Mexico: Liga MX Weekend Roundup
The eight matchday of Liga MX reminded us why Tigres is the best team of the tournament.
UANL leads Clausura 2013 with 20 points and is still undefeated. The northern club won at Cruz Azul's home turf, which puts them ahead of Atlas by three points.
Speaking of which, the Zorros sit second in the table after drawing a very intense match with Querรฉtaro.
Other teams are starting to get back to winning ways too like Chivas and UNAM. However, the tournament is very irregular and clubs that have been far from consistent while Santos and Morelia also won.
Join me to find out more results, the complete standings and the upcoming games...
The Top Three
1 of 5UANL the best after eight matchdays
Tigres is the only undefeated club in the tournament.
Last weekend the club went to the Estadio Azul as the only undefeated squad of Clausura 2013.
Tigres got to a hot start with the help of Emanuel Villa. The former Cruz Azul striker scored twice in the first half. Both times, Tito was in the right place at the right time and took advantage of two rebounds.
La Maquina tried to overcome the result and Christiรกn Gimรฉnez cut the lead in half at the 58th minute. However, Tigres kept calm and despite some terrible mistakes from Enrique Palos, the home side couldn't tie the game.
UANL has displayed a powerful offense throughout this season with 18 goals to its count so far. Emanuel Villa keeps getting better and is the best scorer so far with 8 goals.
Atlas, a surprising squad
No one thought that Atlas could contend for a top spot in this tournament. The reason is simple. At the beginning of Clausura 2013 the club was tied for the last place in the relegation table with Querรฉtaro.
But Tomรกs Boy has done a fantastic job, and now the team sits comfortably in second place, and most importantly, it has a nine-point lead with Gallos Blancos.
This past weekend, the Zorros played a key match in the season and traveled to Querรฉtaro. They managed to secure one point in their visit.
Little by little this club has proven to be on the right track to avoid relegation, and the players seem totally committed not only to accomplish the feat but also to advance to the playoffs.
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Amรฉrica slipped
The รguilas went to Torreรณn in match that seemed complicated but not impossible to win. Santos Laguna surprised Amรฉrica from the very first minute. Darwin Quintero had a clear opportunity that Moisรฉs Muรฑoz rejected.
It would be the story of the game. The รguilas keeper had a fantastic afternoon at Estadio Corona and denied lots of chances, including a penalty kick.
Amรฉrica was far from the squad we have seen in previous seasons. The defense was not at its best, and they lost control in the midfield.
With this defeat the club fell one spot in the standings and is now in third.
Other Liguilla Contenders
2 of 5Tijuana back to the winner's circle
After losing to Jaguares last weekend, Xolos secured another win at Estadio Caliente, this time against Atlante.
It was a disappointing match for the Potros, especially because Tijuana played with a backup squad as it had a Copa Libertadores game scheduled for this week.
Atlante has had a tough season, and it will not be easy for the club to overturn the situation. Potros needs to regroup quickly.
There has not been a clear strategy so far, and the defense is lost. Plus there is no force in the attacking zone.
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Pachuca lost the winning streak
After taking away the undefeated streak from Cruz Azul on the seventh matchday, Pachuca lost to Morelia; the club had won its last three games.
Monarcas climbed two spots in the general table thanks to a surprising win over Tuzos. This was Carlos Bustos debut as Morelia manager after Rubรฉn Omar Romano was fired.
Pachuca was starting to show improvement but this result is a setback for Gabriel Caballero's team.
The main issue was that the players were out of rhythm and were shocked after Morelia's opener in the 7th minute.
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Santos won after a month
The Guerreros surprised Amรฉrica in style. Darwin Quintero was the man of the hour and he scored in the 18th minute.
Oribe Peralta reappeared after being out due to an injury. El Cepillo is clearly a very valuable asset for the team. He has scored four times this season, half of Santos' goals in Clausura 2013. Last weekend he assisted Quintero for the winning goal.
Amรฉrica was a mess. The defense was confused and the midfielders could not keep the ball. Moisรฉs Muรฑoz saved the team repeatedly.
This result was a relief for the Guerreros, as they had not won since January.
UNAM is trying to keep the momentum
Pumas is another team that did not have the start that fans expected but is slowly getting there.
In its visit to San Luis the club secured its third victory of the season.
The squad is getting stronger and the youngsters have taken the limelight quickly. Javier Cortรฉs scored his fourth goal of the season with a magnificent volley.
San Luis did not offer much, and is the only club that has not won yet. The Reales have lost six games and tied two. If Eduardo Fentanes' boys do not perform better they is at risk of being relegated.
Guadalajara finally revived
Good news for Chivas. Marco Fabiรกn gave Guadalajara the win over Leรณn with two goals, one of them from outside the box.
Different from last season, when Rafael Mรกrquez Lugo was the club's top scorer, this time Fabiรกn is taking the leadership of the team.
Chivas needs to get stronger in the back. The Panzas Verdes goal came in a corner kick, due to a distraction from Vรญctor Perรกles. However, the club is finally working as a team, has depth and creativity that lacked in previous dates.
Best Goal
3 of 5Javier Cortรฉs keeps playing better and better. Last Saturday he scored the best goal with an amazing volley.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who played in the 2012 Olympics, is the top scorer of Pumas this season and has been involved in four of the seven goals that the team has so far.
General Table
4 of 5The standings after eight matchdays are as follows:
Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
1 | UANL | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 20 |
2 | Atlas | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
3 | Amรฉrica | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
4 | Tijuana | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
5 | Pachuca | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
6 | Santos Laguna | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
7 | UNAM | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
8 | Guadalajara | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
9 | Morelia | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 12 | โ1 | 11 |
10 | Puebla | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | โ3 | 11 |
11 | Cruz Azul | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 10 |
12 | Monterrey | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
13 | Toluca | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | โ3 | 9 |
14 | Querรฉtaro | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 11 | โ4 | 8 |
15 | Atlante | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 18 | โ8 | 7 |
16 | Leรณn | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | โ4 | 5 |
17 | Chiapas | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 15 | โ6 | 5 |
18 | San Luis | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 16 | โ9 | 2 |
Upcoming Games
5 of 5Here are the games for the ninth matchday:
Date | Time (ET) | Home | Away |
Friday, March 1st. | 20:30 | Jaguares | Santos |
Saturday, March 2nd. | 18:00 | Amรฉrica | Cruz Azul |
18:00 | Querรฉtaro | Monterrey | |
20:00 | Pachuca | San Luis | |
20:00 | Tigres | Morelia | |
21:00 | Leรณn | Puebla | |
22:00 | Atlas | Tijuana | |
Sunday, March 3rd. ย | 13:00 | UNAM | Guadalajara |
19:00 | Atlante | Toluca |
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