Tigres UANL vs. America: Score and Recap from 2014 Liga MX Apertura Final Leg 1

For a club looking to win a Liga MX-record 12th title, America came into the first leg of their final against Tigres under inauspicious conditions. Manager Antonio Mohamed is on the hot seat, and rumors suggest he'll be fired no matter what the result of the final. Key man Paul Aguilar has been disciplined by the team and isn't available to play.

And things only got worse for America on Thursday night, as Tigres secured a 1-0 win in the first leg at Estadio Universitario on a second-half goal from Joffre Guerron. Tigres are now unbeaten in their last 15 games and should they extend that streak to 16 games will finish as the Apertura champs.

The two teams played a rather tepid first half, as each side remained cautious and cagey, trying to avoid making the mistake that would give it an early deficit. Tom Marshall of ESPN FC summed up the approach of each club:

It was hardly a surprising strategy from America, who have made a living under Mohamed playing a defensively sound, pragmatic and cautious approach that sucks the life out of a game but generally ends with them getting the result.

That strategy may have led to a 0-0 scoreline at the half, but it also led to some rather forgettable football. Jason Davis of ESPN FC described it best:

Kyle McCarthy of Fox Soccer was even more blunt:

Marshall added:

They thought they were grinding out a result, at least, until Guerron scored a 64th-minute goal to give Tigres a 1-0 lead and ultimately the first-leg victory. McCarthy offered one final thought on the game:

And Marshall analyzed several players both on and off the pitch:

Still, America won't be overly concerned by the result since the away-goals rule common in world football doesn't apply to the Liga MX final. Heading back to Estadio Azteca down just a goal, they are hardly without hope.

On the other hand, if they play as dispassionately and poorly as they did on Thursday night they'll be hard-pressed to beat a tactically sound Tigres side that simply doesn't lose these days. Add it all up, and a second leg at Mexico's cathedral of football on Saturday should be quite the spectacle.