MONTERREY, Mexico -- Tigres manager Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's wide smile and jovial demeanor following his team's 1-1 tie with local rival Monterrey in the first leg of the Liga MX 2017 Apertura final should not be mistaken for serenity.
Most of the postgame news conference Thursday night was taken up by the Brazil-born manager explaining he was largely satisfied with his team's display but annoyed that Tigres couldn't convert chances to take a lead into Sunday's second leg.
But Ferretti didn't like one particular question about what losing another final would mean. To put that in context, Tigres have been in a golden period of late, but so far have only two Liga MX titles to show for it.
"Why are you seeing the glass half empty?" Ferretti retorted. "What's the other half of that question?"
The reporter, as Ferretti was hoping, pointed out that Tigres have reached a lot of finals recently. In fact, Tigres have reached six -- three in Liga MX, one Copa Libertadores and two in the CONCACAF Champions League -- since 2015, but have lost four of them.
"You're talking about negative things and I don't like that," Ferretti said as he began to answer. "But if you want to talk about negative things, how many teams would like to be in our position?
"At least 16," he continued, the only other team at the moment being fellow finalist Monterrey. "And you shouldn't forget that we have had five consecutive finals in Nuevo Leon, something a lot of other states would like. There are states with three teams that haven't achieved that [in reference to Mexico City]. That's more positive, isn't it?"
It begs the question of the relative worth of reaching finals compared to actually lifting trophies. Tigres are the first team to have reached three consecutive Liga MX finals since Necaxa did so over 20 years ago. But there can be no doubt that while being part of the big occasions is the product of consistent quality, filling the trophy cabinet is what creates history. And that is the objective for Ferretti.
A loss Sunday would be particularly difficult to stomach for Ferretti. The Tigres fan base is desperate to get one over on its local rivals. And then the institution, which has given Ferretti the most lavishly constructed squad Liga MX has seen in years, will want to a return on the investment. It doesn't matter which league it is; that expenditure needs to be rewarded with trophies, no matter how unfair that might seem.
And Ferretti will be 64 in February. He's currently living through his 22nd career final as a coach, in all competitions. He has won 12 titles, five of them Liga MX ones. He's currently one short of Raul Cardenas and two off the all-time winningest coach in the history of Mexican's first division. Ferretti signed a new contract last month to take him to 2020, which would complete 10 years at the club.
Ferretti said he's never been involved in a final series as "distinct" -- as he described it -- as the Clasico Regio that Tigres are currently battling against Monterrey. That was also some statement, given he has managed Chivas and Pumas -- two of Mexico's "big four" clubs -- in finals.
However, Ferretti is a shrewd operator when it comes to the media, rarely giving out exclusive interviews and treating members of local outlets as if he was their embarrassing uncle. He also knows how to divert attention, as he did by referencing the relative quality of Nuevo Leon's two clubs compared to the three in Mexico City: Club America, Cruz Azul and Pumas. That angle was picked up on in the Mexican media.
Underneath all that, Ferretti will know very clearly that the 2017 Apertura title would be up there with the best moments of his career, given that it would've been won against Monterrey. A defeat, however, and talk of the lost finals would far outweigh the fact that this Tigres team has actually reached them.