Mixed fortunes frowned upon Guadalajara’s three Liga Mx soccer teams as the regular “Clausura” season came to a close last weekend, and the playoffs got underway midweek.

Chivas and Atlas both finished in the top eight of the 18-team league and qualified for the post season. The only hitch: they were drawn to play each other in the quarter finals. 

The first leg of the local “clasico” grudge match took place in front of a full house Thursday evening at the Omnilife Stadium. The result: a dour 0-0 tie.  “A poor game, with too many fouls and little excitement,” was how veteran commentator Enrique Bermudez summed up the entertainment.

More thrills are anticipated in the winner-take-all second game on Sunday, May 17 at the older  and more rustic Jalisco Stadium – Atlas’ home ground – where the atmosphere tends to be rather more electric.

Meanwhile, the University of Guadalajara Leones Negros were unable to maintain their status in the top division and were relegated into the second tier after just one season back in the Liga Mx following an absence of two decades.

Leones fans’ disappointment of being unable to stay in the top league of Mexican soccer will be tempered by the comments of club vice-president Alberto Castellanos, who said the team will remain in Guadalajara and not be sold, although he admitted funding would be a major issue.  The team is set to lose much of its sponsorship, and because university chiefs have vowed that no money from the academic budget will be used to prop up the team, serious doubts remain about the future of the Leones.