Power Rankings Liga MX CL17 Jornada 5 : Chivas and Pumas escalate, Xolos lead

18.Puebla
Jose Cardozo is now in charge of the ‘camoteros’, while the team did look distinct in its 1-1 draw against Atlas. Cardozo and ‘la franja’ do have a long way to go to making a transition in this Clausura 2017.

17.Queretaro
Another team that is in a transition stage with new manager, Jaime Lozano. While Puebla did look different, Queretaro did not look all that different to how it was under Victor Vucetich. The team still had few scoring opportunities and Tiago Volpi was the only bright spot in its lackluster play.

16.Monarcas Morelia
Pablo Marini is now in the hot seat with ‘la monarquia’ after a 2-0 loss to Club America at the Estadio Morelos. Veracruz keeps on accumulating points which could be detrimental for Morelia’s permanence in the Liga MX.

15.Necaxa
Edson Puch is now back for the ‘rayos’ but he still seems to be having trouble out on the pitch and is not at 100%. Until the Chilean star regains his form, the team from Aguascalientes will be having problems in this Clausura 2017.

14.Leon
Javier Torrente is now said to be in the hot seat after a 4-2 loss to Xolos of Tijuana at the Nou Camp. Torrente just needs time and Leon should not push the panic button so quick on the Argentine manager. Something is off with the team, but adjustments can be made in the coming weeks.

13.Cruz Azul
Paco Jemez is said to be in the hot seat with the ‘cementeros’ but he surely needs much more time with the club. The Mexico City team has been playing well, but just has not been clinical enough in front of net. Martin Cauteruccio looked key in the lineup against Queretaro, just missing an opportunity that smashed the post.

12.Atlas
Atlas has just looked pitiful away from the Estadio Jalisco, in its most recent match-up the team from Guadalajara tied 1-1 against Puebla at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc. Unless Jose Cruz’s men can play all of their games at the Jalisco, this will be a long season for them.

11.Club America
Ricardo La Volpe’s men now have two wins in the Liga MX, both against relegation candidates in Veracruz and Monarcas Morelia. America is also coming from an embarrassing 3-2 loss against Coras Tepic in the Copa MX, where a lot of key players were utilized, showcasing that this franchise is struggling.

10.Chiapas
Sergio Bueno’s men have a huge week coming up as they will face Club America on Tuesday and Monarcas Morelia on Sunday. These two games will be crucial to Jaguares and to the relegation race. Chiapas cannot afford to lose against Monarcas, like it did against Veracruz on Friday. The Jaguares will need to play like they did against Toluca and Tigres to keep on summing points in this Clausura 2017.

9.Monterrey
Monterrey has not been playing up to its standards in this Clausura 2017 tournament. Antonio Mohamed seems to be doing his job well, but the players have just not played up to their full potential. The ‘rayados’ latest 1-1 draw against Necaxa was an unimpressive showing with the team looking with lack of concentration against a weaker opponent.

8.Veracruz
The ‘tiburones’ kept their undefeated streak at the Estadio Luis Pirata Fuente with a convincing 2-0 win against Chiapas. Carlos Reinoso has been doing a fantastic job with the team and it looks like he will succeed in saving the team from relegation.

7.Pachuca
Pachuca has just not looked the same since its 4-2 win over Leon in week 1 of the Clausura 2017. Since then the ‘tuzos’ have displayed unimpressive performances with a 1-1 draw against Pumas being their latest result.

6.Chivas
Chivas is another team that has not played up to its potential. Rodolfo Pizarro has stepped up for the goats recently, but still seems to be searching for an identity within the team. Matias Almeyda will need to get better results to be a true contender in this Clausura 2017 tournament.

Sobre la hora Pizarro anotó el tanto que hizo vibrar a la nación Rojiblanca. Así se vivió el gol en la lente de #ChivasTV pic.twitter.com/wcBNELhGQ9

— Chivas TV (@chivastvmx) February 6, 2017

5.Tigres UANL
Tigres is off to a lackluster start to this Clausura 2017 tournament, as it has lost three games in the first five jornadas. Ricardo Ferretti, however still has one of the most impressive rosters in the continent, at his disposal and should be able to get results moving forward in this competition.

4.Santos Laguna
Santos finally faced its first true task of the Clausura 2017 tournament as it tied 1-1 to Chivas at the Estadio Chivas. Jose De La Torre’s team looked impressive in the encounter despite giving up a late minute goal to Rodolfo Pizarro. This mix of young Mexican players and experienced foreigners that De La Torre is utilizing is working great for the ‘guerreros’ this season.

3.Toluca
Toluca has looked amazing in the first few weeks of this Clausura 2017 competition. Hernan Cristante seems to have what Ricardo La Volpe is missing in Rubens Sambueza controlling the midfield. Sambueza has been key to this Toluca team, marking the goal that beat Tigres at the Estadio Universitario in this last jornada. The ‘diablos’ have cemented themselves as contenders this season, it will be interesting to see how they get on in the coming weeks.

2.Pumas UNAM
Pumas has been playing great and achieving the results to complement its attractive style of play this season. The Mexico City team are coming from a tough 1-1 draw against Pachuca in which they did concede a goal late in the encounter, however the team does look to be a true contender this season.

1.Club Tijuana
The Xolos are coming from a huge 4-2 win against Leon at the Nou Camp, which was a pitch that Tijuana had never been victorious in. Miguel Herrera’s side really showed that they are deserving of their current first place spot and that they will be a force in this Clausura 2017 tournament with Aviles Hurtado leading the attack going forward.