Playing for 90
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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
Santos has had plenty to cheer about, going 4-1-0 in their last five games. (Photo by Manuel Guadarrama/Getty Images) /

Two modest Liga MX clubs make late-season push

Back on Sept. 9, Necaxa was in last place and Santos Laguna had slumped into 14th place after each lost their Matchday 9 contests.

Seven weeks later and Santos has claimed a playoff berth while the Rayos can punch its postseason ticket with a home win on Friday night.

The Guerreros have gone 4-1-0 in their last five to climb into 8th place, while Necaxa has a three-game win streak and are unbeaten in their last four.

Santos lost star winger Brian Lozano before the first game to a broken leg and it took coach Guillermo Almada half the season to discover a reliable line-up. But the Guerreros will face a stern test on Monday night when they travel to León to take on the league-leading Esmeraldas. Perhaps León will rest some starters since they’ve already clinched the No. 1 seed throughout the Liguilla, but Almada might prefer to put his team to the test in order to get his club playoff-ready.

Eleventh-place Necaxa hosts 10th-place Toluca in a pivotal contest as a win will secure a spot in the playoffs for either club. A draw would be enough for the Diablos to clinch a wildcard berth, but the Rayos can’t afford to drop points at home.

Coaching Carousel

Querétaro fired coach Alex Diego after the Gallos Blancos lost their 9th game of the season. Diego was the youngest coach in Liga MX (35 years old) and he led the “Albiazules” to upset wins over Cruz Azul and América that saw the Gallos reach 7th place. A seven-game winless streak (0-2-5) since a Matchday 8 win over Toluca earned him a pink slip.

Next. 8 key games. dark

Diego is the sixth Liga MX coach fired this season. Who might be next? Well, Tijuana fell to 0-0-7 on the road on Sunday, losing at Toluca 2-0. Coach Pablo Guede might not be allowed to finish the season unless he can guide the Xolos to an upset win over Monterrey in the Copa MX Final.

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