The Leon Sentinel
Squad11 Jan 2027
Julio González is the hero from the spot
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Julio González: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match6 Jan 2027
Leon march on in the cup
Toluca are out and Leon go through, 0‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Édgar Guerra beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 27. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Jordi Cortizo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Leon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Jonathan Reyes is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words at Leon training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Juan Pablo Domínguez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market11 Jan 2027
Eyes on Jordan García again
The phone has started ringing about Jordan García again, and this time the name on the line is Deportivo La Coruña. Leon are listening politely and promising nothing.
The terraces11 Jan 2027
The crowd has taken to Emi Rodriguez
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Match9 Jan 2027
Leon get the job done against Tijuana
A 2‑0 win over Tijuana, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
In brief
- Player ratings The kick that got away from José David Ramírez
- Player ratings Emi Rodriguez was the difference for Leon
- The dugout A promise honoured at Leon