With the 2018-19 Liga MX Apertura just past the midway point, the race to solidify a playoff position is set to heat up. Just eight points separate first place Cruz Azul and 13th place Tijuana, so it is sure to be another sprint to the finish in Mexico. Here are three things our Liga MX correspondents are watching for from the league this weekend.
Monterrey rivals battle in the Clasico Regio
The Clasico Regio headlines this weekend’s games in Liga MX, with Tigres hosting Monterrey in the 117th…
Toronto edged out Tigres last year in an epic two-legged tie but can they beat the Mexican champs in the Campeones Cup?
There’s nothing that quite gets the juices flowing for soccer fans in North America than a good ol’ battle between MLS and Liga MX.
For MLS, it is the never-ending search for respect and acceptance from their Liga MX counterparts, who have reigned supreme in the CONCACAF region at club level for pretty much forever.
It is usually around February or March when articles and such start trickling out about whether THIS is the year an MLS team can finally win a CONCACAF Champions League and prove…
Tigres are currently ninth in the table but the expected goals model would have them first.
There are two outstanding statistics a neutral would immediately find when scouring the Liga MX 2018 Apertura table after seven rounds of matches of the season. And both involve the number zero.
The first is Cruz Azul’s undefeated start to the season; the other is Atlas’ inability to score even a single goal.
But, as a little bit of midseason entertainment, what if we used expected goals to work out the result of each of the 63 games so far in the Apertura? How would it change our outlook on…
Veracruz drama cure for crisis-ridden Chivas?
If one Liga MX club earned more ridiculousness points in the headlines stakes than Chivas’ sponsor-filled news conference this week, it was Veracruz, with Guillermo Vazquez resigning and the lid being lifted on the “double contracts” that exist at the club.
On Friday, the two sides square off at Estadio Luis “Pirata” Fuente. Veracruz’s incoming coach Juvenal Olmos will be taking charge for the first time, 11 years since his last coaching job, with the…
With two weeks down, the Liga MX table is starting to take shape. With some of the league’s biggest clubs struggling it is time to right the ship for some while others hope to continue the momentum of their positive starts. Our Liga MX writers Tom Marshall, Eric Gomez and Cesar Hernandez each pick out a matchup to watch for this weekend.
Liga MX’s best on display as Cruz Azul host Tigres
Without a doubt, the biggest Liga MX match from Week 3 is Cruz Azul vs Tigres. With six points apiece, both sides…
Monterrey was a sea of blue and yellow Monday morning as Tigres celebrated their Toreno Apertura title after beating Rayados.
After losing to Brazil in the last 16 Mexico fans pull off their best Neymar impressions.
Tigres manager Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti isn’t guaranteeing to fulfill the Liga MX’s new minor rule and hinted his club may just take the three-point penalty instead.
Liga MX brought in a rule stating each club must give under-21 players at least 765 minutes of playing time during the current Apertura regular season, which would rise to 1000 by the 2019 Clausura. The idea is to hand more Mexican youngsters more opportunities in a league that has seen a rise in foreigners.
Ferretti has been a…
Former France international Robert Pires said his country mirrored the spirit they showed in 1998 during their World Cup winning campaign.
The ESPN FC team answer your tweets on Kylian Mbappe’s stock at PSG, the 2018 France squad vs. the 1998 World Cup winning side and much more.
Julien Laurens takes issue with ESPNFC.com’s omission of France’s N’Golo Kante in their World Cup team of the tournament. Andre-Pierre Gignac has said he wants to end his career with Mexican club Tigres despite receiving offers to move elsewhere.
France international forward Gignac said he had rejected more lucrative options to stay with the club he joined from Marseille in 2015.
Although a number of clubs have expressed an interest, notably Brazilian side Santos, Gignac told Multimedios he had no intention of leaving.
“I want to continue on this path and finish my career with Tigres. I have already said that several…
Pachuca need to beat Atlas and hope one of the teams above them falters to reach the playoffs.
There is a still a lot to be decided as Liga MX enters its final weekend. ESPN FC’s Liga MX correspondents Tom Marshall and Eric Gomez preview the must-see games on the final weekend of the Liga MX regular season.
Three playoff spots up for grabs
With Toluca, Santos Laguna, Club America, Monterrey and Tigres all already safely in the playoffs, only three other spots remain unclaimed.
Sixth-placed Pumas face Queretaro on Sunday and have an 81 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to…
Toluca are sitting pretty, as with two games remaining they are guaranteed at worst second place.
Only two matchdays remain in the 2018 Clausura regular season.
The race continues for a position in the top eight and a playoff spot, and while a few teams have already been eliminated or clinched a spot in the next round, several more still have plenty to play for.
With some help from FiveThirtyEight’s playoff probabilities, let’s take a look at where all 18 Liga MX teams currently stand in four different Liguilla categories: Playoffs guaranteed, playoffs likely, playoffs unlikely and no playoff…
With a 1-0 win over previous leaders Tigres, Toluca is now on top of our Power Rankings.
MEXICO CITY — Toluca has now gone 11 matches in all competitions without a loss. The last time the Diablos Rojos dropped a three-pointer was Valentine’s Day, against Puebla.
Since then, they’ve stormed into the Copa MX final, and into first place of Liga MX, with 30 points in 14 games this season. The 1-0 win over Tigres, the defending champions (and prior Power Ranking kings) is also indicative of their chances to crown themselves in the playoffs.
Here are the Power Rankings for Week 14:
1….
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