Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as ''
Xolos'', is a Mexican professional
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
based in
Tijuana
Tijuana ( ,["Tijuana"](_blank)
(US) and [< ...]
. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloitzcuintle, Hermoso.
Founded on 14 January 2007 as ''Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente'', the club plays their home games at the
Estadio Caliente.
Tijuana has won 1
Liga MX and 1
Ascenso MX
Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier) ...
championship, as well as 1
Promotional Final.
History
The club is the 2nd latest in a long line of league teams in the city of Tijuana. Gallos Caliente was instituted in the summer of 2006 but it disappeared that same year. Then some businessmen from Tijuana buy the Guerreros de Tabasco and move it to Tijuana, being born like this ''Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente''. The team and owner announced the construction of the
Estadio Caliente, a new stadium with a capacity for 33,333 people near Grupo Caliente's
Agua Caliente Racetrack
Agua means water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...
. Jorge Alberto Hank, the son of
Jorge Hank Rhon, is the President of the team. They became the Apertura 2012 champions after defeating Toluca 4–2 in a two-legged series.
The team advanced to the Primera División de México with a win at home over
Irapuato, 2–1 on May 21, 2011.
Jorge Alberto Hank and Gog Murguia Fernandez, the vice president, became the youngest executives in the history of Mexican professional football to be at the head of a club in the Primera División de México.
The First Title
The team obtained its first title in the Apertura 2010 tournament, after having finished as general leader during the regular tournament, which gave them a direct pass to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals the Xolos faced
Albinegros de Orizaba. In both semifinal legs, the Xolos and Albinegros finished 0–0, with the aggregate score 0–0 too. The position that the Xolos had during the regular tournament permitted them to pass to the final against the
Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz.
In the first leg the "Xolos" had a surprise win 0–2 in the
Estadio Luis "Pirata" Fuente in Veracruz, while in their field they won again 1–0 and this way Tijuana obtained half a ticket towards the Mexican football maximum circuit, the Primera División Mexicana.
Promotion to Liga MX
The final of the Clausura 2011 of the
Liga de Ascenso
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* L ...
was between Tijuana and
Irapuato. The first leg was played on Wednesday May 11 in Tijuana's stadium. The game finished 1–1. The second leg played was in Irapuato, in the
Estadio Sergio León Chavez. Irapuato won the game 1–0, being crowned champion of the Clausura 2011 afterwards. With the Tijuana having won the Apertura 2010 title, the Promotion Final was going to be, yet again, Tijuana vs Irapuato. The first leg was played in Irapuato on Wednesday May 18 and it remained 0–0, with the second leg deciding what team was going to be promoted to the
Primera División de la Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (now known as Liga MX). Played in Tijuana's
Estadio Caliente, the second leg saw the Club Tijuana being crowned champion of the Promotion Final with a result of 2–1. Thus Tijuana replaced the
Necaxa as the new Primera Division Team in Mexico.
Liga MX Debut
Kicking off their inaugural season in the Primera Division, Tijuana signed
José Sand,
Leandro Augusto,
Fernando Arce,
Egidio Arévalo and
Dayro Moreno would move to Tijuana for a fee of US$3.5 m. during summer 2011.
Tijuana opened the 2011–12 season with a 2–1 home loss to
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and larg ...
. American
Joe Corona scored the club's first top-flight goal in the defeat. They would earn their first victory as a top-flight club in a 3–1 victory at
Santos Laguna
Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made u ...
on August 6; however, after five consecutive home matches without a victory manager
Joaquin del Olmo was sacked and replaced by
Antonio Mohamed.
After having finished the 2011 Apertura with just three wins against nine draws and five losses, Tijuana would have more success in the 2012 Clasura. Behind the
league's top defense (allowing just eleven goals in 17 matches), Tijuana finished with seven wins and seven draws against just three defeats and earned their first playoff berth in the top flight, where they would fall to
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...
.
Apertura 2012 Champions
Xolos would continue their strong defense in the 2012–13 Liga MX season. In the 2012 Apertura, Xolos allowed joint-fewest goals with 15 while finishing tied atop the table with
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city f ...
. Seeded #2 in the La liguilla, they would avenge the previous season's defeat to Monterrey before rallying from a 2–0 deficit against
León in the semi-finals. They would win the Liguilla over Toluca with a 4–1 aggregate victory, achieving the title in the shortest time after promotion to the top flight in Mexican history.
Xolos would falter in the Clausura, finishing in 10th place, two points outside of Liguilla qualification. However, invited to
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
, Tijuana would make a run to the quarter-finals before falling to
Atlético Mineiro.
Stadium
The Estadio Caliente, a multi-use stadium in Tijuana, Baja California, was officially inaugurated on November 11, 2007, in a game between Club Tijuana and
Pumas Morelos. The attendance was 13,333, then the stadium capacity. In July 2009, the capacity was increased to 16,000.
Stadium owner Jorge Hank Rhon's main reason for constructing the stadium was his wish to have a professional football club in the city.
Because the Mexican Football Federation says that teams participating in the First Division must have a stadium with a capacity over 15,000, Club Tijuana officially became qualified for promotion to the Primera División de México when the capacity was increased.
The construction of the stadium was planned in two parts. The first part finished the ground and lower sections of the stadium. In the second phase, the stadium's capacity was increased.
Club Xoloitzcuintles added 4,000 seats to its home field of Estadio Caliente, pushing its capacity to 20,000, according to the team's management.
The team also remodeled the players’ dressing rooms and resurfaced the dirt parking lot with a stone surface.
Among the construction projects is the installation of stadium lights, which should not be an issue.
Institutional vision
What first seemed to be a hobby to the football aficionado
Jorge Hank Rhon, has now been projected as a business and institution with many ambitions by his son Jorge Alberto Hank Inzunza, President of Club Tijuana, and co-owner
Alberto Murguia Orozco
Alberto Murguia Orozco (born 1955) is a Mexican businessman and politician. He is best identified as a partner of Jorge Hank Rhon in Grupo Caliente, one of Latin America's largest gaming corporations. Murguia first became elected to public office ...
. The president has announced several times in press conferences that the project is far bigger than a stadium and a First Division team.
The institutional plan involves football schools and clinics throughout the region, including San Diego and Los Angeles, professional football training, talent recruitment squads; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division affiliates; foundations and green campaigns, and a heavily invested commercial complex.
Finances and ownership
Controversy surrounded the lease, because the team would have ties to a company whose major business is that of betting on sports events, including
football. The case was presented to high authorities in the Mexican Football Federation, where it was ruled that no action would be taken against Xoloitzcuintles De Caliente or its parent company.
Personnel
Current technical staff
Management
Players
First-team squad
Out on loan
Reserve teams
;Xolos Hermosillo
:Reserve team that plays in the
Liga TDP, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Honours
Domestic competitions
*
Liga MX: 1
::
Apertura 2012
*
Liga de Ascenso
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* L ...
: 1
::
Apertura 2010
*
Promotional Final: 1
::
Campeón de Ascenso 2010–11
Friendly competitions
*San Diego Clasico: 3
:: 2011, 2012, 2013
*Los Angeles Clasico: 1
:: 2013
International competitions
Records
Managers
*
Víctor Rangel (2007)
*
Wilson Graniolatti (2008 – 2009)
*
Juan Antonio Luna (2009 – 2010)
*
Joaquín del Olmo (2010 – 2011)
*
Antonio Mohamed (2011 – 2013)
*
Jorge Almirón (2013)
*
César Farías
César Alejandro Farías Acosta (born 7 March 1973) is a Venezuelan football manager, currently in charge of Ecuadorian club Aucas.
Farías is known for having coached Deportivo Táchira, Mineros de Guayana, Deportivo Anzoátegui and the Ve ...
(2013 – 2014)
*
Daniel Guzmán (2014 – 2015)
*
Rubén Omar Romano
Rubén Omar Romano Cachía (born May 18, 1958 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine former footballer and current manager.
Footballer career
Romano played in Argentina for Club Atlético Huracán before leaving for Mexico in 1980 to play for Club ...
(2015)
*
Raúl Chabrand (2015)
*
Miguel Herrera (2015 – 2017)
*
Eduardo Coudet (2017)
*
Diego Cocca
Diego Martín Cocca (born 11 February 1972) is an Argentine former footballer and current manager. He played professional football for several clubs in Argentina, Spain and Mexico, he is the manager of Tigres UANL.
Playing career
Club
Cocca ...
(2017 – 2018)
*
Oscar Pareja
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
(2018 – 2019)
*
Gustavo Quinteros (2020)
*
Pablo Guede (2020 – 2021)
*
Robert Siboldi
Robert Dante Siboldi Badiola (born 24 September 1965) is a Uruguayan professional manager and former footballer. During his playing career, he played as a goalkeeper and was nicknamed "Flaco."
Playing career Club career
Siboldi played profes ...
(2021)
*
Sebastián Méndez
Sebastián Ariel Méndez Pardiñas (born 4 July 1977) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a central defender. He is the current manager of Unión de Santa Fe.
As a player, Méndez won the Argentine Primera Divisió ...
(2021 – 2022)
*
Ricardo Valiño
Ricardo Alfredo Valiño (born 2 January 1971 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football coach.
Career
Ricardo Valiño who never played professional football, started his career assisting Gabriel Orlando Rodriguez during his coaching stay with ...
(2022 – present)
Women's section
Club Tijuana (Women), founded in 2014, that participated in the US-based
Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) ...
in the summer and in the
Liga Mayor Femenil
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Liga ...
in the winter. In their first year, they finished in the middle of the competitive Pac-South division of WPSL before becoming Mexican national champions.
Since 2017 participates in the
Liga MX Femenil.
References
External links
Official Club Tijuana sitePrimera División
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tijuana, Club
Football clubs in Baja California
Association football clubs established in 2007
Sports teams in Tijuana
Association football in Tijuana
Liga MX teams
Ascenso MX teams