Final Invierno 2013 vs América

Lore & Background

Cruz Azul was founded in the late 1920s in Jasso, Hidalgo, by the cement cooperative Cooperativa La Cruz Azul. The club won 15 consecutive amateur league titles in Hidalgo between 1932 and 1943. It earned promotion to the Primera División in the 1963–64 season and has never been relegated from the top flight.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Azteca hummed over the packed stands as the final whistle neared. Inside the Celeste locker room, the air was thick with tension and hope. Hernán Barcos wiped sweat from his brow, staring at the scoreboard that showed a narrow lead for América on aggregate. He remembered the roar of the crowd when they scored, the sudden silence when the equalizer came, and the agonizing minutes that followed. It wasn't just about losing a game; it was about the dream deferred once again.

Reader's Guide

Cruz Azul plays its home matches at Estadio Azteca. The club has won ten league titles, four Copa MX, four Campeón de Campeones, one Supercopa de la Liga MX, and one Supercopa MX. Internationally, it holds the joint-record for most CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles (seven). The club achieved a continental treble in 1968–69 and later became the first club worldwide to win the treble twice.

Did You Know?

• Cruz Azul is one of only seven Mexican clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight.
• The club holds the record for most league runner-up finishes (11).
• Cruz Azul was the first CONCACAF club to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores.