Over the weekend the fight for the final spots in the Liga MX playoffs got really tight! Mazatlan, Cruz Azul, and Tijuana are all tied at 15 points with Mazatlan hanging on by a thread from that 12th, and final spot despite their loss to Cruz Azul. The beat down that Tijuana suffered at the hands of Pachuca bumped them down to 14th, when they’ve been on the inside of the playoffs virtually the whole tournament. Puebla who has been a social media darling for the last couple of years perhaps has its best roster in years, but just can’t seem to find good results. They are holding down the 11th spot with 16 points, which means they’re not a lock by any means.
Even the 10th spot that Necaxa has is potentially in jeopardy. While Leon and San Luis picked crucial wins to get to 18 points. They’ve got a game’s worth of cushion, but with certain teams still having 3 games to play not even they are safe! Let’s look at the upcoming schedules for each team fighting for a spot, and see who’s in, and who’s out!
The Schedule & Their Bad Form Could Mean Puebla, Tijuana, and Juarez are Out!
Puebla is currently in the tournament, but they may find themselves out of it when it’s all set and done. They face Tigres, Pumas, and Club America. There’s really no easy game in sight for them. They’ve been a decent team throughout the tournament, but they’ve had trouble finding ways to win games. It’s 4 draws, and 1 loss for them in their last 5 games. It’s going to be hard for them to get in if they can’t win at least another game.
As far as Tijuana, and Juarez go, they are currently on the outside looking in, and it seems like they just don’t have what it takes to pull through. Tijuana was just beaten down and embarrassed in Pachuca. Juarez seems to be more concerned with what happens with the refs. Something that is a very typical issue that Hernán Cristante lead teams deal with. They’d have to win a couple of games to get in, it looks kind of hard.
Cruz Azul & Mazatlan Could Sneak By
If the teams we just talked about can’t rack up at least four points in these upcoming games that could be great for Mazatlan and Cruz Azul. Mazatlan didn’t look great against Cruz Azul, but they get manageable games against Toluca, Necaxa, and Santos. You have to believe that they can pick up at least 3 points in their final games, and that may be enough to squeak through. Cruz Azul has Leon, Pumas, and Chivas to end the tournament, which isn’t the easiest schedule, but they could also rack up at least 3 points while some of the other teams may lose the rest of the way, and therefore play themselves out of contention. If Cruz Azul beats Leon in their mid week matchup they are very much in it! Any 3 points that the team can pick up will be vital. They’re not playing as bad as some of the other teams that they are joking for position with.
Pumas Controls Their Own Destiny
If any team currently in the hut slips up Pumas may be able to pick up the scraps and get in. The best thing for Pumas is that they play their last 3 games against direct competition for these remaining spots. More than potentially any other team in the hunt they control their own destiny. To be honest it would make for a better story if Cruz Azul and Pumas got in. That could give us very interesting matchups heading into the one game direct elimination round.
