Join NowTrying to Make Sense of Mexican Football
Puebla Fights Through More Than Relegation
In the Mexican Primera, as it is in most leagues, it is very difficult for recently promoted teams to stay in the top flight. But in Mexico, surviving that first year is not enough.
Relegation in Mexico is calculated based on the last two years’ point totals + the current year. Divide the number of points by the number of games played, and the resulting quotient is your standing in the relegation battle. For recently promoted teams, the formula is still the same, but they have less games to calculate the quotient. So every game is doubly, even triply crucial.
Complicated? It’s the Mexican Primera, is there any other way? Add the usual lack of quality players for a recently promoted team, and it’s not surprising that they don’t stay for long.
That is what Puebla has had to deal with this year. You know Puebla. Land of the endless mole varieties and the pretty pottery. After earning promotion for 2007-2008, the camoteros barely survived the ensuing relegation battle with the Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz. And that escape put them squarely in another bottom of the table tussle this year.
But for la franja, relegation is the least of their worries.
The front office has been embroiled in a old-fashioned power struggle. Lawsuits and injunctions forced a temporary closure of their facilities. The Estadio Cuauhtémoc was close to being condemned, declared structurally sound, then filled beyond capacity a few weeks ago for the America match. The club was fined for the offense. The payroll hasn’t always been paid on time, if at all.
Relegation doesn’t seem like such a big deal with all that. Yet Puebla has risen above it all in the Clausura. It all starts with their very centered, yet emotionally charged Jose Luis Sanchez Sola. Chelís (of course he has a nickname, although Mr. Clean is another alternative) is not your average coach. He is painfully honest and forthright, and excessively passionate. What he lacks in top level experience, he makes up for it with his guile and motivational skills.
Chelís
Outfitted with misfits, rejects, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, rustlers, and Methodists, a team only a mother could love, the Camoteros have found solace in themselves and on the pitch. Last week’s 2-1 win at Cruz Azul virtually assured their permanence in the Primera and put them in prime position for a liguilla birth. Their post game reaction at the Azul was as much a relief as it was a celebration.
Puebla’s success is a testament to a coach who not only has been able to block out all the distractions out of the locker room, but also has convinced his band of overachievers to believe in themselves and each other. In a league where a coach’s half-life sometimes lasts just a half, it’s refreshing to see a coach stick around long enough truly make a difference in a team’s performance. Will it be enough for Puebla to make a deep run? Who knows, but in the wild and wooly Mexican Primera, the unexpected is the norm.
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Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 12:05 AM by Sachsen 
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Good post!Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 12:34 AM by SoDamnSmooth
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Very interesting post, John. Like a lot of people, I've been following Mexican soccer from a distance and am always curious to find out more information about how it operates. From the outside, the MFL appears pretty secretive in its player movements and other transactions. Perhaps you could write a series of turtorials for us Norte Americanos?Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 08:28 AM by Sal Paradise
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Mexico is in North America bro.Quote:Originally Posted by Sal Paradise
Very interesting post, John. Like a lot of people, I've been following Mexican soccer from a distance and am always curious to find out more information about how it operates. From the outside, the MFL appears pretty secretive in its player movements and other transactions. Perhaps you could write a series of turtorials for us Norte Americanos?Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 10:33 AM by Somas of Columbus
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Add to that the "draft" (open signing period for those unfamiliar to Mexico) being mere days after the promotion final. Sometimes I wonder how they find players at all.Quote:Add the usual lack of quality players for a recently promoted team, and it’s not surprising that they don’t stay for long.Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 12:29 PM by el-choul
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im happy for puebla that shows u futbol is also about heart and the Primera Division might be switching to a european style with a playoff like usual so it would have no relegation the first season so it might be easier to follow if they switch to the year round instead of two seasons
Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 01:25 PM by Sergiob23
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The promo/relegation system isn't complicated -- it is rigged in order for the big clubs to stay up. Very simple!Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 04:46 PM by Reignking 
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That may be the the intent, but the teams still have to play well. America will be one of the teams that, at least initially, will be in the relegation zone next year.Posted 21 Apr 2009 at 08:03 PM by John Jagou
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Go Puebla, the lovable losers of Mexican football.
With another decade of experience, I wouldn't mind seeing Chelis at helm of El Tri.Posted 22 Apr 2009 at 12:45 PM by Socrates_81
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dammit puebla
once again saved from relegationPosted 22 Apr 2009 at 10:20 PM by El Chompiras
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