Mallorca, owned by a group of North Americans, including former NBA great Steve Nash and former national team players Stu Holden and Kyle Martino, has made a similar climb up the Spanish ladder, jumping two tiers in as many seasons. But its stay in La Liga will be a short one if it doesn’t get hot soon. Mallorca (6-15-3) goes into its match at Real Betis (7-9-8) on Friday (BeIN Sports, noon Pacific) just inside the relegation zone, trailing Celta Vigo on goal differential after winning just two of its last 11. But Mallorca is still two places and two points ahead of last-place Espanyol, an original La Liga team that has spent only four seasons in the second division, the most recent in 1993-94.
Soccer on TV: Cinderella teams battle to avoid relegation
