GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Chivas ended their Apertura 2015 campaign on Sunday with a painful 3-0 loss against Santos Laguna.
Bryan Rabello opened the scoring in the first half, with Jose Abella and Cesar Ibanez netting after the break to wrap up the points for Santos Laguna. Chivas finish the season in 13th place in the Liga MX table and has now made the playoffs just once in the past six seasons.
Here are five takes from their troubled campaign so far ...
Avoiding relegation still club's priority
The highlight of the season was the Copa MX final victory over Leon on Nov. 4 -- the night head coach Matias Almeyda masterminded a 1-0 win over La Fiera with an Oswaldo Alanis goal that ended a trophy drought that was approaching 10 years. The bus top parade that followed was ill-advised, even if there was cause for celebration. Unfortunately for Chivas, they lost against relegation rivals Dorados de Sinaloa 2-1 away in their next Liga MX match and their playoff hopes ended.
Attention quickly turned back to survival, something that was really brought home with the heavy defeat to Los Guerreros on Sunday. The reality is that Chivas have a strong possibility of going down should the Clausura 2016 turn out to be a poor one. The Guadalajara club finished the Apertura in 16th place in the relegation table -- worked out over the past six seasons -- above only Dorados and Morelia.
While owner Jorge Vergara continues to talk titles and glory, Almeyda has his feet firmly on the ground and knows the priority is to steer the club away from the dreaded drop in 2016.
No respite from constant changes
Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre guided Chivas to the final of the Copa MX in the Clausura 2015 and the semifinal of the Liga MX. But it didn't stop Vergara wielding his well-used axe eight games into the Apertura, with Chivas on seven points.
Former Mexico national team coach De la Torre could rightly feel aggrieved and his brother Nestor, the club president, followed him out the door. Captain Omar Bravo despaired -- there were rumors the players had attempted to persuade Vergara to keep De la Torre -- but it was no use. Almeyda was already in Guadalajara and ready to sign.
It added another chapter to the soap opera the club has become. And with Vergara and Angelica Fuentes locked in a legal battle for control of the club following their decision to divorce, there may well be more instability off the field in 2016.
Vergara said he wants Almeyda to become to Chivas what Sir Alex Ferguson was to Manchester United and he is talking a good game. However, he said exactly the same about Jose Luis "Guero" Real and he didn't last long after.
Club keeps producing youngsters
The real positive for Chivas this Apertura has been the breakthrough of a number of younger players from the team's youth system.
In goal, 23-year-old Antonio Rodriguez has re-established himself as the No.1 and enjoyed a positive season. Hedgardo Marin and Miguel Basulto continue to impress and there is right-back Raul Lopez, who made his debut with the Mexican national team against El Salvador earlier this month in Estadio Azteca.
Further up field, holding midfielder Michael Perez has shown a strong work rate and intelligent use of the ball under both De la Torre and Almeyda.
Wingers Carlos Cisneros and David "Avion" Ramirez are ones to watch, while striker Angel Zaldivar looks to have a chance of making it at the top level. Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez has shown flashes of brilliance and has been marked out by Almeyda another talent.
The future is bright for Chivas with the youngsters coming through, but they have to be managed in the right way.
The season Bravo became a legend
Aug. 12, 2015 is a date Bravo is unlikely to forget. The striker from Sinaloa netted twice against Morelia in Chivas' 2-0 victory, which took his tally to 123 goals for Chivas and was enough to overtake Salvador Reyes as the club's top scorer in the league. The feat will mark Bravo down as one of Chivas' greats for generations to come and it is fully deserved.
Bravo has been by far Chivas' best player this Apertura and even at 35, he has carried the team on his shoulders, leading by example and netting 10 Liga MX goals.
A new two-year contract was the reward and the challenge next season is for Bravo to maintain his devastating form.
Intelligent signings required
Chivas have the raw youth talent to take on the Liga MX's best, but need to bring in one or two commanding, established players to help them next year.
Central midfield needs improvement and splashing out big on someone like Mexico's Carlos Pena -- a player Chivas reportedly made a bid for last winter -- would give the team a major boost. In the striking department, there is a lack of true depth should Bravo lose form or get injured, although Zaldivar will probably think differently.
Chivas cannot afford to buy another Angel Reyna, who is one of the club's highest earners, but he has started just 16 Liga MX games and scored only once since joining in May 2014.