Cruz Azul

Winning multiple championships in the 1970s earned the nickname "The Celeste Machine", comparing it with a locomotive and referencing the light blue color often worn on the team's uniform.

Cruz Azul was founded under the name Club Deportivo Cruz Azul as an amateur team on 22 March 1927. The founders were the workers of cement maker Cemento Cruz Azul; the team played in the town of Jasso (now part of the "city cooperative" Ciudad Cooperativa Cruz Azul) in the state of Hidalgo. Cemento Cruz Azul was the only official sponsor until 1997, and remains a primary sponsor today. Guillermo Álvarez Marcia and Carlos Garcés were the main force behind the effort to organize the club, and the quick success of the team led to frequently representing the state of Hidalgo in national amateur tournaments.

From 1927 to 1960, the amateur team played many times in Mexico City against the reserve squads of established professional teams such as the América, the Necaxa, the Atlante F.C., the Asturias F.C. and the Club Deportivo Marte. The Cemento Cruz Azul changed its name to the "Cooperativa Cruz Azul", and in 1960 the consistent success of the team caused the new administration of the cement company to build the Estadio 10 de Diciembre in Jasso. The team entered professional competition in the Segunda División de México for the 1960–61 season.

Hungarian coach Jorge Marik guided the team to the Segunda División championship for the 1963–64 season, elevating them to the Primera División the following season. That season ended with an eighth-place finish. Four years later, the Cruz Azul won its first Primera División league tournament, under coach Raúl Cárdenas.

Between 1970 and 1980, the Cruz Azul led the Primera División with six league tournament championships; four under Cárdenas and the last two under Ignacio Trelles. This powerful version of the team earned the nickname La Máquina Celeste (The Blue Machine), which continues as one of the unofficial nicknames of the team.

The team earned its eighth and most recent championship in 1997 under coach Luis Fernando Tena, beating the León 2–1 on a last minute penalty kick scored by Carlos Hermosillo. This was still the quickest a Primera División club had ever won eight championships, achieving the feat within 33 years of entering the Primera División.

In 2001, the Cruz Azul was invited to a tournament between select Mexican and Venezuelan teams that would then compete in the Copa Libertadores, a tournament of the best South American teams. The two best teams of this qualifying tournament earned immediate placement on the roster.

The Cruz Azul was one of the seeded teams and reached the 2001 Copa Libertadores final match. The Cruz Azul started the tournament in Group 7 along with teams such as the Sao Caetano, the Defensor Sporting, and Olmedo. The Cruz Azul finished as leader of the group with 13 points. In round 16 the Cruz Azul faced the Cerro Porteño. The first leg was played in Asunción and the Cruz Azul lost 2–1. The second leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won the game 3–1. The aggregate score was 4–3 in favor of the Cruz Azul and they moved on to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals the Cruz Azul faced the CA River Plate of Argentina. The first leg of the match was played in Buenos Aires and ended in a 0–0 draw. The second leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won 3–0. The Cruz Azul was having a great run and played the Rosario Central in the semifinals. The first leg was played in Mexico and the Cruz Azul won the game 2–0. The second leg was played in Rosario in a very exciting match that ended in a 3–3 draw in favor of the Cruz Azul due to the 2–0 victory in the first leg.

In the final match the Cruz Azul played against the Argentinian club the Boca Juniors. The Cruz Azul lost at home the first leg 1–0, but came back to win the second leg with the same score at the Boca's La Bombonera stadium with Paco Palencia scoring the goal. Until then, no team had ever won a Copa Libertadores final match there. After overtime the championship was decided by penalty kicks. The Boca Juniors prevailed. Still, the Cruz Azul surprised everybody with the unprecedented feat of reaching the final and defeating established Argentinian teams such as the Rosario Central and the CA River Plate.

In the 2006 Apertura, the team started off great but in the middle of the season, they had a hard time adding points on the board. The Cruz Azul recovered and finished the regular season as the points leader. They have not won a title since the championship they won against Leon in 1997. For the Apertura 2006, the Cruz Azul made it to the quarterfinals and faced the Chivas in the Estadio Jalisco. In the first leg, the Cruz Azul played a very poor game and lost 2–0. On November 25, 2006 the Cruz Azul played the second leg at Estadio Azul and played a brilliant game. The Cruz Azul started off strong and put the Chivas keeper Oswaldo Sánchez to the test on many occasions. In the middle of the first half, defender Salvador Carmona pushed a Chivas player in the penalty area and cost the Cruz Azul a penalty.Ramón Morales had no problem and put the score 1–0 in favor of the Chivas in the 39th minute. The Cruz Azul kept creating opportunities and at the end of the first half, César Delgado made a great play that Richard Núñez finished with a goal to tie the game right before halftime in the 45th minute. In the second half, the Chivas scored thanks to Ramón Morales again to put the score 2–1 in favor of the Chivas. The Cruz Azul did not give up and Miguel Sabah tied the game 2–2 in the 62nd minute. The Cruz Azul played a great game and ended up tying the game 2–2 but losing 4–2 on aggregate.

In the 2007 Clausura the team had a great start, finishing among the first 8 teams in the league that went to playoffs. The team had a great quarterfinal series against the Tecos of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, thanks to two magnificent goals from striker Richard Núñez and moved to semifinals against the Pachuca FC, the top team in the league. The Pachuca beat the Cruz Azul in the Estadio Azul in the first leg of the series with a strong 3–1. The Cruz Azul still had a chance to overcome the adverse score, but on that same evening, the Court of Arbitration for Sport communicated that team captain Salvador Carmona was declared ineligible with immediate and lifetime effect, because of a repeated doping indiscipline that occurred back in January 2006. The sanction was dated May 18, 2007, the very day of the first match against the Pachuca. Arguing that player Salvador Carmona did play on that day for the Cruz Azul, the Mexican Football Federation, aka Federacion Mexicana de Futbol sanctioned the Cruz Azul by suspending the team one game from competition, under the argument of aligning an ineligible player. Many legal arguments have been raised by both the player's lawyer and the Cruz Azul, but the sanction stood and the Cruz Azul lost its opportunity to overcome the 3–1 and go to the final series against the America. The Cruz Azul had one of the best seasons of their victory against the Mexiel.

In the Clausura the team played a great tournament, finishing in second place. The team won 9 games, had 4 draws and lost only 4 times. In quarterfinals they played against the Jaguares losing 1–0 in the first leg and winning 2–1 in the second leg with goals of Pablo Zeballos and Miguel Sabah. They moved to semifinals against the San Luis, the first leg was played in San Luis and the Cruz Azul won 0–1 with a goal of Miguel Sabah. In the second leg, the Cruz Azul and the San Luis played a formidable match that ended 1–1 with goals of Eduardo Coudet and Pablo Zeballos. In the final, the Cruz Azul played against the Santos Laguna, second place in the tournament. The first leg ended 1–2 with a victory for the Santos, and in the second leg a 1–1 make Laguna team champions.

In the Apertura the team had a good tournament, finishing in 5th place on the Mexican league. The team won 7 games, drew 5 times and lost only 5 times. In the quarterfinals they played against the Pumas UNAM with a 0–0 scoreline in the first leg in the "Estadio Azul", and won 3–1 in the second leg, in the "Estadio Olímpico Universitario 1968" leaving the Pumas on the way. They moved to semifinals against the Atlante, the first leg was played in Mexico City, and the Cruz Azul won 3–1. In the second leg, the Cruz Azul and the Atlante played a regular match in Cancún, Quintana Roo, that ended 1–1, resulting in the Cruz Azul reaching the Final for the second consecutive time in 2008. In the final, the Cruz Azul played against the Toluca, both teams tied on winning Mexican titles (at that time with 8 each). The first leg played in Mexico City, and ended with a dramatic 0–2 with a victory for visitors, the Toluca, and in the second leg, which was played at "Estadio Nemesio Díez". The Cruz Azul won 0–2, making the tie on aggregate "2–2", as the match was tied, they played "extra time" and the draw continued until going to the "Penalty – Shoot out", where the Toluca won 7–6 over the Cruz Azul, Alejandro Vela was the Cruz Azul "villain" because he failed the last "penalty shoot-out", another incident before the match went to "extra time", was a clear foul suffered by Villaluz on the Goal area, the Toluca player "Jose Manuel Cruz Alta" crashed with the Cruz Azul player, making him unconscious, but the referee didn't mark the foul even though the Cruz Azul player was knocked out, he didn't even take a red card on the Toluca player, (unfortunately the Cruz Azul had made his 3 substitutions, so they ended the match playing with only 10 players, an unfair situation, that interfered directly on the final result of the match) this made the Toluca team becoming champions winning their 9th Mexican title, becoming the 3rd most successful of Mexican title winning teams. (1.-America "12 titles", 2 . Guadalajara "11 titles", 3.-Toluca "10 titles", 4.-Cruz Azul "8 titles", .- Pumas UNAM "6 titles", 6.- Club León 7 titles, Club Pachuca "5 titles").

Running the team of the Cruz Azul before the game against the Atlante on 28 February 2009.

In the Clausura 2009, the team had the worst tournament in club history en route to a last place finish. They accumulated just 13 points in 17 games, winning only two games, with seven draws and eight losses. The Club sacked their manager Benjamín Galindo with one game left in the Clausura. He was replaced for the remainder of the season by Robert Siboldi who was then coaching the Cruz Azul's affiliate in Hidalgo.

In the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League, the team had a good tournament. In the first stage, they finished second in Group A, qualifying to the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they defeated the Pumas UNAM, by 2–0; in the semi-finals, they defeated the Islanders of Puerto Rico on penalties. In the final against the Atlante, they lost the first game 0–2 and tied the second 0–0, losing on aggregate.

In the Apertura 2009, the team had signed Javier Cambranis to manage the team, and signed several players, including the best goalkeeper on the previous Mexican tournament Jose de Jesus Corona, the Derby County Striker Emanuel "Tito" Villa, Ramon Nuñez, and Emilio Hernandez. The team finished the regular season in second place with 33 points, winning 11 games of 17 played, and qualifying for the playoffs; Villa was the top scorer of the tournament with 17 goals. In the quarter-finals, they beat Puebla (first game 4–4, second game 3–2), and in the semi-finals, they beat Monarcas Morelia (first game 0–0, second 2–1). In the final, they lost to Monterrey (first game 3–4, second 1–2).[5]

In April 2012, the Cruz Azul changed their official name from Club Deportivo, Social y Cultural Cruz Azul, A.C. to simply The Cruz Azul Futbol Club, A.C.

In the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League, the team had a good tournament, finishing first in Group C and qualifying for the final stage of playoffs. In the quarter-finals, they defeated the Panamanian team the Árabe Unido, by 4–0, and then in the semifinal round, the played against the Mexican team the Universidad Nacional, by 5–1 at Mexico City. In the final, against another Mexican club, the C. F. Pachuca, they had the chance to win their 6th CONCACAF championship, winning the first game 2–1, but losing in the Pachuca's home at the last minute 1–0 by the away goals rule, thus losing the opportunity to participate on the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE.

During the 2013 season, the Cruz Azul started slow but regained confidence after beating the Club America in Copa MX semi-finals and winning Copa MX final over the Atlante. After the Cruz Azul won the Copa MX, their Liga MX performance improved and they were considered one of the contenders for the title due to a good streak. They would face bitter rivals the Club America in a historical final series of the "Clásico Joven." The Cruz Azul was up 2–0 in aggregate when the Club America made a miraculous comeback with goals in the 89th from Aquilvado Mosquera and 93rd minute from Moises Munoz who was a goalkeeper of the second leg; Club America would go on to win 4–2 on penalties.

On April 23, 2014, after defeating the Toluca, the Cruz Azul won their 6th CONCACAF championship, a record at the time.[6] This gave the Cruz Azul a berth at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, where they would earn a fourth-place finish.[7]

Since the Apertura 2014, the Cruz Azul has been unable to qualify to the liguilla playoffs for six consecutive tournaments.[8] The Cruz Azul qualified for the liguilla for the first time in three years in the Apertura 2017 season. However, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the América, who advanced as the higher ranked seed, with an aggregate score of 0–0. On 27 November 2017, the Cruz Azul announced that Paco Jémez would not renew his contract for the following season.[9][10]

Cruz Azul vs. Herediano in the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League

In the Liga MX Clausura 2018 tournament, the Cruz Azul ended up ranked 12th and failed to qualify for the liguilla. The Cruz Azul were last place in the group stage of the Clausura 2018 Copa MX. On 7 May 2018, the club announced director of football Eduardo de la Torre's contract had ended and would be replaced by Ricardo Peláez, former director of football for the América.[11][12][13][14]

The Cruz Azul televised matches for several years were on TV Azteca in Mexico (Azteca America in the United States), but in the fall of 2013 they moved to Televisa in Mexico (Univision in the U.S.).

On 31 October, they would face the Monterrey in the Apertura 2018 Copa MX Final, winning 2–0 with goals from Elías Hernández and Martín Cauteruccio. It was their first trophy in the tournament since 2013.[15]

The Cruz Azul faced the Club América in a rematch of the Clausura 2013 final for the Apertura 2018 final. The first leg was played on 13 December 2018 which ended in a scoreless draw. The second leg was played on 16 December 2018 and ended in a 2–0 victory for the Club América. With this defeat the Cruz Azul extended its 21-year-old championship drought in the league for at least another season.

On 6 December 2020, Cruz Azul faced UNAM on the second semi-final leg of the Guardianes 2020 Liga MX final phase. Although Cruz Azul had a 4-0 lead in the beginning of the second leg matchup, they lost the match 0-4, thus tied with UNAM in the final aggregate. However as UNAM's placement was higher in the classification table, they advanced to the final.[16]

Listed on the official website of Cruz Azul.[17]

Position	Staff
Chairman	Álvaro Dávila
Director of football	Jaime Ordiales

As of 11 January 2020[18]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  MEX José de Jesús Corona (Captain) 3 DF  MEX Jaiber Jiménez 4 DF  MEX Julio César Domínguez (2nd captain) 5 DF  MEX Alexis Peña (on loan from Guadalajara) 7 MF  MEX Luis Romo 8 MF  URU Pablo Cepellini 9 MF  ARG Walter Montoya 11 MF  MEX Elías Hernández 12 DF  MEX José Joaquín Martínez 14 MF  MEX Misael Domínguez 15 MF  URU Ignacio Rivero (on loan from Tijuana) 16 DF  MEX Adrián Aldrete 17 FW  ECU Brayan Angulo

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  PER Yoshimar Yotún 20 MF  MEX Alexis Gutiérrez 21 FW  URU Jonathan Rodríguez 22 MF  MEX Rafael Baca 23 DF  PAR Pablo Aguilar 24 DF  PAR Juan Escobar 25 MF  MEX Roberto Alvarado 28 MF  ARG Guillermo Fernández 29 FW  MEX Santiago Giménez 30 GK  MEX Andrés Gudiño 31 MF  MEX Orbelín Pineda 33 GK  MEX Sebastián Jurado

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  MEX Guillermo Allison (at Cancún) — GK  MEX Esteban Lecourtois (at Celaya) — DF  MEX Luciano Bocco (at Cancún) — MF  COL Alex Castro (at Atlético Nacional) — MF  MEX Fernando Illescas (at Celaya)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  MEX Javier Salas (at Puebla) — MF  MEX Omar Soto (at Atlante) — FW  ARG Milton Caraglio (at Atlas) — FW  ARG Lucas Passerini (at Atlético San Luis)

Cruz Azul Hidalgo

Reserve team that plays in the Liga Premier in the third level of the Mexican league system.

Cruz Azul Lagunas

Reserve team that plays in the Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.

• Mexican Primera División/Liga MX: 8

1968–69, 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997

• Segunda División de México/Ascenso MX: 1

1963–64

• Copa México/Copa MX: 4

1968–69, 1996–97, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018

• Campeón de Campeones: 2

1968–69, 1973–74

• Campeonisimo: 1

1969

• Supercopa MX: 1

2019

• CONCACAF Champions' Cup / Champions League: 6

1969, 1970, 1971, 1996, 1997, 2013–14

• Leagues Cup: 1

2019

Since its inception the team was supported mainly by cement workers. After promotion to the Primera División in the 1960s, more people began to follow the team. In the 1970s when the team managed six of their eight titles even more people joined the group of supporters of the team, until now that in this 21st century according to various surveys is the third team with the most supporters in Mexico, behind the Club Guadalajara and the América respectively, above the club UNAM.

The club is also infamous in Mexico for not having won a Mexican league title since 1997 and counting (as of 2020). For an English-speaking audience, the so-called "Cruz Azul curse" is likened to Neverkusen for German team Bayer Leverkusen, the Curse of the Bambino for MLB baseball's Boston Red Sox, or the Curse of the Billy Goat for MLB's Chicago Cubs. The commonality derives from these teams' inability, no matter the quality of the team relative to their opponents in a tournament or a championship match, to win a championship. The term for Cruz Azul's continued inability to win the Mexican title, cruzazulear, has become so prominent that it has been in contention to be officially designated as a word by the Royal Spanish Academy.

• Popularity
• 
  "La Sangre" in Concachampions.
• 
  A store for fans of Cruz Azul.
• 
  "La Sangre" Logo.

National Rivalries:

• Main Rivalry: the "Clásico Joven" vs. the Club América.

• Seasons in Primera División: 62
• Seasons in 2nd Division o Primera "A": 4.
• Playoff for the title: 44
• Final for the title: 19 (68–69, 69–70, MÉX 70, 71–72, 72–73, 73–74, 78–79, 79–80, 80–81, 86–87, 88–89, 94–95, Inv. 97, Inv. 99, Clau. 08, Aper. 08, Aper. 09, Clau. 13, Aper. 18)
• 1st place: 13
• Relegated to 2nd Division o Primera "A": 0
• Promotion to the 1st Div: 1 (1963–64)
• Final position more repeated: 1st (13 times)
• Best place in Primera División:
  • In long tournaments: 1st (1968/1969, Mexico 1970, 1971/1972, 1972/1973, 1973/1974, 1978/1979, 1995/1996)
  • In short tournaments: 1st (Winter 1998, Winter 2000, Apertura 2006, Apertura 2010, Clausura 2014, Apertura 2018)
• Worse place in Primera División:
  • In long tournaments: 18th of 20 teams: 1989–90
  • In short tournaments: 18th of 18 teams: Clausura 2009
• Highest score achieved :
  • The national tournament: 8–2 vs. Toros Neza (1993–94).
  • In international tournaments: 12–2 against the Leslie Verdes in 1988 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and 11–0 against the Seattle Sounders in the 1996 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
• Highest score against:
  • The national tournament: 0–5 against América (1981–82).
  • In international tournaments: 1–6 against the Fénix in the 2003 Copa Libertadores
• Most points in a season :
  • In long tournaments: 57 (1978–79)
  • In short tournaments: 40 (Invierno 1998)
• Longest streak of games without losing :
  • 19 (round 18 from semifinal round of (1973–74).
• Longest undefeated streak at home
  • 47 (1978–1980) (Mexican football record)
• Most goals scored in a season :
  • In long tournaments: 91 (1994–95).
  • In short tournaments: 41 (Invierno 1998).
• Most wins in a season: 22, Season (1971–72)
• Most draws in a season: 17, (1989–90)
• Most defeats in a season: 13, (1982–83) and (1989–90)
• Consecutive wins in a season: 11, (1979–80) (Mexican football record)
• More games without conceding: 5, season (1975–76), and (1983–84)
• Most consecutive wins: 10, (1971–72) (Mexican football record)
• Most consecutive draws: 5, (1973–74)
• Most consecutive games without a win: 11, (1965–66)
• Fewest wins in a season: 2, Clausura 2009
• Fewest draws in a season: 0, Apertura 2009
• Fewest defeats in one season: 1, PRODE 85, Invierno 1998
• Player with the most goals in a season: Carlos Hermosillo with 35 in (1994–95)
• Most titles won
  • Head Coach: Raúl Cárdenas
    • 11 titles: Primera División (1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74), Copa México (1968–69), Campeon de Campeones (1968–69, 1973–74), CONCACAF Champions' Cup (1969, 1970, 1971)
  • Player: Fernando Bustos
    • 13 titles: Primera División (1968–69, México 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79), Segunda División (1963–64), Copa México (1968–69), Campeon de Campeones (1968–69, 1973–74), CONCACAF Champions' Cup (1969, 1970, 1971)

• Horacio López Salgado 25 Goals in "1974–75"
• Carlos Hermosillo 28 Goals in "1993–94"
• Carlos Hermosillo 35 Goals in "1994–95"
• Carlos Hermosillo 26 Goals in "1995–96"
• Sebastián Abreu 19 Goals in "Verano 2002"
• Emanuel Villa 17 Goals in "Apertura 2009"
• Jonathan Rodríguez 9 Goals in "Clausura 2020”
• Jonathan Rodríguez 12 Goals in "Guardianes 2020”