Game: Tijuana Xolos vs FC Juarez

Where: Estadio Caliente, Tijuana, Mexico

When: Friday, Sept. 30, 2023

Time: 8:00 p.m. PST

TV: 8:00 p.m. PST

The Tijuana Xolos will play their ninth game in the Liga MX 2023 Apertura season against FC Juarez this Friday, Sept. 30.

The Border City Dogs are coming off a 1-0 loss against Leon, but it was their only loss in the last four games, and the Xoloitzcuinttles also have a three-game undefeated streak going at home, coming off a 2-1 win against Toluca at the Mictlan.

Goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez continues to be the highlight on the squad, coming off an impressive performance in Leon, where he had six saves. It seems that after several weeks, Miguel Herrera has finally found a consistent starting eleven, but with the inconsistencies of the team, it is unknown if “Piojo” will make changes to his lineup at any given moment.

The Backline seems to finally have found some consistency, led by the center-back partnership of Nicolas Diaz and Kevin Balanta, who have been solid in recent weeks and are both coming off a positive showing against Leon. The offense has its great inconsistencies, but Carlos Gonzalez is still tied for the second-most goals in the league with five goals scored.

This will be a very tough test for Club Tijuana, as FC Juarez is currently fourth on the Liga MX table with 15 points from nine games played. Los Bravos have been inconsistent as of late, with just one won from their last four games, coming off a 2-1 loss against Atlas.

Juarez has had some very impressive victories over the season against opponents like Club America, Toluca, and Pumas UNAM. Aviles Hurtado will be coming back to Tijuana, where he spent four seasons being one of the most notable players on the squad. Hurtado is having an impressive season, with four goals and two assists on the season for the Chihuahua-based team.

Juarez has a good mix of younger players like Denzell Garcia and Diego Valoyes but also has some Liga MX veterans like Luis “Chaka” Rodriguez, Alfredo Talavera, and Javier Salas.

Club Tijuana will have the home-field advantage, and anything less than a point from this match will be considered a massive failure for a match like this.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.