Cruz Azul vs. America Final 2013: Previewing Second Leg of Liga MX Final

Cruz Azul beat Club America in the first leg of the Liga MX Final. Now, the Cruz Azul vs. America Final 2013 will feature a desperate America team looking to exact revenge in the second leg of the Liga MX Final.

Despite the fact that Club America dominated the second half, Cruz Azul, led by goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona–who was absolutely spectacular–was able to pull off the win. In order to pull off another victory, Cruz Azul will need another superhuman performance from Corona.

"

Jose de Jesus Corona is simply the best goalie in Mexico. He should be man of the match.

— Fabián Saldaña™ (@Fabian_GK) May 24, 2013"

However, Club America is the better team. They controlled 58 percent of the possessions, allowing them control of most of the game. They had 22 shots, while Cruz Azul had only six.

In addition, Jesus Molina and Juan Carlos Media ran circles around Cruz Azul midfielder Gerardo Torrado, and the forwards in front of him were not secure with the ball.

Club America needs at least one goal to stay alive. Given the fact that they have lost at home just once in the last six months, they will have a huge advantage. They will use their talented forwards to dominate a somewhat shaky Cruz Azul back end. In addition, Corona will be hard-pressed to deliver another phenomenal performance. He will be faced with an assault on offense, led by Cristian Benitez, who has scored 17 goals and has five assists in 23 games.

Still, Cruz Azul is talented. Corona is a terrific goaltender, with 81 saves in 21 games. He played a  critical role in helping Mexico win gold at the London Olympics.  Mariano Pavone is a terrific scorer and Gerardo Flores is a young and promising defender.

That said, America's performance in the second-half, despite the loss, gives them all the momentum. They just need one goal to stay alive. And while Corona was terrific, the Club America offense is too dominant. Players like Cristian Benitez and Raul Jimenez are too talented to be held off the scoreboard once again.

America is the more experienced and confident team.  Barring another god-like performance by Corona, it looks like Las Aguilas will take the second leg of the Liga MX Final with relative ease.