FC Juarez Set for Clash against Chivas

When Bravos de FC Juarez kickoff against Chivas de Guadalajara in the opening match of the Copa MX tonight at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium two very distinct predicaments will be represented on the pitch. The local side in Bravos will be a team that only looks to shine, has very little to lose and has all the aspiration in the world to succeed this coming spring into the first division of Mexican soccer.

And then there are the Chivas...

One of the most recognizable soccer clubs in the entire world has become a team that has struggled in the last 3-5 years so much so that they been in the dreaded relegation zone for the last 2 years having avoided relegation last spring. However, they are not out of the clear yet. The team from the state of Jalisco is still very much in relegation danger and their start to the 2016 Clausura season was far from ideal. They tied their fist two match at home to Veracruz by a score of 2-2, and against Cruz Azul 1-1 in Mexico City of Saturday afternoon.

While the Bravos have also tied their first two matches in their respective tournament I feel that the team from the Borderland comes in to tonight's match with greater chances to come out of this match with a positive result than Chivas.

Motivation levels I feel will be significant different and that alone will have a significant impact on the game.

Head coach for FC Juarez Sergio Orduna commented precisely on this and other factors he considers important on Monday afternoon after the team's training session.

Orduna commented, “I'm very happy that we have this opportunity to go up against these kinds of teams. An important rival, one of the biggest teams we have in Mexico, and it's great for the fans who will certainly enjoy this experience. Everyone will be motivated come Wednesday night. We have to take advantage of being the local team, after all they are a first division team regardless if they start some second string players against us, they are still very complicated and a quality squad that has an established roster. To beat them would be fantastic.”

Regarding the heavy schedule coming up for Bravos in the next 6 weeks (the team will play two games a week for the next six weeks, Ascensco MX season on the weekends and Copa MX during the middle of the week) Orduna commented, “We are committed to the process, not just because we won the championship last season does that mean that we can feel less committed, on the contrary we feel an increased obligation to see this process that we started a little more than 6 months ago all the way to the end. We knew that we had two competitions this upcoming season and everyone on this team is prepared and settled in for what lies ahead.”

At noon today, the FC Juarez front office announced that the match has sold out. FC Juarez-Chivas will be televised on national TV on Galavision, DirecTV Ch. 404/Time Warner Cable Ch. 22. Coverage begins at 7:25pm.