Liga MX title quest: Will it be 8th for León or 8th for Pumas?

Top two seeds face off in Guard1anes 2020 Final

No. 1 seed León was expected here, but the Pumas? Their coach resigned just three days before the Liga MX season opener. Their All Liga MX goalie suffered an injury prior to the season finale and has been out since.

León started out the Guard1anes 2020 slowly before hitting their stride in midseason, running the table with a 12-game unbeaten streak that was snapped in the playoff opener at 12th-seeded Puebla.

Since that stunner, the Esmeraldas have plateaued – a 2-0 win to advance past Puebla, then a 2-1 aggregate victory over No. 7 Guadalajara. But that was enough to earn Ignacio Ambriz his second trip to the Liga MX Finals as head coach of “La Fiera.”

But UNAM was seen as just another also-ran, especially after management decided to promote academy coach Andrés Lillini to the top job instead of doing a search. Matchdays went by and the Pumas just refused to lose. “Los Felinos” were second after winning their first two matches and only fell out of a Top 4 seed position once after that.

The Pumas suffered their lone loss of the season at León on Matchday 11, a game that was scoreless when UNAM’s all-world goalie Alfredo Talavera was ejected. A 2-1 win at Cruz Azul in the season finale boosted the Pumas over América into second place.

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An unimpressive 1-0 aggregate win over Pachuca in the quarterfinals was followed by a 4-0 thumping at Estadio Azteca in the first leg of the semifinals.

The obituaries were written (I’m among the guilty) but UNAM insisted that “the rumors of our death are greatly exaggerated,” scoring early (minute 4) and twice more just before halftime. Then in minute 89, second captain Juan Pablo Vigón snuck into the box unmarked, gathered in an Alan Mozo cross and banged home the series-winning goal.

The 4-0 result (4-4 aggregate with no away goals) sent UNAM into the Final as the higher seed. It’s only natural to wonder how much energy the Pumas will have after Sunday’s emotionally draining miracle.

Key players

León midfielder Luis Montes – the likely MVP – could cap of a magical year by earning his third title with the Esmeraldas. The 34-year-old playmaker is the engine that makes the León attack purr. “El Chapo” sets the tempo – literally – conducting the offense with the pace or patience the game situation calls for.

Pumas striker Juan Ignacio Dinenno has been a clutch performer since joining UNAM in January. The 26-year-old Argentine arrived three games into the Clausura 2020 calendar, earning a starting spot before the season was aborted. He led the club in scoring this season and has scored 16 times in 29 games for the Pumas. He is deadly in the air and with the ball at his feet.

Hospital report

León fullback Yairo Moreno is finally back from an early October thigh injury, but he is expected to start the game on the bench. When fit, Moreno – a converted winger – can run rampant on the left flank, showcasing his dribbling and passing skills. William Tesillo slid over to take Yairo’s place, but his strength is tackling so the Esmeraldas have been working with less firepower.

Pumas netminder Alfredo Talavera returned to full training late last week, but coach Lillini seems inclined to stick with Julio González. “Tala” still lacks explosiveness off his right leg (he suffered a grade 3 strain to his upper right thigh) though he might be game-ready for Sunday’s return leg.

Liga MX Final Facts and Figures

The Feline Final is a first. León and UNAM have squared off twice before in the playoffs, but never with the trophy on the line.

UNAM dispatched León in the 1984-1985 semifinals, getting a 3-3 draw on the road before winning the decisive match at home 2-0. “La Fiera” returned the favor in the 1991-1992 quarterfinals, taking both legs by an identical 1-0 scoreline. León went on to hoist the Liga MX trophy that season. The Pumas were not so lucky, suffering a bitter loss to América in the 1985 Final.

Both teams are battling for their eighth Liga MX title. UNAM won its most recent title in May 2011 while the Esmeraldas hoisted their seventh trophy in May 2014.

These clubs are the last two teams to win back-to-back titles. León turned the trick by doubling up with the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014 championships, their sixth and seventh titles. UNAM was the prior Liga MX Bicampeón after winning the Clausura 2004 and the Apertura 2004 tournaments, their fifth and sixth titles.

In the Matchday 11 clash between these two teams

, UNAM keeper Talavera was yellow-carded in minute 19 for arguing with ref César Ramos. About 20 minutes later, “Tala” raced off his line to challenge

Angel Mena

and made slight contact. Ref Ramos pointed to the penalty spot and showed the goalie another yellow, sending him to the showers. Julio González conceded the penalty kick after replacing “Tala” and the Esmeraldas scored again in minute 78. With the man advantage, León dominated the statistics (74% possession; 20-7 advantage on shots taken, 13-1 shots on net; 90% to 69% advantage in pass completion rate), so there’s not too much to extrapolate from that for this series.

Next. Final Liga MX Power Rankings. dark

The last time the top two seeds clashed in a Liga MX Final was the Clausura 2019. No. 1 seeded León lost to No. 2 Tigres, 1-0. A season earlier, the No. 2 seed América toppled No. 1 Cruz Azul, 2-0, to win the Apertura 2018 crown. A year before that, the Apertura 2017 season, No. 2 Tigres defeated the No. 1 Rayados of Monterrey, 3-2. No. 2 Pachuca upset No. 1 Monterrey in the Clausura 2016 Liguilla. You have to go back to the Apertura 2014 season to find a No. 1 defeating a No. 2 in the Liga MX Final. Back then, No. 1 América edged past No. 2 Tigres, 3-1.

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