Robaato Rasamu’s reputation for developing young players had been enhanced no end by his first few months in México. He led C.F. Pachuca into the Clausura playoffs in his first half season, led by an exciting strikeforce with a combined age of just 36.
Rasamu’s Saudi dealings continued in México as Al-Tai paid £3.4m for 32-year-old centre-back Sergio Barreto. Rasamu didn’t do too much business, bringing in promising midfielder Víctor Hugo Tinajero for £450k from León, left-back/holding midfielder Jonas Ousager for £200k from Kobenhavn and former LA Galaxy centre-back Jordan Grella, who was on the NxGn list but on a free transfer.
Rasamu initially continued with his rather odd-looking version of 3-4-3. However, he was toying with the idea of shifting one of the holding midfielders into central midfield or moving to a 4-2-3-1.
Rasamu’s First Full Season In México Begins
The bookies still fancy Pachuca to finish 8th in Liga MX with title odds of 50/1. América, who won Clausura, are 4/6 favourites followed by Tigres (11/2), Cruz Azul (9/1), Monterrey (14/1) and Pumas (20/1). However, as far as Rasamu was concerned, the positions that mattered most were those that delivered CONCACAF Champions League qualification. The winners and losers of Apertura and Clausura Finals qualify, with the remaining six places decided by league position.
Pachuca began the 2031/32 campaign with a trip to Tijuana and 16-year-old converted striker Luis Fernández came out flying. He won a penalty that Jason Gattini converted, scored a good backpost header then crossed for his strike partner Vladimir Montaño to make it three. They somehow managed to concede three in five minutes but Fernández rescued them with a delicious 25 yard free kick.
Another ridiculous match followed in their first home game of the season against Necaxa. Montaño gave them the lead, Necaxa quickly equalised before Fernández restored the lead and Necaxa got level through a penalty. But Fernández again had the last laugh, tucking home winger Ricardo Ruiz’s cross from close range for a win despite Necaxa racking up 18 shots and 2.58 xG. Things calmed down a little bit as Tinajero’s first senior goal secured a 2-1 victory at his former club León. Fernández had been rested for that game (he’s still only 16) but returned with a bang as his superb hat trick inspired a 4-1 thumping of Pumas.
The 100% record ended with a 1-0 loss at Cruz Azul, for whom Mexico international Diego Lainez scored the only goal. But they got back to winning ways as Montaño’s second half double led a 3-1 win over Monterrey and he scored again in a dominant 2-1 win over Puebla and a 2-0 success at struggling Chivas. The striker then picked up a hamstring injury but the chaotic nature of their matches continued in a 4-3 win over San Luis in which young winger Jorge González’s first senior goal secured a deserved victory and sent Pachuca top for the first time.
Consecutive 1-0 wins over Mazatlán and Toluca then a 4-1 win at Juárez teed up a huge game as Montaño returned at home to 2nd-place América. A really good game saw both sides have plenty of chances before Fernandinho crossed for Jewison Bennette to convert from close range. But they tailed off after the break and a dreadful defensive effort saw América come from behind to win 3-1. That was followed by a 1-0 loss at Tigres, n which the defence and holding midfielder were again absolutely awful.
Those worrying defensive efforts forced Rasamu into a change of shape, moving to a more conventional 4-2-3-1. The new shape looked much more solid in a 1-0 win over Atlas before the attack delivered in a 5-2 hammering of Santos Laguna, for whom Darwin Nunez (now 32) scored twice, led by the excellent Fernández running the show from his attacking midfield role. And Montaño’s goal sealed a 1-0 final day win over Querétaro to wrap up 2nd place.
Pachuca finished Apertura without a single draw, winning 14 and losing three. Montaño and Fernández were second-top scorers with 10 each, only behind Tigres’ Germán Berterame, and Fernández got a league-high four player of the match awards.
Apertura Playoffs
Pachuca took on 7th-place Taluca in the playoff quarter final and dominated the home leg. But they were wasteful until a few tweaks saw Montaño open the scoring before a quadruple substitution paid off as Juan José Bolanos teed up Tinajero’s delicious curled 25-yarder in injury time. And home advantage proved pivotal as a 0-0 away saw them through to the semis for the first time in Rasamu’s reign.
A much tougher test followed as they took on reigning Apertura champions Tigres, with the first leg away from home. Tigres got an early break as the ref awarded a suspicious penalty, but Mauricio Seral saved it low to the left. Nothing else happened in the first half but Montaño woke the fans up with a wonderful 20-yard half volley to open the scoring. Rasamu forgot to rest his players but so seemingly did Tigres manager, whose life was made more difficult when midfielder Pedersen was sent off for a ludicrous two footer on Bennette. Pachuca totally dominated the game with 14 shots to three, but eventually had to make do with a 0-0 to progress to the Final.
That teed up a Final against Cruz Azul, who were at home first so Rasamu’s side faced a trip to the intimidating Estadio Azteca. The home side started well and had a goal disallowed after half an hour, before Bennette’s run led a defender to turn the ball into his own net. So, completely against the run of play, Pachuca went into the break 1-0 up without having a shot. A similar story followed after the break as Cruz Azul found Seral in inspired form to earn his side a totally undeserved 1-0 win. The goalkeeper won player of the match for the fifth successive game and kept a Liga MX record sixth successive clean sheet.
That streak was ended dramatically as Cruz Azul’s right winger scored his first two goals of the season inside 27 minutes of the return leg. Fernández quickly got Pachuca level and it looked to be heading for what Rasamu presumed would be extra time and penalties. However, a sweeping move ended up at the feet of winger Ángel Rangel, who put Montaño in behind the defence to slam the ball into the top corner. Rasamu went defensive and immediately regretted it as Cruz Azul scored from a 94th-minute corner… but it went to VAR, the crowd held their breath, the referee held his finger to his ear… and was told to disallow it for offside! C.F. Pachuca held on to win Liga MX Apertura!
Pachuca wrapped up their first Mexican title for nine years as they lifted the Apertura trophy. More importantly, from Rasamu’s point of view, that should send them into the next CONCACAF Champions League (whenever that is, as the current competition has just started).
Montaño leads the way with 14 goals in 21 games followed by the impressive Fernández, who only turned 17 four months ago, with 11. But behind them, there’s not much in goals contribution as Gattini is next with four and a club-high seven assists then Tinajero, centre-back Esteban Martínez and Bennette with three. But special mention has to go to goalkeeper Seral, who’s already kept a league-high 10 clean sheets in 23 games with a 7.10 average rating and leads the league with six player of the match performances.
Could Rasamu continue to overperform at Pachuca? And would this first half season title deliver the continental football that he believed it would? Join us on Friday to find out!
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