Club Tijuana
| File:TJ.JPG | |||
| Full name | Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Xoloitzcuintles, Xolos, Los Perros aztecas, Los Rojinegros (Xoloitzcuintles, Xolos, The Aztec Dogs, The Red-blacks ) | ||
| Founded | 2006 | ||
| Ground | Estadio Caliente Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | ||
| Capacity | 33,333 | ||
| Chairman |  Jorge Alberto Hank | ||
| Head Coach | Joaquín del Olmo | ||
| League | Primera División de México | ||
| Apertura 2010 | Champion | ||
|
| |||
Club Tijuana (full name Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles De Caliente), is a professional Mexican professional football team from Tijuana, Baja California. Tijuana plays in the Primera División de México, Mexico's First Division.
They play home games at Estadio Caliente, in Tijuana.
History
The club are the latest in a long line of league teams in the city of Tijuana. Gallos Caliente was instituted in the summer of 2006, not long after the city's last club, Dorados, were relegated to the Segunda.
The team's name was later changed to Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles De Caliente. Team owner Jorge Hank Rhon announced the construction of the Estadio Caliente, a new stadium with a capacity for 33,333 people near Grupo Caliente's Agua Caliente Racetrack.
Jorge Alberto Hank, the 24-year old eldest son of Jorge Hank Rhon, is the President of the team. He announced several times that his short term goal and commitment was to ascend to the Primera.
They became the Apertura 2010 champions after defeating Veracruz 3-0 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. [1]
Jorge Alberto Hank and Alberto Murguia Orozco, 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.
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. This is because Grupo Caliente does not provide bets for the First Division A, the division the Club Tijuana is currently in. Moreover, it would not be the only football owner that would be associated with gaming. Grupo Televisa, the owner of the prestigious América is affiliated with sports gaming.
Stadium
Currently Club Tijuana's home is the new Estadio Caliente, located inside the Hipodromo, Grupo Caliente's headquarters. It is in the central area of the city. Jorge Hank Rhon made it known that this multi-million dollar project was not created simply for a Second Division team. Rather, it was constructed to give the city of Tijuana a first division stadium, and a chance of Tijuana's stadium to host international competitions such as the Mexico U-17 World Cup 2011. If Mexico had received the 2018 World Cup the stadium would have been expanded to 40,000 capacity.
The first Title
The team obtained its first title in the Apertura 2010 tournament, after having finished like general leader during the regular tournament, which gave them the direct pass to semi-finals. In semi-finals the Xolos faced Albinegros de Orizaba. In both semifinal legs, the Xolos and Albinegros finished O:O, with the global marker 0:0 too. The position that the Xolos had during the regular tournament permitted them to pass to the final agains the Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz. In the first leg the "Xolos" surprised and won 0:2 in the Luis "Pirata" Fuente in Veracruz, while in their field they won again 1:0 and this way Tijuana obtained half a ticket towards The First Division.
Institutional Vision
What first seemed like a hobby to the football aficionado Jorge Hank, has now been projected as a business and institution with many ambitious goals by his son Jorgealberto Hank Inzunza, President of Club Tijuana. The president has announced several times in press conferences that the project is far bigger than a stadium and a First Division team.
The business 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.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Honours
Domestic
- Apertura 2010
References
- ^ Zamora, David (May 21, 2011). "Tijuana ya está en Primera División". Azteca Deportes. Retrieved May 21, 2011.