertadores

FWC: FIFA World Club Cup

INA: Copa Interamericana

RCF: CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup

Tournament top scorers