Jornada 12 has come to a close, and what an action packed weekend it was. There were 28 goals scored, good for a rate of 3.11 per game. As a matter of fact, 16 of the 18 clubs in the league managed to get on the scoresheet this week. Here are 5 things to look at from Jornada 12.
New Kids on the Block. Necaxa are currently in 8th place, meaning if the season were to end today they would qualify for the liguilla. While not unprecedented, Dorados’ miserable campaign last year should serve as a reminder of how impressive it is that a newly promoted side are playing this well.
Home is where the heart is. Tijuana have gained a lot of attention for their perfect home record at Estadio Caliente this season, and they picked up another three points against Atlas on Friday. Pumas UNAM also have a perfect six wins in six attempts at home this season, perhaps more impressive when you realize they have been downright miserable this year. With only two points all season long away from Estadio Olímpico, Pumas players and fans have soaked up as much an enjoyment as possible when they get to play at home on Sunday afternoon.
El Disastro de León. Tigres’ campaign for an undefeated season came to a close on Saturday night, as León handed them a 3-2 loss. The game was nothing short of a complete mess for Tigres, who gifted León an early goal thanks to a Gringo Torres error. Not long after, Nahuel Guzmán made two more fatal mistakes that put León up 3-1. To cap off an unbelievably frustrating half for Tigres, Andre-Pierre Gignac missed a penalty just before halftime. Tigres would go on to lose 3-2, dropping 4 points back of league leading Xolos.
The Fall of a Monarchy. Not long ago many people (myself included) said Monarcas Morelia were easily going to jump out of last in the tabla de cociente and climb past bottom-feeders Jaguares and Veracruz. Since then, Monarcas have lost three straight Liga MX matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Chivas this weekend, and have been knocked out of the Copa MX, also by Chivas. While they’re far from doomed to Ascenso MX, or even missing the playoffs, Monarcas need to turn it around as soon as possible or they will be in for a very nervy Clausura 2017.
More Libertadores News. A lot of changes to the Copa Libertadores are allegedly in the works. There had been talk of allowing Mexican teams to host the 2nd leg of the final, and then there was talk of switching to a 1-legged final, the tournament is being expanded, and of course there was talk about schedule changes. Apparently, Victor Guevara, who is at the representing Mexico at these CONMEBOL meetings, has stated that if the calendar of the tournament is altered in any way Mexican teams would not participate in the tournament altogether.
ATENCIÓN | Víctor Guevara, representante de la Federación Mexicana, confirmó que si se modifica el calendario, México no participará.
— Alejandro Etcheverry (@UruAlejandro) October 3, 2016
