Liga MX review: Monterrey get top seed over America, Chivas

The Liga MX common season has now formally completed, leaving six groups knocked out of the operating for this season’s championship. For these remaining, the top 4 within the league desk will mechanically qualify for the quarterfinal playoff stage, whereas the following eight best-ranked groups will battle it out in a preliminary single-leg play-in (repechaje) spherical.

In case you missed the ultimate weekend of the common season, this is a fast wrap-up on these invited to the Liguilla, these lacking out, and different extra notes from Week 17.

– Liga MX standings | Liga MX protection on ESPN Deportes

Monterrey, America, Chivas, Toluca clinch byes

Almost as if trying to silence any worries from two surprising losses earlier this month, No. 1 seed Monterrey closed out the common season with a 4-1 thrashing of Pumas final Saturday. Carried by a hat-trick from their main goalscorer Rogelio Funes Mori, Los Rayados completed with 40 factors, the membership’s short-season report.

¡¡El #Top4!! 🫡@Rayados, @ClubAmerica, @Chivas y @TolucaFC están ya en #4tosDeFinal

Los mejores 4 del #Clausura2023 🔝#LigaBBVAMX ⚽ pic.twitter.com/yy6QXXushv

— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) May 1, 2023

How did they do it? Simply put: Improving their assault. Under veteran supervisor Victor Manuel Vucetich, Monterrey had been already defensively strong final season, however had been removed from imposing when it got here to scoring. While sustaining that reliability in protection, they have been in a position to change into extra lethal within the ultimate third due to the efforts of key figures like Funes Mori, German Berterame and Alfonso Gonzalez.

That mentioned, Monterrey fell only one aim wanting the league-leading scoring complete of 36 from No. 2 seed Club America. Although their 1-0 win over FC Juarez wasn’t an instance of America’s high-scoring methods, it ensured a useful top 4 end.

Speaking of discovering the again of the online, credit score can be as a consequence of Club America’s Henry Martin, whose 14 targets earned him this season’s Liga MX goalscoring title. Once the playoffs ramp up, the 30-year-old Mexican ahead will probably be one of many extra outstanding gamers to look at.

Finishing behind Club America on a decrease aim differential, No. 3 Chivas made a Monterrey-like assertion with a 4-1 victory vs. Mazatlan. No different membership had a stronger end to the Clausura than this Chivas aspect that’s at present on a four-game successful streak.

With No. 4 seed Toluca, can speak lots about supervisor Ignacio Ambriz’s heavy-possession fashion that helped create a 3-0 win on Sunday in opposition to Necaxa. Kudos to high-flying winger/wing-back Maximiliano Araujo, however the true X-factor is goalkeeper Tiago Volpi. His shot-stopping alone already makes him among the finest in Liga MX in his place, however what apparently units him aside is his attacking influence. He scored on a Paneka in Sunday’s win, his third aim from the penalty spot this season.

Leon, Tigres the faves within the play-in spherical?

Even with three factors by a 1-0 win over Queretaro in Week 17, defending champions Pachuca remained at fifth within the desk. Since the early levels of the Clausura, inconsistent outcomes and defensive errors finally price the squad. In the play-in spherical, Pachuca will tackle a thirteenth place Santos Laguna which can be fortunate to be invited to the celebration. Due to No. 10 seed Queretaro ending final within the coefficient desk (factors per recreation common over the final three years), Los Gallos Blancos‘ playoff place was as an alternative given to Santos, as the following finest workforce outdoors the top 12.

¡Lista la #Reclasificación! 🤩

Así se jugará la siguiente ronda del #Clausura2023:@Tuzos vs @ClubSantos@clubleonfc vs @AtletideSanLuis @TigresOficial vs @ClubPueblaMX@CruzAzul vs @AtlasFC

8 Clubes, 4 lugares para los #4tosDeFinal#LigaBBVAMX ⚽ pic.twitter.com/PEDentBngy

— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) May 1, 2023

No. 6 seed Leon could have a lot to be blissful about after breezing previous Tigres 3-0 on Sunday night time. Sure, it was up in opposition to an alternate Tigres roster that’s making ready for the CONCACAF Champions League — in opposition to Leon this Wednesday, oddly sufficient — however Leon’s prize will probably be a play-in spherical battle in opposition to No. 12 Atletico San Luis. Somehow squeezing into the playoffs with simply 16 targets over 17 video games, Atletico drew 0-0 at residence with Atlas in Week 17 and will not be a lot of a risk.

Despite the truth that No. 7 seed Tigres will probably be licking their wounds after dropping to Leon, their star gamers will no less than be well-rested in a busy weekend that options the CCL semifinal second leg and a play-in match in opposition to No. 11 seed Puebla. Let’s not neglect that Puebla didn’t do a lot in opposition to Tigres a pair weeks again in a 1-0 loss.

No. 8 seed Cruz Azul shook off a nasty run of kind with a slender 3-2 victory over Santos Laguna final Saturday. Still a piece in progress below the well-respected however ageing methods of recent coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti, it would not be a shock in the event that they bumped into issues in opposition to a No. 9 Atlas (undefeated of their final six Liga MX matches).

Queretaro, regardless of top 10 end, denied postseason play

Now for the groups whose season has ended. Queretaro completed in tenth place however their spot on the backside of the coefficient desk finally left them out of the operating for the playoffs. That benefitted Santos Laguna, who had been only one level above 14th place Pumas. All that Pumas wanted was only a draw from the ultimate weekend to take the playoff spot over Santos Laguna, however that was most likely an excessive amount of to ask in opposition to top aspect Monterrey.

For fifteenth place Club Tijuana, any final minute hopes of a dash into the playoffs had been thrown out the window after dropping 5-2 to Puebla in Week 17. The February arrival of former Mexico coach Miguel “Piojo” Herrera wasn’t sufficient to reawaken a Xolos squad which can be missing any chew.

sixteenth place FC Juarez prolonged their winless streak to 11 after dropping to Club America final week, seventeenth place Necaxa solely scored as soon as of their final 5 video games (when you do not rely own-goals), and 18th place Mazatlan introduced after Sunday’s loss to Chivas that supervisor Ruben Omar Romano has been fired. In reality, in the identical statement concerning Romano, additionally they dropped eight gamers and transfer-listed an extra two.

According to league rules, fines will probably be given to the groups within the backside three of the coefficient desk, with final within the coefficient desk paying the very best price. Mazatlan can pay 33 million pesos, Club Tijuana can pay 47 million pesos and Queretaro can pay 80 million pesos.