The Liga MX Clausura 2017 is still in its early stages with Week 2 of the competition just wrapping up. There have been several controversies and surprises early on, indicating that we are in for an exciting tournament. After a thrilling 2-1 victory over Club America, Toluca F.C lead the way in the Power Rankings for this week.
3. Liga MX Week 2 Power Rankings (Teams # to 1):
6. Santos Laguna
‘Chepo’ De La Torre’s squad has done well to kick off the Liga MX, accumulating four points to this point. The fact they could face Tigres without their rival’s full squad in Week 1 is a victory in its own right as getting points at ‘El Volcan’ is a tough task to accomplish. As an encore, the ‘Guerreros’ won their first game of the season at home against Veracruz. Their defense was solid and Jonathan Rodriguez was clinical scoring two goals, to secure the 2-1 victory.
5. C.F. Monterrey
Rayados of Monterrey look to be back on track to being the imposing force they had been before last season. Monterrey did fail to beat Chivas with two more men on the pitch this week, but overall, they did look solid. Antonio Mohammed’s men have now scored five goals in two weeks and it looks like offense will carry them throughout the season.
4. Xolos of Tijuana
The Xolos showed just how deadly they can be at home this week by beating Puebla F.C. by a score of 6-2. Tijuana did lose the first week 2-0 against Monarcas Morelia, but they were the better team in that match. While Tijuana has only faced weaker teams at this point of the tournament, based on overall performance, Miguel Herrera’s team do deserve to be this high up on the list.
3. Pumas UNAM
Pumas have looked great to start off this Clausura 2017, even though they did lose against Chivas 2-1 in Week 1. Pumas were far superior to Guadalajara in that game and at best Chivas should have gotten one point based on performance. This week, Pumas did great in an intense game against Cruz Azul and took home the victory, 1-0. Their defense has been the most impressive with young players, Alan Mendoza and Josecarlos Van Rankin and veterans Gerardo Alcoba and Dario Veron.
2. C.F. Pachuca
Pachuca is the only other team in the Liga MX with six points at this stage of the competition; they started off hot with a 4-2 win over Leon away from home, with Hirving Lozano scoring a hat-trick. The ‘Tuzos’ did not look as strong this week against Jaguares of Chiapas, only coming away with a 1-0 win at the Estadio Hidalgo. Jaguares, goalkeeper, Moises Munoz, played a big role in the slim 1-0 victory, as he had many saves to keep the score down.
1.Toluca F.C.
The ‘Diablos’ have accumulated six points and six goals two weeks into the competition. In Week 1 Toluca managed to beat Atlas F.C. 4-1, who showed everyone they are no chumps by beating champions Tigres UANL 2-0 this week. Now in Week 2, Toluca beat Apertura 2016 runners-up, Club America, 2-1 in an intense dual that celebrated the ‘Diablos’ 100th anniversary.
