Tigres legend sees Liga MX final loss as good omen

Falling to Toluca in the Apertura 2025 final was painful for Tigres, but it signals a promising future - at least that’s how Nahuel Guzmán sees it.

The legendary goalkeeper framed the defeat as the start of something big for the Monterrey club, drawing a parallel to the Apertura 2014 loss to Club América, which marked the beginning of a historic era for the Auriazules.

“More opportunities” in store for Tigres

“This final really reminded me of my first one here against América, on the road,” Guzmán said. “You could tell something was being built. Back then we said, ‘We’ll be back, we’ll have more chances like this.’ And that’s the feeling this game left me with.”

The 39-year-old continued: “I believe this team is going to have more opportunities like this. I’d even go out on a limb and say it’ll happen soon. This tournament prepared us and made us ready to be champions. I see us today as a team capable of fighting for the title again - and winning it.”

Guzmán also urged fans and teammates to appreciate what reaching the final means, calling it a valuable learning experience for the bright future he envisions for Tigres.

“This is a learning process”

“At first, there’s frustration, maybe the urge to review what we lacked,” he said. “But once you analyze everything, it’s important to recognize that we achieved something that hadn’t happened in four tournaments - two years. We need to understand this is a learning process for everyone, a new chapter from a soccer standpoint. Like I said at the start, the team grew - clearly grew in terms of soccer - even if some people like it more, some less, and even if things sometimes go right and sometimes need fixing.

“Our responsibility as leaders and veterans is to help the younger guys see the value of what they’re building - not just their careers, but the history of this institution. I told Ángel [Correa] during the break, ‘You’ve been here less than six months and already played a full tournament from Matchday 1 to the final.’ That’s huge. We were so close, but I truly believe this tournament prepared us for what’s next.”

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