Liguilla Semifinalists Prove That the Liga MX Is Unstable

For the first time since the Liguilla system was instituted, the last four seeded teams made it to the semifinals: Chivas, Queretaro, Pachuca and Santos.

That means Tigres, America, Veracruz and Atlas were ousted after the first round (quarterfinals).

Different from most of the leagues in the world, Mexico has a playoff system that allows the top eight teams of the regular season to secure a place in the Liguilla, where they fight for the title.

But it also means more business—for the teams, for the Federation, for the players, you name it.

The fair thing to do would to be play against each team (home and away), and the club that sits atop the general table takes the title, like it happens in the UK, Spain, Italy, Portugal, etc.

But since that system doesn't seem that it will come back any time soon, the inconsistency and instability of the local league is evident.

Many can argue that the Liguilla brings the best out of the clubs, that it pushes them to play their best. But in all honesty, it doesn't.

Take for instance Santos, the eighth team in the general table. They had a 7-4-6 record, like Pachuca and Cruz Azul. The Guerreros secured 25 points, and it was the goal difference that secured them a spot in the playoffs.

They went from Matchday 6 to Matchday 11 winless (four defeats and three draws). After Week 11, they started to pick up the pace and finished strong, which explains why they managed to get into the postseason.

Then we have Tigres, the club that, overall, was playing better. But a couple of bad games against Santos left them out of the fight for the title. By the way, they are also playing in the Copa Libertadores.

UANL had the best record of the 2015 Clausura. They won nine games out of 17 in the regular season. They had the second-best defense and the fifth-best scorer of the tournament (Rafael Sobis) as well.

What about Veracruz? They led most of the tournament, they were the team with the least losses (three) and qualified to the Liguilla in third place.

Like Tigres, they had a couple of tough games, plus a couple of controversial refereeing decisions and two mistakes in the goal (Meliton Hernandez). The result? They are out of the competition.

Christian Palma/Associated Press

Guadalajara is another good example. They turned things around, and after the regular season, they left the relegation zone behind and are now one of the top contenders for the title.

So basically, the clubs can play so-so during 17 weeks and still have a chance at hoisting the trophy. It doesn't matter what they did in the regular season; if they come and play at their best in the two legs of the knockout stage (quarterfinals, semifinals and final), they could easily claim the championship.

If the Liga MX was consistent, we would have seen Tigres grab their fourth title, but instead we saw them leave the Liguilla empty-handed.