Winners and Losers from Liga MX Week 7
During Matchday 7 of the 2014 Apertura tournament, UNAM put an end to America's unbeaten streak, another coach was sacked, and Morelia lost again.
The general table suffered few changes. Las Aguilas are still atop but only because their goal difference is better than Monterrey's.
Rayados have 16 points after defeating Queretaro at the Estadio Corregidora. Atlas lost one place in the general table after tying with Santos Laguna and now sit third.
Universidad de Guadalajara grabbed more points this week, and it finally seems like they are getting used to the Liga MX.
There is bad news, too. William Yarbrough will miss some games after leaving the pitch with an injury, while Morelia lost for the fifth time in the tournament.
Let's take a look at the winners and the losers from Week 7.
Loser: Cesar Farias
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Cesar Farias was sacked after two tournaments in charge of Tijuana.
The Venezuelan had a dreadful 2014 Apertura, as the result of a 1-4-2 record, which included only one victory on home soil and none on away matches.
The tipping point was Xolos' latest result. They tied to one goal against Universidad de Guadalajara at the Estadio Caliente.
Farias is the third coach that has been dismissed this tournament.
Winners: UNAM
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On paper, it seemed a long shot for UNAM to defeat America at the Estadio Azteca. Pumas had only won once and had sacked Jose Luis Trejo after Matchday 5.
Well, UNAM did the unthinkable and overcame Las Aguilas, the only unbeaten team of the 2014 Apertura.
There was luck involved in the result, though. Although America controlled most of the game, Dante Lopez opened the scoring in the 88th minute after Paolo Goltz deflected the ball, leaving Moises Munoz without a chance.
This is a fantastic result for Pumas, as they now sit 12th in the general table, five places better than last week.
Their next challenge is to win on home soil.
Losers: Veracruz
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Veracruz let go of valuable points this week after losing to Toluca at the Estadio Nemesio Diez.
The Tiburones Rojos are fighting to keep their place in the Liga MX, but their performance in the 2014 Apertura has been questionable, and they could be relegated soon.
They had everything to take advantage of Alfredo Talavera's absence, as well as the weakness of their defensive line, however they couldn't and eventually lost, 2-1.
Veracruz have not win on Toluca's turf since the 2006 Apertura.
Winner: Fidel Martinez
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Universidad de Guadalajara kept their momentum going when they faced Tijuana.
Coming off of their first win of the tournament against Leon in Week 6, Leones Negros went to Estadio Caliente in the hopes of grabbing at least one point, and they did.
Fidel Martinez was the author of the equalizer in the 76th minute, just when Xolos were pushing hard to secure their second victory of the tournament.
Martinez, who played for Tijuana since he arrived in Mexico in 2012, has scored two goals for Universidad de Guadalajara.
Losers: UANL
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UANL suffered another tough blow on home soil, this time against Chiapas. Tigres have two defeats this tournament, both at the Estadio Universitario.
It was a dreadful afternoon for UANL, they lacked creativity, depth and power in the attacking zone, mainly due to the absence of Dario Burbano who was sidelined due to an injury sustained last week.
Jaguares took advantage of it and pressed hard whenever they had a counter-attack, which was enough for Emiliano Armenteros and Bruno Pereira Pires to put the ball away.
It is fundamental for Tigres' manager to restructure his strategy and make adjustments soon. The team is set to face UNAM in the upcoming matchday.
Winner: Oswaldo Sanchez
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Oswaldo Sanchez keeps making a huge impact on the pitch. This weekend, he proved again why at age 40 he is still the most trusted man for Santos Laguna's goal.
Los Guerreros traveled to Guadalajara where they faced Atlas. The home team sat second in the general table and was close to stealing the lead of the tournament from America.
However, Sanchez was sharp, especially in the second half, and he prevented Juan Carlos Medina, Jesus Chavez and Rodrigo Millar from scoring.
The one-goal draw helped Santos Laguna keep their place in the general table without changes; they still sit fourth.
Losers: Morelia
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Things are getting worse for Morelia. This weekend, they clinched their third successive defeat and fifth overall.
Monarcas are the only club that has yet to win in the 2014 Apertura. Their 0-2-5 record puts them in the bottom of the general table with just two points.
It seemed like they were going to get a break on Matchday 7, as they were defeating Puebla 2-1 after 38 minutes, but the home team, led masterfully by Cuauhtemoc Blanco, overturned the score and finally won 3-2.
Both lack of consistency in the last third of the pitch and the defensive line’s poor performance have been Morelia's main problems.
Winners: Monterrey
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Monterrey secured a key victory this weekend against Queretaro at the Estadio Corregidora.
Humberto Suazo was the only one to score in the match, which was enough for Rayados to grab three points and also to secure second place in the general table (same as America).
This was Monterrey's third successive victory, which also means their best winning streak since Carlos Barra took over the team on Matchday 8 of the 2014 Clausura.
There is no question that Rayados are serious contenders for the title. They have good options in the attacking zone, as Dorlan Pabon leads the top scorers table, as well as in the back line—Hiram Mier and Stefan Medina have proven invaluable.
Loser: William Yarbrough
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Coach Gustavo Matosas cannot be happy right now. His team not only lost its fifth match of the tournament—his starting goalkeeper also suffered a fracture.
Pachuca put William Yarbrough in distress, especially from outside the box. It was precisely from the last third of the pitch from where Irving Lozano defeated the Leon goalkeeper twice.
Just when the first half was about to end, Dieter Villalpando tested Yarbrough. The youngster couldn't score, but he did managed to injure the goalie.
According to Goal.com (Spanish), Yarbrough broke his ring finger as a result of Villalpando's shot.
Losers: Guadalajara
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Guadalajara are still having a lot of trouble putting the ball away and winning games on home soil.
This week, they faced Cruz Azul at the Estadio Omnilife, hoping to secure their first victory of the 2014 Apertura on their own turf, but things didn't go as expected.
Chivas pushed hard from the beginning of the match, however they couldn't finish a single play and ultimately left the ground with a scoreless draw.
The lack of power in the last third of the pitch is worrisome. Omar Bravo, Angel Reyna and Aldo de Nigris couldn't put Jose de Jesus Corona in real distress.
Chivas have only scored two times, both from Fernando Arce's boots, on set pieces.
All stats appear courtesy of ESPN FC, unless otherwise noted.
