Tigres UANL

UANL

Full name	Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
Nickname(s)	The Tigers Los Tigres (The Tigers) Los azul y oro (The Golden & Blue) Los Universitarios (The College Ones) Los Auriazules
Founded	7 March 1960 (1960-03-07)[1]
Ground	Estadio Universitario
Ground Capacity	40,607[2]
Owner	UANL CEMEX (through Sinergia Deportiva)
Chairman	Alejandro Rodríguez Michelsen
Manager	Ricardo Ferretti
League	Liga MX
Apertura 2016	3rd (TBD)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León or simply Tigres UANL, is a Liga MX football club in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Mexico.^[3] Founded in 1960, the club has spent most of its history in Liga MX, the top tier of the Mexican football league system.

The club had their first major success in the 1975–76 season, becoming the first team of northern Mexico to win a title by conquering the Copa MX. In the 1977–78, they won their first Liga MX title. Tigres has won the Liga MX four times and the Copa MX three times. The team was the 2015 Copa Libertadores runner-up, losing the finals against River Plate.

Tigres is the official team of the public University of the state of Nuevo León, the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. Their home is the 41,650 capacity Estadio Universitario, located inside the University complex in San Nicolás de los Garza.^[4] The team's traditional kit colours are gold and blue.

It is one of the two professional football teams of Nuevo León. Tigres have a fierce rivalry with Monterrey, with whom they have contested the Clásico Regiomontano since 1974, a derby that is considered as one of the most heated rivalries in Mexican sport.

History

Birth, promotion to Primera División, Cup and League champions

Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León was founded on 7 March 1960. They previously were named the Jabatos de Nuevo León. In 1967, their venue, the Estadio Universitario was built. In the 1973–74 season, José "Ché" Gómez guided the team to the title and promotion to the Primera División de México, now Liga MX. They defeated the Leones Negros de la Universidad de Guadalajara for 3–2. In the 1975–76, Tigres won their first domestic cup, the Copa México (now Copa MX), against América after winning 3–2.^[5][6][7]

Under the command of Uruguayan coach Carlos Miloc and players such as Tomás Boy and Geronimo Barbadillo, for the 1977–78 season Tigres aimed to the league championship. In the quarter-finals of the liguilla (play-offs), they defeated Estudiantes Tecos by 1–0 and 3–2 (4–2). In the semi-finals Tigres defeated Cruz Azul 0–1 and 3–0 (3–1). In the finals they defeated UNAM 2–0 and 1–1 (3–1). Tigres made their best season ever with 48 points in the 1978–79, but did not reach the finals.^[8]

In the 1979-80 season, Tigres made it to the finals against Cruz Azul. In the first leg, Cruz Azul won 1–0 at the Estadio Universitario, and in the second leg, at the Estadio Azteca, Tigres, although down 3–0 at one point, rallied back to ensure a 3–3 draw. Nonetheless, Tigres still lost the finals by an aggregate scoreline of 4–3. In the 1981–82 season, they won their second League championship against Atlante at the Estadio Azteca. In the quarter-finals, they tied with Guadalajara 1–1 and 1–1 (2–2). In the semi-finals, they defeated América 2–0 and 0–1 (2–1), and in the finals they tied 2–1 and 0–1 (2–2) against Atlante. Tigres won by penalty shoot-out ending 3–1 (5–3 global).^[8] In the 1983–84, they lost in quarter-finals against Pumas UNAM 1–0 ; 0–3 (1–3). In the 1986–87 season, they lost in the semi-finals against Monarcas Morelia 3–2 and 0–2 (3–4). In the 1989–90 season, meanwhile, Tigres finished the tournament as the first place of their group with 40 points and went to liguilla. They lost in quarter-finals by 3–2 and 1–3 (4–5) against Club Universidad de Guadalajara. In 1990, Tigres lost the finals of the 1989–90 Copa Mexico against Puebla. In the 1992–93 season, they earned 44 points and went to play-offs. In the quarter-finals, Tigres lost 0–2 and 2–4 (2–6) against Club León.^[9]

Relegation, quick return to Primera División, 2001 and 2003 runner-up

In 1996, Tigres hired the Chilean international forward Claudio Núñez and after several years of ups and downs the team won their second domestic cup defeating Atlas by 2–1 but were relegated to Primera División A, now Ascenso MX, because of negative results of past seasons. Note that the Mexican League uses a percentage-based relegation system, in which the team with the worst performance percentage by year (instead of the worst team in the season) is relegated. Under the command of Victor Manuel Vucetich, the team qualified to play-offs in 1996 but because of the relegation they were unable to compete. After some negotiations, the administration of the team was given for ten years to Sinergia Deportiva, a trust-holder run by CEMEX.^[9][10] In 1997, after two consecutive Primera División A championships, the team returned to the Primera División.^[11] In 1998, Tigres hired international striker Luis Hernández.

Under the command of the Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferretti, Tigres finished the Verano 2001 season in the fourth place with 27 points and secured play-offs. In the quarter-finals Tigres lost by 3–1 and 2–2 (5–3) against Puebla. In the Invierno 2001 season, Tigres finished the tournament as leader with 36 points. In the play-offs, they beat Santos Laguna in the quarter-finals 1–1 and 3–0 (4–1). In the semi-finals, they tied with Cruz Azul 1–1 (0–1 and 1–0), and because of the 36 points they achieved in the tournament, they went to the next stage. In the finals, Tigres lost 2–0 and 1–1 (3–1) against Pachuca in the Estadio Universitario. On June 2002, the talented Argentine attacking midfielder Walter Gaitán was hired, a player that later would become an icon of the team. In the Clausura 2003, Tigres finished the tournament as the fourth place with 34 points, and went to play-offs. In the quarter-finals, they defeated Toluca by 2–1 and 2–2 for an aggregate of 4–3. In the semi-finals, Tigres lost against arch-rival Monterrey. In the first game they lost by 4–1, while in the second Tigres won 2–1 for an aggregate score of 5–3. After the loss, coach Ricardo Ferretti was fired.

On the Apertura 2003, now under the command of Argentine coach Nery Pumpido (with a team that Ferretti build), Tigres finished the tournament as leader now with 38 points.^[12] In the play-offs, they tied 1–0 and 1–2 (2–2) with Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they faced Toluca, who was now under the command of Ricardo Ferretti, and defeated them 0–1 and 2–0 (2–1). In the finals, Tigres lost 1–3 and 1–0 (3–2) once more against Pachuca in the Estadio Universitario. In the Clausura 2004, Argentine striker Andrés Silvera finished the tournament as one of the top goal scorers,^[13] but Tigres ended in 12th place and missed the play-offs. That same tournament they scored the biggest result in a Clásico Regiomontano, beating archrival Monterrey 6–2.^[11]

In October 2004, Sinergia Deportiva purchased the rights to a franchise in the MISL called the "Monterrey Tigres". However, due to conflicts with the previous MISL franchise "Monterrey Fury", the team elected not to complete the purchase of the team, and the MISL terminated the indoor franchise in December 2004.^[11] In the Clausura 2005, Tigres went to play-offs and tied with Monarcas Morelia 2–2 and 2–2 (4–4) in the quarter-finals, and Morelia went to the next stage because of the points they achieved in the regular season.^[14]

In the Apertura 2005, Walter Gaitán finished the season as the top scorer of the tournament and Tigres went to play-offs in 8th place.^[13] In the quarter-finals, under the command of the iconic Osvaldo Batocletti, Tigres played the historical "Aztecazo", a way to describe a difficult victory over América or the Mexico national team in their venue, the Estadio Azteca. In the first game, Tigres lost in the Estadio Universitario by a 1–3 score. Against all odds, however, they defeated América in the second game 4–1 for an aggregate scorline of 5–4, leaving América out of the play-offs. In the semi-finals, Tigres drew Monterrey after 1–0 and 1–2 (2–2) scorelines, although Monterrey progressed to the next round because of the points in the tournament.^[14]

On 3 August 2006, CEMEX, the company that controls Tigres, celebrated its first 100 years with a match between Tigres and Barcelona in Monterrey. The game ended with the locals losing by 3–0. Sindey Balderas of Tigres scored an own goal, Ronaldinho scored with a free kick and later passed to Eiður Guðjohnsen for a third goal.^[14]

Tigres finished the Clausura 2007 season as eighth with 23 points, securing play-offs. Tigres lost in quarter-finals against Guadalajara 3–1 and 3–2 (6–3). In December 2007, Tigres hired who would become the last idol of the team, the skilled Argentine attacking midfielder Lucas Lobos. On 19 July 2008, Tigres played Atlético Madrid as their official presentation for the Apertura 2008 tournament. Atlético opened the score with goals from John Heitinga and Diego Forlán for a sturdy 2–0 in favour of the Spanish side. Tigres responded well to this for Blas Pérez and Manuel Viniegra tied the game 2–2. In the Apertura 2008, under the command of Manuel Lapuente, Tigres ended the tournament as sixth place and qualified for the play-offs. They tied in the quarter-finals against Atlante 1–1 and 1–1 (2–2), though Atlante progressed to semi-finals because they finished the regular season higher than Tigres, in third place.^[14]

Risk of relegation, third Ferretti era, Apertura 2011 and Apertura 2015 championships

In 2010, Santiago Martínez presided over the team's worst season in the past few years. On 27 March 2010, after their seventh loss in the season, and with only 25% effectiveness, the fans and media heavily criticized coach Daniel Guzmán. Eventually, Martínez was fired and replaced by a former president of the team, Alejandro Rodríguez. He signed Ricardo Ferretti as the head coach for the third time, upon which the face of the team changed completely. Tigres was saved from relegation and became one of the most competitive teams in the league. With the adherence of Argentine winger Damián Álvarez, Brazilian attacking midfielder Danilinho and Chilean striker Héctor Mancilla to captain Lucas Lobos, the offensive line of Tigres became the so-called "cuatro fantásticos" ("fantastic four").^[15]

In the Clausura 2011, Tigres finished the tournament as leader with 35 points and as the best defence in the history of the short seasons, allowing only 9 goals in 17 games. Tigres faced Guadalajara in the playoffs. In the first leg of the quarter-finals, Tigres lost 3–1, while in the second they tied to 1–1 at the Estadio Universitario. With an aggregate score of 4–2, Tigres was eliminated. On the Apertura 2011, Tigres hired Carlos Salcido and was the best defense again, this time allowing 13 goals in 17 games. In playoffs, they faced old rival Pachuca: In the first leg of quarter-finals, Tigres defeated Pachuca by 1–0, while in the second they won 3–0 at the Estadio Universitario for an aggregate score of 4–0. In the semi-finals, Tigres beat Querétaro 1–0 in the second leg after a 0–0 draw in the first. In the finals, they faced Santos Laguna. In the first leg, Tigres won 1–0 in Torreón with goal from Damián Álvarez. On 11 December 2011, with goals from Héctor Mancilla, Danilinho and Alan Pulido, Tigres won 3–1 at the Estadio Universitario, becoming champion for the third time after 29 years.^[14]

In the Clausura 2012, Tigres hired Brazilian forward Edno and midfielder Elias Hernández. The season ended with Tigres in fifth place, securing playoff football. In the quarter-finals, they beat Monarcas Morelia 1–0 at the Estadio Universitario with goal from Héctor Mancilla, while in the second leg, they triumphed 4–1 in Morelia with goals from Hugo Ayala, Edno, Lucas Lobos and Elias Hernández; the aggregate score was 5–1. In semi-finals, they faced old rival Santos Laguna; in the first leg, at the Estadio Universitario, the teams drew 1–1, with Lobos scoring for Tigres. In the second, after a total domain of Tigres, and winning 2–0 with goals of Mancilla, Santos tied dramatically 2–2 with goals from Oribe Peralta in the 87th and 90th minutes. With an aggregate score of 3–3, Santos progressed to the next phase because they had finished the regular season in first place. In the Apertura 2012, Tigres replaced Héctor Mancilla with Spanish forward Luis García. Tigres finished in 12th place, thus missing play-offs.^[14]

For the Clausura 2013, Tigres brought in experienced Argentine striker Emanuel Villa while Danilinho returned from his loan to Brazil, giving the team a highly offensive power.^[16] The regular season ended with Tigres as the leader with 35 points and only two defeats. Querétaro was the eighth-placed and meant to be the rival of Tigres, but was relegated to Ascenso MX, so Monterrey was dragged to play-offs. In the away leg of playoffs, Monterrey defeated Tigres 1–0 in a game where Monterrey had less ball possession and offensive plays. In the second game, Tigres had to win by 1–0 or by a two-goal advantage because of the away goals rule (3–1, 4–2, 5–3). Tigres came out aggressive and Danilinho scored a goal early in the game. Minutes later, with a game totally handled by Tigres, Israel Jiménez scored an own goal that tied the game at 1–1, and Tigres lost with an aggregate score of 2–1.

For the Apertura 2013 tournament, Tigres hired midfielders Guido Pizarro and Édgar Lugo. Finishing the tournament in eight place, the team went to playoffs. In quarter-finals, they faced América, leaders of the tournament and reigning champions. In the home game at the Estadio Universitario, they tied by 2–2, with Guido Pizarro and Alan Pulido scoring for Tigres.^[17] In the away game, at the Estadio Azteca, the teams drew at 1–1, leaving Tigres out of the play-offs.^[18] After the game, coach Ricardo Ferretti criticized the work of the referee, claiming that América is the only team in the world that "plays with 12 men".^[19]

Tigres hired Colombian winger Hernán Darío Burbano, defender Jorge Iván Estrada and Argentine striker Emanuel Herrera for the Clausura 2014 tournament, but finished the season in 14th place, missing the playoffs.^[20] On 9 April 2014, Tigres won the Clausura 2014 Copa MX against Alebrijes de Oaxaca 3–0 at the Estadio Universitario. Ricardo Ferretti became the first coach in Mexico to win a league and cup title with the same team. By winning the Clausura 2014 Copa MX, Tigres secured the Supercopa MX and faced Monarcas Morelia, winners of the Apertura 2013 Copa MX. Tigres lost the 2014 Supercopa MX against Morelia and failed to qualify to the following year's Copa Libertadores as "Mexico 3".

For the Apertura 2014 tournament, Tigres hired the Argentine goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán, American striker Herculez Gomez, Argentine striker Marco Ruben, Ecuadorian winger Joffre Guerrón, young defender Antonio Briseño and the international Uruguayan midfielder Egidio Arévalo Ríos. Tigres finished the regular season in second place with 31 points, securing the playoffs. In quarter-finals, Tigres tied by 1–1 and 1–1 against Pachuca for an aggregate of 2–2. In semifinals, Tigres drew against Toluca 0–0 in both games. On 11 December 2014, in the first match of the finals against América, Tigres won 1–0 with goal of Joffre Guerrón at the Estadio Universitario. On 14 December, in the second game, Tigres lost 3–0 at the Estadio Azteca in a controversial match where Hernán Darío Burbano, Damián Álvarez and goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán were sent off on red cards, leaving Tigres with eight men.^[21] Tigres lost the finals by an aggregate of 3–1.

For the Clausura 2015 tournament, Tigres retained skilled Brazilian forward Rafael Sóbis. The team finished the regular season in first place with 29 points, earning a ticket to playoffs. In the away game of the quarter-finals against Santos Laguna, Tigres tied 1–1 with goal of Guerrón at the Estadio Corona. In the home game, Tigres lost 1–0; with an aggregate score of 1–2, Tigres was eliminated.

For the Apertura 2015 season, the team brought in wingers Jürgen Damm and Javier Aquino, Nigerian forward Ikechukwu Uche and international French striker André-Pierre Gignac. Tigres finished the season in fifth place with 28 points, best defense allowing 16 goals and securing playoffs. Gignac scored 11 goals in the regular season, the highest number for a Tigres player in the first season. In the playoffs, with goals from Gignac and Damián Álvarez, Tigres won the first quarter-final legl 2–1 against Jaguares de Chiapas at the Estadio Universitario. In the second leg, they won 1–0 at Chiapas again with a goal from Gignac. In the semi-finals against Toluca, Tigres won the away leg 2–0 with goals from Damián Álvarez and Javier Aquino after a 0–0 draw in the first. Tigres reached to the finals against UNAM. In the home leg, with goals of Gignac, via penalty kick, Aquino and Rafael Sóbis, Tigres won by 3–0, while in the second leg, at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, UNAM won 3–0. With the aggregate score at 3–3, the game went to extra time. In the 103rd minute Gignac scored the 1–3 goal, making the aggregate scoreline 4–3. With only one minute left of extra time remaining, however, UNAM scored the 4–1 goal and equalized the aggregate scoreline at 4–4, sending the match to a penalty shoot-out. Gignac shot the first for Tigres, converting, and with similar conversions from Juninho, Rivas and Israel Jiménez, Tigres prevailed 4–2 to defeat Pumas and claim the Liga MX Apertura 2015 championship in dramatic fashion.^[22]

For the Clausura 2016 season, the team hired the Argentine attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayán, Paraguayan striker Fernando Fernández and resigned Chilean striker Héctor Mancilla after his departure on 2012. Gignac scored 13 goals in regular season and finished as the top goal scorer of the tournament. Tigres finished the Clausura 2016 season in eight place with 24 points, securing playoffs, where they would face Monterrey. There, Tigres lost the home game 3–1 and won the away game 2–1, losing on an aggregate score of 4–3. For the Apertura 2016 season, Tigres signed Argentine forward Ismael Sosa and their second French player Andy Delort. On July 10, 2016, Tigres won the 2016 Campeón de Campeones against Pachuca FC by 1-0 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

International activity

InterLiga, SuperLiga, Copa Libertadores and CONCACAF Champions League

In January 2005, the team won the InterLiga Championship in Houston, Texas. With this, they qualified for the prestigious Copa Libertadores de América. This was the first time the team qualified to any international tournament.^[14]

In the Copa Libertadores Tigres played their first ever game in that tournament against Alianza Lima in Peru on 15 February 2005 (away, score: 0–0) and 3 May 2005 (home, score: 0–0). Their first ever win on the tournament, on 23 February 2005, against Caracas, from Venezuela (home, score: 3–1), and on 13 April 2005 (away, score: 2–5). This last game is the biggest-scoring game the team has had in its history on the tournament. In the same group was also the Banfield. Tigres confronted them on 15 March (home, score: 2–2) and on 6 April 2005 (away, score: 0–3).^[14]

Tigres qualified (along with Banfield) into the next stage, where they met against previous year champion Colombian team Once Caldas. On 19 May 2005, both teams tied (away, score: 1–1) and then, Tigres won on the second game on 26 May 2005 (home, score: 2–1) thus qualifying to quarter-finals against São Paulo, who later went on to become champion, and who only lost a match in this tournament against this team.^[14]

On Quarter-finals, the first game on 1 June 2005 was lost (away, score: 0–4) and the next game on 15 June 2005 was won (home, score: 2–1). The aggregate score was 5–2 against, and the team was eliminated from the championship. With Tigres, Hugo Sánchez became the first person born in Monterrey to ever score in the tournament.^[14]

In January 2006, after defeating their arch-rival, Monterrey, at the Home Depot Center in California, Tigres won their second consecutive Interliga and became the first Mexican team to qualify to two consecutive Copa Libertadores de América.^[14]

In this edition, Tigres faced the Universidad Católica from Chile, the Corinthians, from Brazil, and Deportivo Cali, of Colombia.^[14]

This was a tougher group stage than they had last year, and was one of the toughest in the tournament. However, Tigres qualified for the next round, but only by goal-difference advantage, and after a last minute goal by Carlos Ramírez.^[14]

Because of its intensity, this group staged produced a lot of memorable games, particularly against Universidad Católica and against Corinthians at home and away. Tigres ended second in the group due to goal difference advantage, in a last minute goal against Universidad Católica, and so qualified again for play-offs.^[14]

In summary, Tigres played 8 games, and produced 3 wins, 3 ties, and two defeats.

This performance at the beginning was considerably lacking, and it produced its first penalty kicks experience in Copa Libertadores.

On 5 August 2009, Tigres won the final of the 2009 North American SuperLiga against the Chicago Fire at their home stadium in the Chicago's suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois.

After finishing 3rd in the regular season of the Apertura 2011 Tournament, they returned after a 6-year absence to the 2012 Copa Libertadores, playing in the first stage. Tigres played home and away qualifying matches against Chile's Unión Española. They played the first match in Chile, on 25 January 2012 at 6:50pm local time (3:50pm CST). Unión Española took the first game by a score of 1–0, scoring at the 58th minute, after Tigres sent a reserve squad to play the match. They hosted their Chilean rival on 2 February 2012, at 8:00pm CST. They tied 2–2 and failed to qualify for the Group Stage. Coach Ricardo Ferretti was criticized by the media and fans for sending a reserve squad to play the matches.^[14]

After the championship of the Apertura 2011, Tigres qualified for the first time to the CONCACAF Champions League. They lost in quarterfinals against Seattle Sounders by 1–0, 3–1, for an aggregate of 2–3. Ferretti was criticized again for sending a reserve squad to play the second match against the Sounders like he did in the Copa Libertadores.^[14]

Copa Libertadores 2015

By finishing the regular season of the Apertura 2014 as second place with 31 units, Tigres advanced to Copa Libertadores 2015 as Mexico 1 to play in Group 6 against River Plate, San José and Juan Aurich. On 18 February 2015, Tigres defeated Juan Aurich by 3–0 at the Estadio Universitario with two goals of Joffre Guerrón and one of Jesús Dueñas. On 5 March, with goal of Guerrón, Tigres tied 1–1 against River Plate at the Estadio Monumental. On 11 March, Tigres defeated San José by 1–0 with goal of Amaury Escoto at the Estadio Jesús Bermúdez. Tigres won by 4–0 against San José at the Estadio Universitario with two goals of Rafael Sóbis, and goals of Guerrón and Egidio Arévalo on March 17. On April 8, Tigres received River Plate for a high-profile match in the Estadio Universitario. River Plate needed to win or tie to remain in the fight for a ticket to the next phase. At 11' Egidio Arévalo scored the 1-0 for Tigres. The team kept the match under control and at 68' Damián Alvarez scored the 2-0. After a defensive mistake from José Rivas and Hugo Ayala, Teofilo Gutierrez scored the 1-2 at 86' for River Plate. Rodrigo Mora scored the 2-2 at the 89'. On April 15, Tigres played against Juan Aurich at the Estadio Elías Aguirre.

Tigres, first place of the group and already qualified to the next phase, sent a reserve squad. The decision was heavily criticized by the Argentinian press, that stated that River Plate would not get to the second stage if Tigres lost against Juan Aurich. With a hat-trick of Enrique Esqueda, and goals of Dieter Villalpando and Jonathan Espericueta, Tigres won by 5-4, eliminating Juan Aurich. Tigres played the round of 16 against Universitario de Sucre. In the first leg, Tigres defeated Universitario by 2-1 with goals of Damián Álvarez and Enrique Esqueda. On May 5, in the second leg, Tigres tied by 1-1 with goal of Sobis vía penalty-kick for an aggregate of 3-2 earning a ticket to quarterfinals. In the first leg of the quarterfinals, Tigres lost against Emelec by 1-0 at the Estadio Jocay. In the second leg at Estadio Universitario on May 26, Tigres won by 2-0 with goals of Rafael Sóbis and José Rivas for an aggregate of 2-1 reaching semifinals against S.C. Internacional. On July 15, Tigres lost the first leg of the semifinals at the Estádio Beira-Rio by 2-1 with goal of Hugo Ayala. In the second leg, on July 22, Tigres defeated Internacional by 3-1 at the Estadio Universitario, with goals of André-Pierre Gignac, Egidio Arévalo and an own goal of Geferson. With an aggregate of 4-3, Tigres became the third Mexican team ever to reach the finals of the Copa Libertadores. On July 29, in the first leg of the finals against River Plate, the teams tied by 0-0 at the Estadio Universitario. Tigres lost by 3-0 in the second leg at the Estadio Monumental on August 5.

CONCACAF Champions League 2015-16

As the runner-up of the Apertura 2014, Tigres qualified to the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League, playing their first match of the tournament on August 18, only thirteen days after the second leg of the final of the 2015 Copa Libertadores. In the group stage, Tigres defeated A.D. Isidro Metapán at the Estadio Universitario by 2-1, tied by 1-1 against C.S. Herediano at the Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero, defeated Isidro Metapan by 2-1 at the Estadio Jorge Calero Suárez and tied at the Estadio Universitario against Herediano by 0-0, securing quarterfinals. Tigres defeated Real Salt Lake by 2-0 in the first leg of quarterfinals and tied 1-1 in the second leg, for an aggregate of 3-1. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg of semifinals against Querétaro, in the second leg Tigres won by 2-0. In the finals against Club América, Tigres fell by 0-2 the first leg at the Estadio Universitario and by 1-2 in the second leg at the Estadio Azteca for an aggregate of 1-4.

Culture

Colours

Since the foundation of the club in 1960, its distinctive colours are light gold and dark blue. In the home jersey, light gold is always predominant than dark blue, but in the away jersey is the opposite, the dark blue is predominant. The third colour has been inconsistent, sometimes presented as black, white, red, green, copper or dark gold.^[23]

Rivalry

Tigres' biggest rival is Monterrey. Their derby is called Clásico Regiomontano. On every Clásico the stadium is sold out as soon as tickets go on sale. It is known for being one of the most intense and competed derbies in Mexican football,^[24] and is widely regarded as the most important Mexican derby after the Clásico Nacional.^[25] Tigres and Monterrey played their first Clásico on 13 July 1974 at the Estadio Universitario, game that ended with a 3–3 draw.^[23]

Fanbase

Every season Tigres play with a full Estadio Universitario due to the over 39,000 fans that count with the annual ticket to all of the home games. Since the reactivation of the domestic cup (Copa MX) in 2012, the Estadio Universitario has registered a full attendance in the cup games also. After its relegation to Ascenso MX on 1996, fans supported for a year until the team achieved the promotion to Liga MX. It was the only team in the Ascenso MX that that year registered a full attendance in all the home games. Its fan base expands to states such as Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Texas. Tigres claims to have Mexico's most loyal supporting crowd. Several Mexican sports media have ranked the Tigres' fans as the best in the Liga MX, citing their loyalty in the bad streaks of the team.^[26] The fans, nicknamed Los Incomparables (The incomparable ones), are the best known travelling support group due to the thousands of members chanting for the team in the away games. Founded in the early 2000s, Libres y Lokos are the biggest group of ultras of the club. On 9 March 2013, over 23,000 fans traveled to the city of San Luis Potosí to support the team in a game against San Luis FC at the Estadio Alfonso Lastras.^[27][28][29]

Season to season

• Has Played 7 2nd Division Tournaments last in 1974.
• Has Played 2 Primera A Tournaments last in 1997.
• Has Played 59 Mexican Primera División Tournaments so far.

Historic shields

• 

  2002–12

• 

  2012–2015

Honours

Domestic League

• Liga MX: 4

1977–78, 1981–82, Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015

• Copa MX: 3

1975–76, 1995–96, Clausura 2014

• Ascenso MX: 2

Invierno 1996, Verano 1997

• Segunda División: 2

1973–74, Apertura 2015 (reserve team)

• Campeón de Campeones: 1

2015–16

• Interliga: 2

2005, 2006

• Mexico's Under-20 Tournament: 1

2009–10

International

• SuperLiga: 1

2009

• Copa Libertadores: Runner-up

2015

• CONCACAF Champions League: Runner-up

2015-16

Friendly Tournaments

• Rio Grande Plate: 2

2007, 2008, 2009

• Serie Mundial de Futbol: 1

2007

• Copa Chiapas: 1

2008

• Copa Cani: 1

2013

• Copa Nissan: 1

2016

Players

First-team Squad

As of 5 January 2016^[30]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Nahuel Guzmán 2 DF Israel Jiménez 3 DF Juninho (Captain) 4 DF Hugo Ayala (Vice-captain) 5 FW Fernando Fernández 6 DF Jorge Torres Nilo 8 MF Lucas Zelarayán 9 FW Andy Delort 10 FW André-Pierre Gignac 11 MF Damián Álvarez (3rd captain) 13 DF Miguel Herrera (on loan from Pachuca) 14 DF Jorge Iván Estrada 15 MF Manuel Viniegra 16 MF Luis Silva 17 MF José Francisco Torres 18 MF Ismael Sosa

No. Position Player 19 MF Guido Pizarro (4th captain) 20 MF Javier Aquino 21 DF Francisco Meza 22 GK Enrique Palos 23 MF Luis Quiñones 24 DF José Rivas 25 MF Jürgen Damm 27 DF Alberto Acosta 28 DF Luis Rodríguez 29 MF Jesús Dueñas 30 GK Aarón Fernández 31 MF Luis Martínez 33 FW Julián Quiñones 34 MF Jonathan Espericueta — FW Joel Sánchez

For recent transfers, see List of Mexican football transfers winter 2016–2017.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — GK Héctor Estrada (loan to UAEM) — GK Sergio García (loan to Juárez) — GK Richard Sánchez (loan to Tampico Madero) — GK Jesús Urbina (loan to Morelia) — GK Daniel Vogel (loan to UAT) — DF Éder Borelli (loan to Juárez) — DF Antonio Briseño (loan to Juárez) — DF Ricardo Chávez (loan to UAT) — DF Alexander Larín (loan to Alianza) — DF Juan Pablo Ocegueda (loan to Oaxaca) — DF Nicolás Ruvalcaba (loan to BUAP) — DF Abraham Stringel (loan to Sonora) — DF Marco Tovar (loan to Murciélagos) — DF Dieter Vargas (loan to Oaxaca) — DF Alonso Zamora (loan to Chiapas)

No. Position Player — DF Harold Gómez (loan to Deportivo Pasto) — MF Johan Arango (loan to Deportivo Pasto) — MF Genaro Castillo (loan to Tampico Madero) — MF Abel Fuentes (loan to Oaxaca) — MF Aldair García (loan to Juárez) — MF Uvaldo Luna (loan to Patriotas) — MF William Palacio (loan to USMP) — MF Armando Pulido (loan to UAT) — MF Emmanuel Segura (loan to Oaxaca) — MF Alfonso Tamay (loan to Tampico Madero) — MF Hilario Tristán (loan to Murciélagos) — FW Emmanuel Cerda (loan to UAEM) — FW Luis Cruz (loan to Zacatepec) — FW Mauro Fernández (at Juárez) — FW Carlos Ibargüen (loan to Independiente Medellín)

Reserve teams

UANL Premier

Reserve team that plays in the Segunda División in the third level of the Mexican league system.

Sponsorship

• Official shirt sponsors - Cemex (Cemento Monterrey), Coca Cola, The Home Depot, Tecate, Telcel
• Official shirt manufacturer - Adidas
• Official Beer - Tecate

Recent managers

See also

• Football in Mexico

References

External links

• Official site