If Atlas winning the Liga MX championship last season was a sporting miracle, then how do you even begin to describe back-to-back titles? When the club lifted the trophy in late 2021, 70 years had passed since the last time they earned a championship in Mexico’s top flight. But with confetti likely still scattered across the city of Guadalajara from the previous season, supporters of Los Rojinegros only had to wait another 168 days to once again celebrate a league title when Atlas defeated Pachuca 3-2 on aggregate to end the 2022 Clausura season.
With a clear ambition of “Transformation 21-22” written across the chest of their kits (instead of a sponsor), Atlas paraded around Pachuca’s Estadio Hidalgo stadium after stunning the Mexican soccer world for a second time in a matter of months. “We’re making history,” Atlas captain Aldo Rocha said after the final whistle. “We continue to transform this team that was asleep for years.”
Since Grupo Orlegi took charge as owners in 2019, Atlas and their players have undoubtedly evolved. Not too long ago, they were a team that represented more of the past than the future. Far removed from their golden era in the mid-20th Century, they were lethargic minnows who were lost in the shadow of crosstown rivals Chivas. The only moments of positivity, which were irregular, were usually found through the development of young prospects in their academy and occasional wins over Chivas in the Clasico Tapatio.
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Playoff appearances were infrequent and, if lucky enough to be there, they almost always stumbled out in the early stages. Although eyebrows were raised with Grupo Orlegi stepping in a few years back, due to the company also running Santos Laguna in Liga MX, the change has already paid off for Atlas.
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Source : espn
