The first week of the Liga MX has come and gone, and most matches were fairly disappointing. Only 16 goals were scored in all nine games, three matches ended in 0-0 ties, and a total of nine teams are still waiting to score their first Liga MX goal. Take a look at our game-by-game recap of the Week 1 of the Liga MX.
You can view the latest Liga MX standings here, the schedule here, and all Week 1 goals and highlights here.
JAGUARES 0 – TIGRES 4
Please read the full Jaguares vs Tigres match analysis here.
TIJUANA 2 – PUEBLA 0
Please read the full Xolos vs Puebla match analysis here.
QUERETARO 0 – LEON 2
Ten years. That’s how long Leon fans had to wait to celebrate another victory in the top division of Mexican soccer. Leon is finally back, and they came back with a roar, beating Queretaro in their own stadium. The match had several things going for it, which made it extra special: both teams are fighting the relegation battle, this is a “Clasico del Bajio” (regional rivalry), and it’s Matosas’ first time back to La Corregidora (after his unfair firing from Queretaro). Overall, it was a good match, with back-and-forth play. In the end, Leon was the superior team, and the goals from Burbano and Hernandez were enough for the three vital points.
CRUZ AZUL 0 – MORELIA 0
As the home team, Cruz Azul took it upon itself to attack and go for the win. Unfortunately for the home crowd, Mariano Pavone did not have a good debut, and missed four or five clear goal-scoring opportunities. Morelia played a defensive game and got what they came for, one point. Overall, the match was fairly boring, and it was one of the three matches in Week 1 where no goals were scored.
MONTERREY 0 – AMERICA 0
Please read the full Monterrey vs America match review here.
SANTOS 2 – SAN LUIS 1
The defending Liga MX champions were startled by a very quick goal by San Luis, a long distance shot by Emilio Lopez, which Oswaldo Sanchez failed to deflect. However, they came back almost immediately and evened the score in the 3rd minute off a corner kick. For the rest of the first half and most of the second half, San Luis played a smart defensive game that really clogged up the midfield. However, in the 71st minute, Herculez Gomez received a long range pass and scored what would be the winning goal. San Luis tried to come back but were unable to score. Overall, one of the better matches of the week.
ATLAS 1 – PUMAS 1
Pumas had this game in the bag, they were clearly the superior team for most parts of the match held in Estadio Jalisco. Martin Bravo scored a fantastic long-range goal early in the first half; from then on Pumas had control of the ball. However, Joaquin del Olmo gambled on maintaining the score rather than attacking to secure a second goal and the win. Well, the gamble failed, a late mistake by Pikolin 2 (the goalie) led to an own-goal and a disappointing draw for Pumas.
TOLUCA 2 – CHIVAS 1
Read the full Toluca vs Chivas match review here.
ATLANTE 0 – PACHUCA 0
One word can describe this game: boring. The best part out of this whole match actually took place before the match even started, when Hugo and La Volpe gave each other a half-hearted handshake. Atlante played in front of a mostly empty stadium, and did what it could to get a point out of this match. The visiting team, which on paper has a much superior team, tried to attack, but you can tell there is still some teamwork issues that will need to be addressed by Hugo. We’ll see if “Mexico’s Team” (that’s Pachuca, for all those of you who haven’t bough into their marketing campaign), plays a better match at home next week against Atlas.
