Necaxa Episode 7 Recap: Does Necaxa Win The Match Against Queretaro?

With Rob Mac in town, Necaxa goes hard with piggybacking on the success of Welcome to Wrexham, and at this point, I don’t think we should complain about this. Rob Mac is an investor in Necaxa, and the main goal is achieving something that can match the success of Wrexham. If only the show was half as good as the one based on the Welsh club, it would have been perfect. Anyway, following last week’s emphatic victory against Leon again, Necaxa is now on a high. Clearly this feels like a good time for their celebrity investors; both Eva Longoria and Rob Mac come and cheer for them. Especially for Longoria, who has been there for the club through all their terrible times for the past year, the current moment of success is very much earned. The team is not without its woes, though. Star goalscorer Diber Cambindo suffered a head injury during the last match. Trusted defender Agustin Oliveros is also injured. It’s all but certain that the team has to play their next match without these two, which isn’t going to be easy. Let’s see what happens in this episode.

Meet The Little Boss

Rob Mac may be the MVP, but this week’s individual focus is on Necaxa midfielder Ivan Rodriguez, who’s known as ‘The Little Boss.’ The talented midfielder spent his formative years at Leon before rising through the ranks and breaking into the squad for the first time. It was Nicholas Larcamon—during his tenure at Leon—who saw the potential in Ivan and gave him the opportunity. And Ivan grabbed it with all his might by delivering a strong performance in a season where Leon finished as the champions. Sadly for Ivan, things started going downhill from there. He suffered multiple injuries, Nico left, and the new coach came and told him that he was not in the club’s plan anymore, following which he moved to Club America, where he hardly got to play. Naturally, when Nico called him from Necaxa, Ivan didn’t hesitate to come over. Things have been good again for him in this club. It clearly seems Nico has the ability to get the best out of The Little Boss. Ivan Rodriguez, judging by he tells the filming crew, is now mostly happy and content. All he needs now is to score a goal, something that hasn’t happened to him yet, despite playing all these years and being a really talented player. 

Rob Mac’s day out at Aguascalientes

We can all agree that Rob Mac brings a very positive energy to the whole affair. The guy is a generally likeable personality, so him finally being part of the whole Necaxa setup is mostly a delight, even though it doesn’t do much, narrative-wise at least. Him learning Spanish has been quite a gag throughout the show, which continues in this episode too—we see Rob Mac accidentally saying something wrong to Cambindo. That said, he’s able to understand and speak the language better than a lot of non-Spanish-speaking people, which gives me motivation to return to my Duolingo.

The best thing about Rob Mac is how you know for a fact the guy is genuinely into this; he’s not doing anything to show off. He, along with Reynolds, has changed the fortunes of Wrexham, and that’s exactly what he’s trying to do here as well. In one of the most touching moments of this episode, Rob Mac spots two people on the streets of Aguascalientes, one wearing a Real Madrid shirt and the other, a Barcelona shirt. However, he doesn’t see anyone with a Necaxa shirt, which reminds him of the early days of Wrexham. He reminisces about it while telling Eva that they’ve got their work cut out.

What happens at the match against Queretaro?

This whole episode was mainly about Rob Mac visiting the city and the club for the first time and witnessing Necaxa playing live at the Victoria stadium. With their star investor, Rob Mac, and Eva “The Boss” in the stands, the team appears to be simultaneously pumped and anxious. The stakes are high as Necaxa are in the number 6 position, which means they’re very much in contention for the playoffs. A win from here is going to strengthen that possibility. Anything other than that means the situation will get a bit tricky, and direct qualification for the playoffs might be out of the question.

The game kicks off, and Necaxa takes a lead in the eleventh minute. And it had to be none other than The Little Boss! Ivan Rodriguez couldn’t find a better time to score his first league goal. The first half passes by, and Necaxa survives without much of a scare. It’s a messy affair, though, as Nico gets mad at the referee for overlooking several fouls against his players. It gets to a point where he is given a warning, as the referee shows him a yellow card. 

In football, a 1-0 lead is always a scary thing. Especially in a crunch match, where a lot is dependent on the all-important three points, a one-goal lead is a very anxiety-inducing affair. At any moment, things can go wrong for you! Naturally, for Necaxa, it becomes very important to score another goal. And who better than their captain to do it? Alexis Pena has been one of the most important characters of this narrative. He’s loved by all, no matter what, a true leader in every possible way, and a lion-hearted defender—that has been his identity. The beautiful header against Queretaro only cements it. It’s also magical, by Pena’s own admission, because defenders don’t usually score goals. Pena’s goal ensures 3 more points for Necaxa, fuels their playoff dreams further, and Rob Mac gets to go back home with a great first-day memory. Can anything be better than this?

Some Notes ...