Just two more weeks remain in the Liga MX Apertura season and the race for the top eight is getting tighter and tighter. We shall see how things turn out after Week 17, but as for right now this is how the playoff race is looking like so far.
Spots 1-4
Pumas with their 2-1 win over lowly Tijuana has officially clinched a playoff spot and so far are still holding down the top spot in the league. After falling 1-0 in the 30th minute, Pumas managed to mount a comeback in Tijuana to be the first (and so far only team) to clinch a playoff spot.
The match of the week featured the number two and number three teams in the league, in Toluca and América as Toluca tried to fend off las Águilas who tried to jump into the number two spot. It was a back-and-forth affair between these two giants and, in the 82nd minute, it was América’s leading scorer who got the game winning goal to not only give los Azulcremas the win, but also, the number two spot.
Toluca could not have picked a worse week to drop a game as León also picked up a win over Atlas, by the score of 2-1. With this win, León is tied with América on points, but manages to get the third spot with just one point separating them and Toluca.
So spots 1-4 look like: 1. Pumas 31 pts., 2. América 27 pts. (+10 goal differential), 3. León 27 pts. (-1 GD), 4. Toluca 26 pts
Spots 5-8
The lower spots of the playoff contenders suffered a massive shakeup as one team that was making La Liguilla last week has fallen out of favor this week. The only team to hold down their spot was Tigres at number five. However, they once again missed a chance to break into the top four as they drew against a team that has already been eliminated from playoff contention in Santos.
The matchup that was vital to these spots was Puebla and Chiapas. Jaguares was on the outside looking in and, after Monterrey lost big against Querétaro, they were licking their chops for a chance to move into a playoff spot. Chiapas scored only one goal (thanks to Luis Venegas), but it was all they needed to see away Puebla and to move into the sixth spot.
As for Veracruz, Gabriel Peñalba saved the day scoring from a penalty kick to save a point against Cruz Azul that helped los Tiburones create some breathing room between them and the ninth spot.
Spots 5-8 look like: 5. Tigres 24 pts., 6. Chiapas 23 pts. (+2 goal differential), 7. Puebla 23 pts. (+1 GD), 8. Veracruz 23 pts. (-3 GD)
Bubble Teams
Monterrey took a tumble losing to Querétaro 3-1 as they went from holding a playoff spot to now being in the 10th position, two spots away from the last Liguilla place. In that, Querétaro can now practically smell the playoffs as they sit just a win away from landing anywhere from fifth to eighth place, effectively placing them in the Liguilla.
Morelia took advantage of playing the bottom dwelling Dorados as they won big, by a score of 4-0, and now also are a win any from possibly landing a playoff spot. Monarcas, so far, are in the 11th spot, but can move up with a win next week.
Spots 12-14 have severely hurt their chances at trying to move up as both Pachuca and Chivas played out to a dramatic 4-4 draw, where Omar Bravo was the hero for Chivas managing the game-tying goal in the 73rd minute. However, both teams needed a win to try and keep up with spots 9-11 as they are now falling way behind on points.
Not to mention, Atlas lost their game against León and are very far away from a playoff spot that it seems impossible that they will make it in. But keep in mind, Chivas and Atlas still need to make up their game that was cancelled because of Hurricane Patricia so there are some vital points that can cause a big shake up in the bubble team spots.
Week 16 Matches
(Teams I predict to win are in bold, predicting a draw if no teams bolded)
Veracruz vs Tigres
Santos vs Monarcas
Cruz Azul vs Toluca
Monterrey vs América
Pachuca vs León
Atlas vs Chiapas
Dorados vs Chivas
Pumas vs Querétaro – This will be an important match up as Pumas have already clinched a playoff spot and will surely come out and try to pad their lead as leaders, meanwhile Querétaro will fight their way to make the playoffs. I predict los Gallos Blancos’ fighting spirit will carry them on to victory.
Puebla vs Tijuana
