Tato Noriega complains about Leagues Cup bias
Monterrey’s president expressed his annoyance about the disadvantages that the team has experience throughout the international tournament.
Monterrey edged the 132nd Clásico Regio and booked a place in the quarter finals of the Leagues Cup where LAFC await. Club president José Antonio Noriega appeared happy and calm after Tuesday night’s drama in stoppage-time, with the game resolved from the spot by new signing Sergio Canales, but used the opportunity to send a message to the tournament organizers.
During this current edition of the Leagues Cup, Rayados have had to travel to Salt Lake, Seattle, Portland and Houston and their next destination is Los Angeles, California - a great deal of time spent travelling as well as competing, in just 17 days and that’s where the Mexican club’s grievance lies.
“We are very unhappy, disappointed, worried,” Noriega explained. “We have several players who are carrying knocks and our next game has been brought forward to Friday 11th... with all the kilometers that we have travelled (it is not fair).
“Tigres and ourselves, in that order, are the ones that have travelled the most and now we have to go to Los Angeles. We’ll be accumulating even more kilometers and I don’t know if it will be worth the effort,” he continued. “It will be our fifth game in which we have been constantly travelling, while for Los Angeles it will be different. Their players will be able to go home to eat every day, with their families, go to the movies, rest while ours are making a huge effort. It seems to me that there is a great lack of organization. It needs to be more equal. I do not want to keep moaning about it, but say we win in Los Angeles, I am sure that we will have to go to the other side of the country for the next game, it’s crazy.”
When are Monterrey next in action?
The next game for Rayados is on Friday 11 August at the Rose Bowl Stadium against Los Angeles Football Club with kick-off scheduled for 10:30 p.m EDT / 7:30 p.m. PDT.