# 2022–23 Cruz Azul season

The 2022–23 Club de Futbol Cruz Azul season was the 96th season in the football club's history and the 58th consecutive season in the top flight of Mexican football. Cruz Azul competed in Liga MX and the Supercopa de la Liga MX.

## Season overview
### May

On 19 May, Cruz Azul announced the dismissal of Juan Reynoso as the first team coach, ending his spell at the club after 16 months.
On 31 May, Cruz Azul announced the appointment of Diego Aguirre as the new first team head coach until 2023.

### August

On 5 August, Cruz Azul announced the signing of Ramiro Funes Mori from Al-Nassr.
On 7 August, Rafael Baca's contract was automatically renewed until the end of 2023 after reaching an undisclosed percentage of minutes played.

### February

On 4 February, Carlos Vargas made his debut with Cruz Azul and suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in the 14th minute of play.
Cruz Azul began the Clausura tournament with a five-game winless streak and four consecutive losses. On 13 February, Cruz Azul announced the dismissal of Raúl Gutiérrez. The under-20 head coach Joaquín Moreno took over training as interim head coach on 14 February with under-18 head coach Joel Huiqui as his assistant. Cruz Azul won their first game of the tournament in week 7, at Puebla, with a score of 3–1.
On 22 February, Cruz Azul announced the hiring of Ricardo Ferretti who signed a contract contingent on his results. Former Cruz Azul managers Guillermo Vázquez and Joaquín Moreno would join Ferretti's coaching staff as assistant coaches.

### March

On 2 March, Carlos Rodríguez and Uriel Antuna were called up to the Mexico national football team for their CONCACAF Nations League group stage matches.
On 3 March, Ignacio Rivero played his 100th match with Cruz Azul. The result was a 3–1 loss to Mazatlán, cutting Cruz Azul's three game win streak short and giving Mazatlán their first win of the season.

## First-team coaching staff

| Position | Name | Nationality | Year appointed | Last club/team |
| Manager | Ricardo Ferretti | Brazil | 2023 | FC Juárez (as manager) |
| Assistant Coaches | Guillermo Vázquez | Mexico | 2023 | Necaxa (as manager) |
| Assistant Coaches | Joaquín Moreno | Mexico | 2023 | Cruz Azul (as interim manager) |
| Medic | Juan José Pérez | Mexico | 2021 | Veracruz |
| Medic | Ernesto Prado | Mexico | 2015 | Cruz Azul Hidalgo |
| Fitness trainer | Guillermo Orta | Mexico | 2023 | FC Juárez |
| Kinesiologist | Juan Rubio | Mexico | 2009 | |

## Players
### Squad information

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | Signed in | Previous club |
| 1 | GK | José de Jesús Corona (captain) | 42 | 2009 | Tecos UAG |
| 3 | DF | Jaiber Jiménez | 28 | 2019 | Youth system |
| 4 | DF | Julio César Domínguez (vice-captain) | 35 | 2006 | Youth system |
| 6 | MF | Erik Lira | 27 | 2022 (Winter) | Pumas UNAM |
| 7 | MF | Uriel Antuna | 25 | 2022 (Winter) | Guadalajara |
| 8 | FW | Gonzalo Carneiro | 27 | 2022 | Liverpool Montevideo |
| 11 | FW | Christian Tabó | 29 | 2018 | Puebla |
| 12 | DF | José Joaquín Martínez | 36 | 2020 | Monarcas Morelia |
| 13 | FW | Michael Estrada | 27 | 2022 | D.C. United |
| 14 | MF | Alexis Gutiérrez | 23 | 2023 (Winter) | Tapatío |
| 15 | MF | Ignacio Rivero (3rd captain) | 31 | 2020 | Tijuana |
| 17 | MF | Alonso Escoboza | 30 | 2022 | Necaxa |
| 18 | MF | Rodrigo Huescas | 19 | 2021 | Youth system |
| 19 | MF | Carlos Rodríguez | 26 | 2022 (Winter) | Monterrey |
| 20 | FW | Iván Morales | 23 | 2022 (Winter) | Colo-Colo |
| 21 | FW | Augusto Lotti | 26 | 2023 (Winter) | Atlético Tucumán |
| 22 | MF | Rafael Baca | 33 | 2014 (Winter) | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 23 | MF | Ramiro Carrera | 29 | 2023 (Winter) | Atlético Tucumán |
| 24 | DF | Juan Escobar | 27 | 2019 | Cerro Porteño |
| 25 | DF | Ramiro Funes Mori | 32 | 2022 | Al-Nassr |
| 26 | DF | Carlos Vargas | 22 | 2023 (Winter) | Mazatlán |
| 28 | DF | Jordan Silva | 22 | 2023 (Winter) | Querétaro |
| 29 | FW | Carlos Rotondi | 26 | 2022 | Defensa y Justicia |
| 30 | GK | Andrés Gudiño | 26 | 2019 | Tepatitlán |
| 33 | GK | Sebastián Jurado | 25 | 2020 (Winter) | Veracruz |
* Last updated: 8 January 2023
* Source: ligamx.net and cfcruzazul.com

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | No. | Player | From | Type |
| 2 June 2022 | GK | 30 | Andrés Gudiño | Tepatitlán | Loan return |
| 4 July 2022 | FW | 29 | Carlos Rotondi | Defensa y Justicia | Transfer |
| 19 July 2022 | FW | 8 | Gonzalo Carneiro | Liverpool Montevideo | Loan |
| 31 July 2022 | MF | – | Pablo Ceppelini | Peñarol | Loan return |
| 5 August 2022 | DF | 25 | Ramiro Funes Mori | Al–Nassr | Transfer |
| 13 August 2022 | MF | 17 | Alonso Escoboza | Necaxa | Transfer |
| 16 August 2022 | FW | 13 | Michael Estrada | Toluca | Loan |
| Date | Position | No. | Player | From | Type |
| 9 November 2022 | MF | 14 | Alexis Gutiérrez | Tapatío | Loan return |
| 9 November 2022 | DF | – | Eduardo Pastrana | Tepatitlán | Loan return |
| 9 November 2022 | MF | 23 | Ramiro Carrera | Atlético Tucumán | Transfer |
| 9 November 2022 | FW | 21 | Augusto Lotti | Atlético Tucumán | Transfer |
| 11 December 2022 | DF | 28 | Jordan Silva | Querétaro | Transfer |
| 18 January 2023 | DF | 26 | Carlos Vargas | Mazatlán | Transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | No. | Player | To | Type |
| 6 June 2022 | DF | 16 | Adrián Aldrete | Pumas UNAM | Transfer |
| 6 June 2022 | MF | 8 | Luis Ángel Mendoza | Free agent | Released |
| 7 June 2022 | MF | 10 | Rómulo Otero | Fortaleza | Released |
| 8 June 2022 | DF | 23 | Pablo Aguilar | Libertad | Released |
| 29 July 2022 | FW | 9 | Santiago Giménez | Feyenoord | Transfer |
| 8 August 2022 | MF | – | Pablo Ceppelini | Free agent | Released |
| Date | Position | No. | Player | To | Type |
| 20 November 2022 | DF | 2 | Alejandro Mayorga | Guadalajara | Loan return |
| 28 November 2022 | FW | 10 | Ángel Romero | Corinthians | Released |
| 23 December 2022 | DF | 5 | Luis Abram | Granada | Loan return |

## Pre-season and friendlies

Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### Matches

* ↑ Match played at hotel grounds behind closed doors.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000077-QINU`"'

#### Copa SKY

The second edition of the Copa por México will be held with ten Liga MX teams and will serve as a pre-season for the Clausura 2022 tournament.

##### Group stage

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cruz Azul | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | Advance to Final |
| 2 | Pumas UNAM | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Toluca | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 5 | |
| 4 | América | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4 | |
| 5 | Necaxa | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Apertura 2022 | 2 July 2022 | 15 October 2022 | Matchday 1 | 7th (quarter-finals) | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 37 | −10 | 040.00 |
| Clausura 2023 | 8 January 2023 | 6 May 2023 | Matchday 1 | 8th (Reclassification) | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 038.89 |
| Supercopa de la Liga MX | 26 June 2022 | 26 June 2022 | Final | Winners | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 39 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 62 | −12 | 038.46 |
Last updated: 6 May 2023 Source: Mediotiempo.com

### Liga MX
#### Torneo Apertura
##### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 5 | UANL | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 30 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 6 | Toluca | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 27 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 7 | Cruz Azul | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 24 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 8 | Puebla | 17 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 22 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 9 | Guadalajara | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 22 | Qualification for the reclassification |

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 15 October 2022. Source: Soccerway

##### Results round by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | A |
| Result | W | L | L | D | D | W | L | L | L | L | W | D | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L |
| Position | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 7 | RE | QF | QF |

##### Matches

* ^ Rescheduled match.

###### Quarter-finals
#### Torneo Clausura
##### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 6 | León | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 30 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 7 | UANL (C) | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 25 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 8 | Cruz Azul | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 24 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 9 | Atlas | 17 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 21 | Qualification for the reclassification |
| 10 | Querétaro | 17 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 20 | Team ended last place in the coefficient table |
* ↑ The last place team in the coefficient table could not qualify for the final phase; the 13th place team qualified in their stead.

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 6 May 2023. Source: Soccerway

##### Results round by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7$^1$ | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 4$^2$ | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H |
| Result | D | L | L | L | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | D | W | D | L | L | W | L |
| Position | 6 | 14 | 17 | 17$^*$ | 17$^*$ | 17$^*$ | 17$^†$ | 16$^†$ | 11$^*$ | 12$^*$ | 9$^*$ | 8$^*$ | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | RE |
$^2$ Matchday 4 was rescheduled to a date when attendance was permitted following the one-year ban on the Estadio Corregidora.
* *: One match pending.
* †: Two matches pending.

##### Matches
###### Reclassification

* 1 2 Rescheduled match.

## Squad statistics
### Appearances

Players with no appearances are not included on the list.
    As of matches played 18 March 2023
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Apertura 2022 | Apertura 2022 | Apertura Liguilla | Apertura Liguilla | Clausura 2023 | Clausura 2023 | Supercopa | Supercopa | Total | Total |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts |
| 1 | GK | | José de Jesús Corona | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| 3 | DF | | Jaiber Jiménez | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | DF | | Julio César Domínguez | 15 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 26 |
| 6 | MF | | Érik Lira | 15 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 28 |
| 7 | MF | | Uriel Antuna | 16 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 28 |
| 8 | FW | | Gonzalo Carneiro | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 11 |
| 11 | FW | | Christian Tabó | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 7 |
| 12 | DF | | José Joaquín Martínez | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
| 13 | FW | | Michael Estrada | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 |
| 14 | MF | | Alexis Gutiérrez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 15 | MF | | Ignacio Rivero | 14 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 28 |
| 17 | MF | | Alonso Escoboza | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 18 | MF | | Rodrigo Huescas | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 9 |
| 19 | MF | | Carlos Rodríguez | 17 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 26 |
| 20 | FW | | Iván Morales | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 21 | MF | | Augusto Lotti | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| 22 | DF | | Rafael Baca | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 9 |
| 23 | MF | | Ramiro Carrera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 24 | DF | | Juan Escobar | 11 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 25 |
| 25 | DF | | Ramiro Funes Mori | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 |
| 26 | DF | | Carlos Vargas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 28 | DF | | Jordan Silva | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | FW | | Carlos Rotondi | 13 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 23 |
| 33 | GK | | Sebastián Jurado | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| 183 | DF | | Rafael Guerrero | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 8 |
| 200 | DF | | Jorge García | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 206 | MF | | Cristian Jiménez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who have made an appearance or had a squad number this season but have left the club ||||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | | Alejandro Mayorga | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | DF | | Luis Abram | 12 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 14 |
| 9 | FW | | Santiago Giménez | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 10 | FW | | Ángel Romero | 15 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 12 |
* 1 2 3 Player is registered with the under-20 team.

### Goalscorers

Includes all competitive matches.
    As of matches played 28 April 2023
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Player | Liga Apertura | Liguilla Apertura | Liga Clausura | Supercopa | Total |
| 1 | FW | 7 | Uriel Antuna | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | FW | 9 | Santiago Giménez | 5 | – | – | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | FW | 8 | Gonzalo Carneiro | 3 | 0 | 1 | – | 4 |
| 3 | FW | 29 | Carlos Rotondi | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | 4 |
| 3 | MF | 18 | Rodrigo Huescas | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | FW | 10 | Ángel Romero | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | FW | 13 | Michael Estrada | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 |
| 6 | MF | 17 | Alonso Escoboza | 1 | 0 | 2 | – | 3 |
| 6 | FW | 21 | Augusto Lotti | – | – | 3 | – | 3 |
| 10 | FW | 11 | Christian Tabó | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | 15 | Ignacio Rivero | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | 19 | Carlos Rodríguez | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | 20 | Iván Morales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | MF | 22 | Rafael Baca | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | 25 | Ramiro Funes Mori | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 |
| 14 | DF | 4 | Julio César Domínguez | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 26 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 50 |
Sources: Soccerway, Liga MX

### Clean sheets

The list is sorted by shirt number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play.
| | | | | Clean sheets | Clean sheets | Clean sheets | Clean sheets | Clean sheets |
| No. | Player | Games Played | Goals Against | Apertura 2022 | Apertura Liguilla | Clausura 2023 | Supercopa | Total |
| 1 | José de Jesús Corona | 20 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 33 | Sebastián Jurado | 12 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 52 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 |

### Disciplinary record

    As of 18 March 2023
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apertura 2022 | Apertura 2022 | Apertura 2022 | Apertura Liguilla | Apertura Liguilla | Apertura Liguilla | Clausura 2023 | Clausura 2023 | Clausura 2023 | Supercopa de la Liga | Supercopa de la Liga | Supercopa de la Liga | Total | Total | Total |
| 1 | GK | | José de Jesús Corona | 1 | | | | | | 4 | 1 | | | | | 5 | 1 | |
| 2 | DF | | Alejandro Mayorga | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 3 | DF | | Jaiber Jiménez | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 4 | DF | | Julio César Domínguez | 2 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | 5 | | |
| 5 | DF | | Luis Abram | 1 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | |
| 6 | MF | | Erik Lira | 1 | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | | | | 5 | | |
| 7 | FW | | Uriel Antuna | 3 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 5 | | |
| 8 | FW | | Gonzalo Carneiro | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 9 | FW | | Santiago Giménez | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | |
| 10 | FW | | Ángel Romero | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | | |
| 11 | FW | | Christian Tabó | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | |
| 12 | DF | | José Joaquín Martínez | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | |
| 13 | FW | | Michael Estrada | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | 2 | 1 | |
| 15 | MF | | Ignacio Rivero | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 6 | | |
| 17 | MF | | Alonso Escoboza | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 18 | MF | | Rodrigo Huescas | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 19 | MF | | Carlos Rodríguez | 4 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 6 | | |
| 20 | FW | | Iván Morales | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | 1 |
| 21 | FW | | Augusto Lotti | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 22 | MF | | Rafael Baca | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | 1 |
| 24 | DF | | Juan Escobar | 2 | | | | | | 4 | | | 1 | | | 7 | | |
| 25 | DF | | Ramiro Funes Mori | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | |
| 29 | FW | | Carlos Rotondi | 2 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | 1 |
| 33 | GK | | Sebastián Jurado | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 |
| 200 | DF | | Jorge García | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | |
| Coach | Coach | | Diego Aguirre | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Coach | Coach | | Juan Rubio (Kinesiologist) | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 40 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 2 | 6 |
Source: Ordered by , and = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.
* 1 2 Red card was appealed and suspension was rescinded.