HAVE TO BE STRONG AGAINST AMERICA

TIJUANA –Club Tijuana players and coaching staff have a fiery test come Friday night. The Xoloitzcuintles host Club America, the defending champions, in the 2015 Clausura home opener at Estadio Caliente.

The Week 2 match of the LIGA MX brings in a tough rival that is coming off a win at home in its season opener last week. Coach Daniel Guzman’s team is preparing for that opponent without looking back at its 2-1 loss to Puebla last week.

The Xoloitzcuintles want to take advantage of this match. Forward Ricardo Da Silva knows it is a chance to prove the team’s competitiveness. The team will have to be strong in all aspects.

“I hope it is a great game,” said Da Silva, who set up Dayro Moreno with an assist against Puebla. “Hope it has a lot of offensive plays. We will look to be strong and beat America.

The team began its practice 9 a.m. Tuesday. One key note was that midfielder Joe Corona retuned to practice with the team after working separately the past few weeks. Corona had been out with a foot injury since Halloween.

Club Tijuana worked on set pieces, long-range shots and went through some intersquad scrimmages Tuesday, preparing for the 7:30 p.m. match Friday night.

“We need to keep a shutout because we know that we can generate scoring plays,” said defender Juan Carlos Nuñez. “The team will continue to work well to try and get those three points. We want to give our fans something to be happy about. They deserve it.”