title: 2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season
text: # 2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season
  
  The 2002–03 season was Morelia's 53rd season in existence and their 22nd consecutive season in the top flight of Mexican football. The club participated in the Apertura and Clausura tournaments of the Mexican Primera División and in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup (the entire tournament, except for the finals, were played on the first semester of 2003).
  
  Monarcas Morelia had a partially successful season. They achieved to reach both Apertura and Clausura tournaments' finals, but lost them both. They were defeated by Toluca in the Apertura tournament final and lost the Clausura tournament to Monterrey, despite ending the regular tournament as leaders of the championship.
  
  Internationally, Morelia classified to the CONCACAF Champion's Cup final, that would be played on the team's next season.
  
  ## Players
  
  ### Apertura
  
  | No. | Pos. | Name | Date of birth (Age) | Since |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | GK | Miguel Fuentes | (1971-09-29)29 September 1971 (aged 30) | 2002 |
  | 3 | DF | Omar Rodríguez | (1975-08-15)15 August 1975 (aged 26) | 2002 |
  | 4 | DF | Carlos Humberto González | (1977-11-03)3 November 1977 (aged 24) | 2002 |
  | 5 | DF | Heriberto Morales | (1975-03-10)10 March 1975 (aged 27) | 1998 |
  | 7 | FW | Antonio González | (1979-02-11)11 February 1979 (aged 23) | 2000 |
  | 8 | MF | Jorge Almirón | (1971-06-19)19 June 1971 (aged 31) | 2000 |
  | 9 | FW | Alex Fernandes | (1973-04-04)4 April 1973 (aged 29) | 1999 |
  | 10 | FW | Adolfo Bautista | (1979-05-15)15 May 1979 (aged 23) | 2002 |
  | 11 | FW | Martín Gómez | (1983-01-26)26 January 1983 (aged 19) | 2001 |
  | 12 | GK | Sergio Cisneros | (1976-12-13)13 December 1976 (aged 25) | 1999 |
  | 13 | MF | Miguel Hernández | (1976-03-20)20 March 1976 (aged 26) | 1997 |
  | 15 | DF | Mario Ruiz | (1977-01-12)12 January 1977 (aged 25) | 1999 |
  | 16 | DF | Eduardo Rodríguez | (1979-10-13)13 October 1979 (aged 22) | 2000 |
  | 17 | MF | José Antonio Noriega | (1969-12-29)29 December 1969 (aged 32) | 2000 |
  | 18 | MF | Hernán Buján | (1974-12-05)5 December 1974 (aged 27) | 2002 |
  | 19 | FW | Alejandro Leyva | (1980-05-14)14 May 1980 (aged 22) | 2001 |
  | 20 | MF | Ismael Íñiguez | (1981-07-23)23 July 1981 (aged 21) | 2001 |
  | 22 | MF | Javier Lozano | (1971-02-09)9 February 1971 (aged 31) | 1999 |
  | 23 | MF | Javier Saavedra | (1973-03-13)13 March 1973 (aged 29) | 2002 |
  | 27 | DF | Omar Trujillo | (1977-11-09)9 November 1977 (aged 24) | 1998 |
  | 28 | MF | Carlos Adrián Morales | (1979-09-06)6 September 1979 (aged 22) | 1998 |
  | 30 | GK | Moisés Muñoz | (1980-02-01)1 February 1980 (aged 22) | 1999 |
  | 58 | DF | Darío Franco (Captain) | (1969-01-17)17 January 1969 (aged 33) | 1998 |
  
  ### Clausura
  
  | No. | Pos. | Name | Date of birth (Age) | Since |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | GK | Miguel Fuentes | (1971-09-29)29 September 1971 (aged 31) | 2002 |
  | 4 | DF | Carlos Humberto González | (1977-11-03)3 November 1977 (aged 25) | 2002 |
  | 5 | DF | Christian Ramírez | (1978-08-08)8 August 1978 (aged 24) | 2003 |
  | 6 | DF | Ignacio Carrasco | (1982-06-30)30 June 1982 (aged 20) | 2002 |
  | 7 | MF | Roberto Palacios | (1972-12-28)28 December 1972 (aged 30) | 2003 |
  | 8 | MF | Jorge Almirón | (1971-06-19)19 June 1971 (aged 31) | 2000 |
  | 9 | FW | Reinaldo Navia | (1978-05-10)10 May 1978 (aged 24) | 2003 |
  | 10 | FW | Adolfo Bautista | (1979-05-15)15 May 1979 (aged 23) | 2002 |
  | 11 | FW | Martín Gómez | (1983-01-26)26 January 1983 (aged 19) | 2001 |
  | 12 | DF | Enrique Vizcarra | (1975-12-24)24 December 1975 (aged 27) | 2003 |
  | 13 | MF | Miguel Hernández | (1976-03-20)20 March 1976 (aged 26) | 1997 |
  | 14 | MF | Juan Antonio Urteaga | (1979-02-28)28 February 1979 (aged 23) | 2003 |
  | 15 | DF | Mario Ruiz | (1977-01-12)12 January 1977 (aged 25) | 1999 |
  | 18 | MF | Damián Álvarez | (1979-05-21)21 May 1979 (aged 23) | 2003 |
  | 20 | FW | Ismael Íñiguez | (1981-07-23)23 July 1981 (aged 21) | 2001 |
  | 23 | MF | Javier Saavedra | (1973-03-13)13 March 1973 (aged 29) | 2002 |
  | 24 | DF | Alejandro Pliego | (1982-01-04)4 January 1982 (aged 21) | 2003 |
  | 27 | DF | Omar Trujillo | (1977-11-09)9 November 1977 (aged 25) | 1998 |
  | 28 | MF | Carlos Adrián Morales | (1979-09-06)6 September 1979 (aged 23) | 1998 |
  | 30 | GK | Moisés Muñoz | (1980-02-01)1 February 1980 (aged 22) | 1999 |
  | 33 | DF | Carlos Gutiérrez | (1979-09-03)3 September 1979 (aged 23) | 2003 |
  | 53 | MF | Ricardo Ruelas | (1982-10-18)18 October 1982 (aged 20) | 2003 |
  | 58 | DF | Darío Franco (Captain) | (1969-01-17)17 January 1969 (aged 33) | 1998 |
  | 61 | FW | Oribe Peralta | (1984-01-12)12 January 1984 (aged 18) | 2003 |
  | 67 | DF | Charel Hernández | (1984-11-06)6 November 1984 (aged 18) | 2003 |
  
  ## Transfers
  
  ### In
  
  | No. | Pos. | Player | Moving from | Type | Transfer window |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 4 | DF | Humberto González | UAG | Transfer | Summer |
  | 10 | DF | Adolfo Bautista | UAG | Transfer | Summer |
  | 18 | MF | Hernán Buján | Huracán | Transfer | Summer |
  | 23 | MF | Javier Saavedra | UANL | Loan | Summer |
  | 5 | DF | Christian Ramírez | Toluca | Transfer | Winter |
  | 7 | MF | Roberto Palacios | UAG | Transfer | Winter |
  | 9 | FW | Reinaldo Navia | UAG | Transfer | Winter |
  | 12 | DF | Enrique Vizcarra | Santos Laguna | Transfer | Winter |
  | 14 | MF | Juan Antonio Urteaga | León | Transfer | Winter |
  | 18 | FW | Damián Álvarez | River Plate | Transfer | Winter |
  | 61 | FW | Oribe Peralta | Academy | Promotion | Winter |
  
  ### Out
  
  | No. | Pos. | Player | Moving to | Type | Transfer window |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 4 | DF | Heriberto Morales | Guadalajara | Transfer | Winter |
  | 7 | FW | Antonio González | Irapuato | Transfer | Winter |
  | 9 | FW | Alex Fernandes | Monterrey | Transfer | Winter |
  | 12 | GK | Sergio Cisneros | Acapulco | Transfer | Winter |
  | 17 | MF | José Antonio Noriega | Santos Laguna | Transfer | Winter |
  | 18 | MF | Hernán Buján | León | Transfer | Winter |
  | 22 | MF | Javier Lozano | Tabasco | Transfer | Winter |
  
  ## 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 | 3 August 2002 | 21 December 2002 | Matchday 1 | Runnerups | 25 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 052.00 |
  | Clausura | 12 January 2003 | 31 May 2003 | Matchday 1 | Runnerups | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 048.00 |
  | CONCACAF Champions' Cup | 12 March 2003 | 7 May 2003 | First round | $Semifinals^1$ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 050.00 |
  | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 56 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 107 | 61 | +46 | 050.00 |
  
  Source: Mediotiempo.com
  
  1. Morelia qualified to the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup final, to be played on the next season.
  
  ### Torneo Apertura
  
  **League table**
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 2 | Toluca | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 55 | 25 | +30 | 41 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 3 | UNAM | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 33 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 4 | Morelia | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 23 | +12 | 32 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 5 | UAG | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 29 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 6 | Cruz Azul | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 28 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  
  ### Torneo Clausura
  
  **League table**
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Morelia | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 34 | 20 | +14 | 35 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 2 | Atlante | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 34 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 3 | Monterrey | 19 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 34 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 4 | UANL | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 34 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  | 5 | Toluca | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 33 | Directly qualified to the Liguilla (Playoffs) |
  
  ## Statistics
  
  ### Appearances and goals
  
  | No. | Pos. | Player | Total | Total | Apertura | Apertura | Clausura | Clausura | Champions' Cup | Champions' Cup |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | No. | Pos. | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
  | 1 | GK | Miguel Fuentes | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
  | 4 | DF | Carlos Humberto González | 33 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 5 | DF | Christian Ramírez | 15 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
  | 6 | MF | Ignacio Carrasco | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 7 | MF | Roberto Palacios | 25 | 5 | – | – | 22 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
  | 8 | MF | Jorge Almirón | 51 | 3 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
  | 9 | FW | Reinaldo Navia | 25 | 17 | – | – | 23 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
  | 10 | FW | Adolfo Bautista | 50 | 24 | 21 | 8 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
  | 11 | FW | Martín Gómez | 26 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
  | 12 | DF | Enrique Vizcarra | 22 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
  | 13 | MF | Miguel Hernández | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
  | 14 | MF | Juan Antonio Urteaga | 5 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 15 | DF | Mario Ruiz | 45 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 18 | MF | Damián Álvarez | 19 | 2 | – | – | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
  | 20 | FW | Ismael Íñiguez | 46 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
  | 23 | MF | Javier Saavedra | 49 | 12 | 23 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
  | 24 | DF | Alejandro Pliego | 4 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
  | 27 | DF | Omar Trujillo | 30 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | 28 | MF | Carlos Adrián Morales | 49 | 5 | 24 | 2 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
  | 30 | GK | Moisés Muñoz | 39 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | 33 | DF | Carlos Gutiérrez | 8 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
  | 53 | MF | Ricardo Ruelas | 2 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 58 | DF | Darío Franco | 53 | 4 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
  | 61 | FW | Oribe Peralta | 3 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | 67 | DF | Charel Hernández | 5 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
  | ? | DF | Hugo Magallón | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
  | ? | ? | Francisco Martínez | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | ? | DF | Éder Morales | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | ? | FW | Rodrigo Prieto | 2 | 1 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
  | ? | ? | Roberto Rosas | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
  | Players that left the club during the season |||||||||||
  | 2 | DF | Jaime Alarcón | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
  | 3 | DF | Omar Rodríguez | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
  | 5 | DF | Heriberto Morales | 25 | 0 | 25 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
  | 7 | FW | Antonio González | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
  | 9 | FW | Alex Fernandes | 24 | 15 | 24 | 15 | – | – | – | – |
  | 12 | GK | Sergio Cisneros | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
  | 16 | DF | Eduardo Rodríguez | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
  | 17 | MF | José Antonio Noriega | 25 | 2 | 25 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
  | 18 | MF | Hernán Buján | 19 | 1 | 19 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
  | 19 | FW | Alejandro Leyva | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
  | 22 | MF | Javier Lozano | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
  
  ### Goalscorers
  
  | Rank | Pos. | Player | Apertura | Clausura | Champions' Cup | Total |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | FW | Adolfo Bautista | 8 | 11 | 5 | 24 |
  | 2 | FW | Reinaldo Navia | – | 14 | 3 | 17 |
  | 3 | FW | Alex Fernandes | 15 | – | – | 15 |
  | 4 | MF | Javier Saavedra | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
  | 5 | FW | Ismael Íñiguez | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
  | 6 | MF | Carlos Adrián Morales | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
  | 6 | MF | Roberto Palacios | – | 3 | 2 | 5 |
  | 8 | DF | Darío Franco | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
  | 9 | MF | Jorge Almirón | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
  | 10 | MF | José Antonio Noriega | 2 | – | – | 2 |
  | 10 | MF | Damián Álvarez | – | 2 | 0 | 2 |
  | 12 | MF | Hernán Buján | 1 | – | – | 1 |
  | 12 | FW | Antonio González | 1 | – | – | 1 |
  | 12 | DF | Charel Hernández | – | 0 | 1 | 1 |
  | 12 | MF | Javier Lozano | 1 | – | – | 1 |
  | 12 | FW | Rodrigo Prieto | – | 0 | 1 | 1 |
  | 12 | DF | Omar Rodríguez | 1 | – | – | 1 |
  | 12 | DF | Enrique Vizcarra | – | 0 | 1 | 1 |
  | Total | Total | Total | 49 | 42 | 16 | 107 |
  
  ### Hat-tricks
  
  | Player | Against | Result | Date | Competition | Ref. |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Adolfo Bautista | Comunicaciones | 4–0 (H) | 26 March 2003 | CONCACAF Champions' Cup | |
  
  ### Own goals
  
  | Player | Against | Result | Date | Competition |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Omar Rodríguez | San Luis | 3–2 (H) | 20 October 2002 | Primera División |
  