Ranking the Top 5 Forwards from Liga MX Torneo Apertura
The last delivery of our three-part series is here. Who else should have this honor other than the best forwards of the 2014 Apertura tournament?
Overall, there were 364 goals in the regular season, plus 19 in the Liguilla. Compared to the previous tournament (2014 Clausura) the number was not as high.
Six months ago, there were 376 goals in 17 matchdays, as well as 40 Liguilla goals.
This season, Mauro Boselli and Camilo Sanvezzo topped the scorers table, with a total tally of 12 goals each. However, neither of their clubs appeared in the playoffs.
Only two players on this list managed to have minutes in the Liguilla, but their teams couldn't hoist the champion's trophy.
Let's take a look at the five men who excelled and made an impact in front of goal on a regular basis, either by putting the ball away themselves, or by assisting their teammates.
Dario Benedetto (Tijuana)
1 of 5After 15 starts and 17 appearances, Dario Benedetto proved his worth despite Tijuana's terrible season.
Every time Benedetto scored in the 2014 Apertura tournament, his club secured points. Overall, his nine goals were instrumental in four wins and four draws.
His speed allowed him to surprise the defenders, either from the flanks or the center of the pitch—76 percent of the 17 goal opportunities he created came from the latter.
It was this flexibility what allowed him to leave his regular winger position to become one of the most successful forwards of the Liga MX.
This season, he had a shot accuracy of 58 percent, with a conversion of 16 percent.
Ariel Nahuelpan (Pachuca)
2 of 5Ariel Nahuelpan arrived in Pachuca for the 2014 Apertura tournament after spending six months with Argentine club Tigre.
One of the main reasons Nahuelpan got a spot with Tuzos was because Enner Valencia left for West Ham United and the Mexican club was missing a powerful forward.
Nahuelpan scored his first goal with Pachuca in Matchday 4, but it was five weeks later when he showed his true potential.
He put the ball away seven times in seven games, including a brace against Chiapas. Nahuelpan missed three games of the 19 Pachuca played, and started 11 of them.
Mauro Boselli (Leon)
3 of 5Mauro Boselli put the ball away 12 times this season, helping his side get very close to the qualification zone, but a surprising loss to Tijuana left them out of the competition.
Boselli opened the 2014 Apertura tournament with three goals in his first three games. He started to show a bit of the rhythm he had a year earlier (2013 Apertura), when he netted 16 times (regular season and Liguilla).
The Argentine could have tied his mark had it not been for Leon's shaky season. The club lost six of their first eight games, leaving behind the performances they had in the past couple of seasons, where they secured the championship.
Despite it all, he created five goal opportunities, while his average pass accuracy equaled 73 percent. When it came to shooting, he sent 24 efforts on target.
Camilo Sanvezzo (Queretaro)
4 of 5Ronaldinho may have arrived in Queretaro, but it was Camilo Sanvezzo who really made an impact on the pitch.
The former Vancouver Whitecaps footballer tied Mauro Boselli as the highest scorer of the 2014 Apertura regular season with 12 goals. He also managed to make three assists.
Sanvezzo appeared in all 17 matches, completed 16 of them and delivered 16 key passes. The Brazilian put the ball away in all six of Queretaro's victories.
Although he only sent 47 percent of his shots on target, he had a 25 percent of conversion. He also completed 245 passes, for an average accuracy of 78 percent.
Sanvezzo became the first footballer to win the MLS and Liga MX top-scorer honors. With the Caps, he put the ball away 22 times in the 2013 season.
Dorlan Pabon (Monterrey)
5 of 5Dorlan Pabon was one goal shy from tying Mauro Boselli and Camilo Sanvezzo in the top scorers table, but he put the ball away once in the Liguilla to help his team qualify for the semifinals.
The Colombian appeared in 16 games of the regular season, scored 11 times and created 19 goal opportunities, including four assists.
Pabon secured the second hat-trick of the season in Matchday 5, when Rayados defeated Cruz Azul 3-1 at Estadio Tecnologico (Raul Jimenez accomplished the feat two weeks earlier versus Puebla).
He scored all of his 12 goals with the right foot; eight from inside the box and the rest just outside of it.
One of his most valuable assets was his speed, which helped him move elusively in the boundaries of the box to serve his teammates, but also inside of it, to surprise the goalkeeper with powerful shots from close range.
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