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Liga MX playoff picture takes shape, 3 spots open

By Thomas Buckley

Pumas players mob goalie Alfredo Talavera after he saved a penalty shot by Pachuca's Víctor Dávila (left). (Photo by VICTOR CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Pumas players mob goalie Alfredo Talavera after he saved a penalty shot by Pachuca's Víctor Dávila (left). (Photo by VICTOR CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Liga MX Matchday 15
Pachuca goalie Oscar Ustari made a key save late in his club’s match against the Pumas. (Photo by Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images) /

Guardianes 2020 finish line comes into view

After Matchday 15, nine teams have secured a spot in the Liga MX postseason fiesta which means the other nine teams are battling for the final three spots.

Current table-topper León has clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye while the three remaining top seeds are still up for grabs. Eight teams are in the chase for that all-important week off before the Liguilla formally begins.

Before enumerating these lists and calculations, it’s best to offer a bit of a primer in Liga MX lingo. The Liguilla refers to the quarterfinal stage which will be comprised of the Top 4 seeds and the four clubs that emerge from the wildcard round.

The wildcard round – known as the Repechaje – pits seeds 5 through 8 against 9 through 12 in this manner: No. 4 vs. No. 12; No. 5 vs. No. 11; No. 6 vs. No. 10 and No. 8 vs. No. 9. The higher seed will get the return match at home.

Besides León (36 points), the other eight Liga MX teams who’ve punched their postseason tickets are Cruz Azul (29), UNAM (28), América (28), Tigres (27), Monterrey (26) and Pachuca, Santos and Guadalajara, each with 22 points.

Matchday 15 came to a close Monday night with an entertaining 1-1 draw between UNAM and Pachuca.

Pachuca dominated the first half, flowing through midfield with ease but struggling to unlock the Pumas’ final line of defense. When the Tuzos did find space, Alfredo Talavera was in the way. “Tala” made three brilliant saves including a lunging parry of a Víctor Dávila penalty shot.

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Against the run of play, the Pumas took the lead in minute 23 when Juan Pablo Vigón took a feed from Favio Álvarez and fired home at the near post. Erick Aguirre was victimized on the scoring play, but he made up for his mistake by equalizing off a corner kick just before the halftime whistle. Aguirre ran onto a rebound and fired toward goal from just outside the box with the shot deflecting off Pumas midfielder Facundo Waller and rolling into the net.

In the second half, host Pachuca played beautifully on the counter but were foiled by atrocious finishing and selfish play. Youngster Roberto de la Rosa was released in alone on Talavera but sprayed his shot wide, while late sub Felipe Pardo squandered three chances by repeatedly trying to go solo. Francisco Figueroa also wasted two opportunities with errant shots.

The result keeps the Pumas in the top four and extended Pachuca’s unbeaten string to six games. Unfortunately for the Tuzos, they only have 8 points from the streak (1 win, 5 draws).

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