The Liga MX season is winding down and after this week’s games there is only one more week remaining before the playoffs. There are still playoff spots up for grabs and even the top teams can still change their spot on the standings. Here are the scores of so far in week 16 of the Liga MX:
Queretaro 2-0 Morelia
Forward Camilo Sanvezzo scores Queretaro’s second goal on a penalty quick, his 11th goal of the season tying him for first place in league scoring.
Santos 2-1 Pachuca
Controversial ending to the game when in the last play of the game Pachuca scores, but the referee calls a very doubtful offside.
Cruz Azul 0-2 Pumas
Pumas scores a goal on a play where the ball was clearly a foot out of bounds, Cruz Azul’s chances of making the playoffs are slim to none.
Veracruz 0-1 U. de G.
A game where neither team had playoff chances, but with a lot of importance because of the descenso table.
Monterrey 1-2 Chiapas
Monterrey lose their forward Dorlan Pabon on a red card in the 91st minute and dramatically lose the game in the 93rd minute with a goal by Bruno Pires putting Chiapas in a very good position for the playoffs.
Leon 0-0 Puebla
Not much happening in Estadio Leon today, Leon maintains themselves in a good spot to get one of the last playoffs positions.
Atlas 1-1 Tijuana
A very fast and entertaining game that could have been won by either team. The tie leaves Tijuana out of playoff contention, Atlas is in, but could still change in the standings.
Tomorrow’s games
Toluca – America 10 AM PT
Guadalajara – Tigres 3 PM PT
Here are the updated standings with the games that have been played so far this week.
| # | Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA | DIF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | América | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 30 |
| 2 | Toluca | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| 3 | Atlas | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 28 |
| 4 | Tigres | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 27 |
| 5 | Chiapas FC | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 25 |
| 6 | Monterrey | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 24 |
| 7 | León | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 22 |
| 8 | Pachuca | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 22 |
| 9 | Santos | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 22 |
| 10 | Querétaro FC | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 21 |
| 11 | Pumas | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 21 |
| 12 | Cruz Azul | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 20 |
| 13 | Tijuana | 16 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 18 |
| 14 | U de G | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 16 |
| 15 | Puebla | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 15 |
| 16 | Veracruz | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 15 |
| 17 | Guadalajara | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 12 |
| 18 | Morelia | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 32 | -17 | 10 |
If the playoffs started today the match-ups would be:
- America vs 8. Pachuca
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Toluca vs 7. Leon
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Atlas vs 6. Monterrey
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Tigres vs 5. Chiapas
Tomorrow’s game between America and Toluca can only change the spots number 1 and 2 in the standings only if Toluca wins. Meanwhile Tigres can hop into third place with a draw or win versus Guadalajara.
Looking forward to next week we can see that Monterrey still has an extra game to play against Guadalajara and Chiapas should be in the playoffs unless a miracle happens. So that leaves at least two spots left, 7th and 8th, with six teams looking to get in the playoffs. Leon, Pachuca, Santos, Queretaro, Pumas, and Cruz Azul are the ones looking to get in at the last moment.
Cruz Azul hurt their chances with a big loss against Pumas and need to win their last game versus U. de G. and hope for a combination of scores between the teams ahead of them in order to make the playoffs. A loss/tie by Pumas and Queretaro and some other negative scores by Leon, Santos, and Pachuca could be needed for Cruz Azul to make the playoffs. Cruz Azul’s chance of making playoffs: 5%.
Pumas and Queretaro sit in the same spot with 21 points and a goal difference of +2, but they still depend on what Santos has to say as they have 22 points and still sits in 9th place. Pumas hosts Monterrey, another team that might still be looking for a spot in the playoffs, while Queretaro visits Chiapas. Pumas’ chance of making playoffs: 15%. Queretaro’s chance of making playoffs: 15%.
Santos, Pachuca and Leon all sit with 22 points and Santos is out of the playoff picture right now because of their -1 goal difference. Leon has the toughest game remaining between these three teams as they will visit Tijuana, while Pachuca has the easiest match on paper as they host Veracruz. Santos will visit Puebla, who is coming off a loss in the final for the Copa MX and a tie versus Leon in the Liga MX. Leon’s chance of making playoffs: 30%. Santos’ chance of making playoffs: 35%. Pachuca’s chance of making playoffs: 45%.
A lot of things can still happen with very few games left to be played. Be prepared to see some exciting games.
Photo Credit: Liga MX