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Match: Atlético de San Luis vs Necaxa (Liga MX Apertura 2026, Jornada 9)
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM MT / 4:00 PM PT (5:00 PM local time)
Venue: Estadio Libertad Financiera, San Luis Potosí
TV (U.S.): No U.S. linear channel confirmed
Streaming (U.S.): ViX
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Preview
A crisis summit comes to the Estadio Libertad Financiera on Saturday night. Atlético de San Luis sits 16th with six points and has won just once in its last eight matches, while Necaxa is 13th with eight points and has gone six matches without a win. Both clubs sit outside the top-eight Liguilla places, and both arrive with their seasons sliding in the wrong direction.
The stakes are simple. A San Luis victory would lift the hosts above Necaxa in the table, while a Necaxa win would give the visitors 11 points and a positive start under Juan Reynoso, who makes his debut on the bench.
Recent Form
Atlético de San Luis (last five, all Liga MX): L, L, W, D, L
- September 14: lost 2-0 at León
- September 5: lost 3-0 vs Chivas (home)
- August 30: won 3-1 at Monterrey
- August 23: drew 1-1 vs Pachuca (home)
- August 16: lost 3-0 at América
The 3-1 win at Monterrey on August 30 now looks like the exception. San Luis has conceded 15 goals in eight matches, is winless in its last four home games, and has lost its two most recent matches by a combined 5-0. The heaviest blow is the long-term ACL injury to striker João Pedro, whose replacement Felipe Mora has yet to meet expectations.
Necaxa (last five, all Liga MX): L, D, L, D, L
- September 11: lost 1-0 vs Puebla (home)
- September 5: drew 1-1 at Tigres
- August 28: lost 3-1 vs Cruz Azul (home)
- August 23: drew 1-1 at Pumas
- August 17: lost 2-1 vs León (home)
Necaxa has not won in six and has conceded in eight straight matches. The low point came September 11, when Puebla won 1-0 at the Estadio Victoria with Mathías Tomás scoring in the third minute of stoppage time. One day later, the club fired Martín Varini after 27 matches in charge (8 wins, 5 draws, 14 losses). There were bright spots in the winless run: a 1-1 draw at Tigres on September 5 in which Owen González scored and Julián Carranza had a penalty saved by Nahuel Guzmán.
Team News
San Luis has four confirmed absences from the club’s September 14 medical report: João Pedro (ACL in his right knee, long term), goalkeeper Andrés Sánchez (right hamstring), Lucas Esteves (right hamstring) and center-back Robson Bambú (left quad). Gibrán Lajud has been starting in goal in Sánchez’s absence. There are no reported suspensions for the hosts.
Juan Reynoso, the former Necaxa player who coached Cruz Azul to the 2021 title and Peru’s national team from 2022 to 2023, takes charge of his first match. Necaxa announced he will be joined by a staff of Enrique Meza, Pablo Zegarra, Mario Mendaña and Rosalío Díaz.
Necaxa will be without starting goalkeeper Luis Jiménez, who was sent off at the end of the Puebla defeat and misses Jornada 9 through suspension. The 22-year-old had started all eight matches of the Apertura 2026; he apologized publicly after making an offensive gesture toward the stands, and Necaxa announced an economic and sporting sanction under its internal regulations. Christopher Andrade is expected to deputize in goal.
Storylines to Watch
The Reynoso effect. Reynoso knows Necaxa from the inside, having played there from 2002 to 2004 and served as an assistant afterward. His first selection, his system and how quickly the players respond will define the night. Necaxa will hope for an immediate response under Reynoso.
Mejía under pressure. On the other sideline, Diego Mejía is reportedly fighting for his job after the defeats to Chivas and León. A home loss to a club that just changed coaches would be a brutal look. Current reporting has put Mejía’s position under significant pressure after the recent results.
The João Pedro-shaped hole. San Luis has scored in just two of its last five matches since losing its reference striker. Whether Mora or someone else steps up is the central tactical question for the hosts.
Late goals, soft defense. Necaxa has conceded in eight straight matches and lost its last home game in stoppage time. Carranza, with three goals this tournament, remains the visitors’ main threat if the service improves.
Recent history favors the visitors. Necaxa has won the last two meetings, both thrillers: 4-1 at the Victoria on February 6, 2026 (with Robson Bambú sent off for San Luis) and 4-3 at the Estadio Libertad Financiera on October 26, 2025. Necaxa has won six of eight Liga MX meetings at San Luis, with Atlético de San Luis winning the other two; San Luis’s last home win over Necaxa came in October 2023.
Outlook
Two struggling defenses and one desperate debut make this genuinely unpredictable. San Luis has the home crowd but no goals and no João Pedro; Necaxa has the new-coach energy but a back line that cannot keep a clean sheet. A San Luis win lifts the hosts above Necaxa, while a Necaxa victory would move Reynoso’s men to 11 points and real momentum. Expect a nervy night decided by one moment, quite possibly late.
