CF Monterrey achieved a remarkable feat on Friday night by coming back from a 0-2 deficit against Los Angeles Football Club to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 2023 Leagues Cup.
With Club Querétaro's defeat against Philadelphia Union, Rayados are the sole survivors from the Mexican LIGA MX in the competition following their 3-2 victory. They are excited about the possibility of representing Mexican football in the tournament.
After the match, Fernando Ortíz spoke at a press conference and emphasized that the team is aware of the support they receive to continue their quest for the title: "I believe that an entire country is behind us today and on Tuesday when we face the next opponent. We feel the support wherever we go; the Mexican people are always present and make themselves heard. This is a responsibility that the boys take on, and they know that they need to represent the country well. For Monterrey, this is very important," he stated.
Although Rayados were trailing 0-2 against LAFC at halftime, the coach revealed that during halftime, he told his players that they had delivered the best first 45 minutes he had seen throughout the tournament. They responded with a late victory.
"I started by telling them that they had played the best first 45 minutes that I liked the most in the entire cup, but we're losing two-nil, yes, we're losing 2-0. However, we were missing that final phase to make better decisions. The boys understood it, continued to push, and we managed to change the result. I didn't tell them anything else. They all looked at each other when I said that, they went onto the field and responded like a true team with genuine camaraderie," commented the Argentine coach.
To conclude, Ortíz highlighted his team's bravery in overcoming adversity: "It's been a long time since I experienced and felt such an exciting match. I think the boys were the ones who took the spotlight today. I believe it was just one team that wanted to win the match. Sometimes, football presents these situations where you have to overcome, and the boys managed to do so at halftime. We always went for the match with our ideas, with determination, with our fans, and it was truly beautiful."
