Atlas Looks to End 25-Year Winless Streak in Monterrey
Atlas enters its upcoming Apertura 2025 match with an undefeated record through two games, yet the club is simultaneously facing its longest active winless streak against any Liga MX opponent. For a quarter of a century, the Guadalajara-based team has failed to defeat Rayados de Monterrey on the road during the regular season.
The last time Atlas secured a victory in Monterrey was on November 4, 2000, at the now-demolished Estadio Tecnológico. On that day, the team, then managed by Ricardo La Volpe, delivered an emphatic offensive performance to win 5-2. The memorable victory was sealed with goals from Hugo Castillo, Juan Pablo Rodríguez, Daniel Osorno, César Andrade, and Miguel Zepeda.
Since that match, Atlas has visited Monterrey 20 times for regular-season fixtures at both the old Estadio Tecnológico and the current Estadio BBVA, failing to secure a single win. Over that span, the team has managed only eight draws and suffered 12 losses. Two of those draws occurred during the celebrated era under manager Diego Cocca when the club won back-to-back league titles.
Interestingly, the curse appears limited to the regular season. The two clubs have met in the playoffs, where Atlas did manage an away victory. In the first leg of the Apertura 2014 quarterfinals, Atlas defeated Rayados 1-0 at the Estadio Tecnológico, thanks to a long-range strike from Paraguayan forward Luis Caballero.
As they prepare for Saturday night’s clash, Atlas hopes to finally break the streak. Their current head coach, Gonzalo Pineda, has a history of ending such droughts. During the previous Clausura 2025 tournament, he led the team to a victory over Xolos at the Estadio Caliente, a venue where Atlas had not won in a decade.
