One of Mexico’s most storied football clubs, C.D. Guadalajara, entered the Liga MX Apertura 2025 season with renewed optimism under new Argentine manager Gabriel Milito. Appointed on May 26, 2025, Milito was tasked with awakening a sleeping giant. However, the early stages of his tenure have been marked by turbulence and inconsistency, leaving the beloved Chivas languishing near the bottom of the league table.
After five league matches, Guadalajara has managed to secure just a single victory, collecting a meager three points from a possible fifteen. The team’s challenging start has seen them suffer four defeats, raising early questions about their ability to contend this season. The lone bright spot in an otherwise bleak opening campaign was a spectacular comeback victory on July 26. Trailing 3-2 at home against Atlético San Luis, Chivas mounted a stunning late rally, with substitute Armando González emerging as the hero. The young forward scored twice in the final ten minutes, first in the 84th minute and again in the 90th, to seal a thrilling 4-3 win. The victory, which also included a goal from Cade Cowell and an own goal, provided a fleeting moment of elation for the Estadio Akron faithful.
Unfortunately for Chivas, that dramatic win remains an outlier. The season began with a 1-0 defeat to Club León in Milito’s league debut on July 19. Following the victory over San Luis, the club’s league campaign was paused for the Leagues Cup, an inter-league tournament with MLS clubs. The competition offered little respite, as Chivas was eliminated in the group stage after a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, a 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC, and a 2-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati. Despite Coach Milito’s stated intention to use the tournament to build momentum, as reported by Digital Trends Today, the team returned to domestic play and continued to struggle.
Their return to Liga MX action resulted in a 1-0 away loss to Santos Laguna on August 10, followed by a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home against FC Juárez on August 16. This string of poor results has left Chivas in 16th position, a precarious spot for a club with such a rich history and passionate fanbase. The team’s struggles have been compounded by off-field issues and injuries. Veteran striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has been sidelined with a calf injury and has also faced disciplinary action, according to reports from various outlets, adding to the team’s instability. Key players such as Leonardo Sepulveda and Omar Govea have also been dealing with injuries.
Amidst the difficulties, the emergence of Armando ‘La Hormiga’ González has been a significant positive. With two league goals, he is the team’s top scorer and has proven to be a clutch performer. New signings like Cade Cowell, Richard Ledezma, and Bryan González have also found the net across all competitions, but the team has yet to find a consistent rhythm. As they prepared for a crucial match against an in-form Club Tijuana on August 22, the pressure was mounting. For Gabriel Milito, the task of restoring Chivas to the top of Mexican football, a goal he outlined upon his arrival, is proving to be a formidable challenge right from the start.
