Cruz Azul still No. 1; Santos and Tigres are biggest climbers, while Querétaro falls.
We’re heading into a weekend without fútbol for the first time since Liga MX officials suspended the Clausura 2020 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. League officials will wrestle with the decision of how to adjust the schedule (7 regular-season games and the playoffs) at a later date.
Teams have also shut down their training grounds and sent their players home with instructions to take precautions. Some teams have told their players they will be fined if they are caught out and about doing non-essential errands.
As of Friday morning, only one Liga MX coronavirus case had been confirmed. Atlético San Luis club president Alberto Marrero had tested positive, while two of his players were under observation.
Tigres officials were taking precautions after word that several NYCFC players had tested positive for Covid-19. The Tigres played the MLS club in New York on March 11.
At this unscheduled break, Cruz Azul remains top of the table through 10 games with a revived León a close second. A cluster of teams are in a position to chase spots in the Liguilla, but the biggest surprise is the performance of the defending champs – Monterrey sits at the very bottom as the lone winless team in Liga MX.
With time on our hands to re-examine the Clausura to date, we’ll start by issuing our Liga MX Power Rankings before moving on to other topics in subsequent columns.
The number in parentheses refers to that team’s ranking in the previous edition. The (-) symbol means the club’s position is unchanged. Without further ado, here is the Playing for 90 Liga MX Power Rankings.
1. Cruz Azul (–)
The Cementeros extended their Liga MX win streak to 6 games when “Chuy” Corona saved an América penalty kick in stoppage time in the final game of the past weekend. The guys in blue can’t be too thrilled at this momentum-stopping interruption (a 10-game unbeaten streak in all competitions). Liga MX scoring leader Jonathan Rodríguez scored the lone goal of the “Junior Classic” to give him 9 on the season.
2. León (+1)
The Esmeraldas has recovered from an early-season slump that saw them get bounced from the Concacaf Champions League. That was due in part to a cluster of injuries that cost left-back Yairo Moreno a few games and kept magician Angel Mena out of the CCL match. Mena and Moreno returned and León
3. América (-1)
The Aguilas tumbled into fourth place in the table with the agonizing 1-0 loss to Cruz Azul. Their defence remains one of the league’s stingiest, but their offence just can’t seem to get untracked. Only four teams have scored fewer times than the “Verdeamarela” (11 goals in 10 matches) and coach Miguel Herrera must do some tinkering when play resumes.