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Liga MX Power Rankings hold steady after Matchday 10

By Thomas Buckley

Atlas defeated FC Juárez to climb into 7th place. Here, Jairo Torres celebrates scoring the Zorros' opening goal in the 2-0 victory. (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Atlas defeated FC Juárez to climb into 7th place. Here, Jairo Torres celebrates scoring the Zorros' opening goal in the 2-0 victory. (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Liga MX Power Rankings 11
Pumas defender Johan Vásquez (center) clears out Juan Escobar as Juan Iturbe heads a clearance. Vásquez was called for a penalty on the play. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images) /

The midseason pile-up of games did not shake up the standings too much and as a result the Liga MX Power Rankings remain rather settled after Matchday 10. Eleven of the 18 teams stayed put and no team fell more than two spots (Tijuana, after the Xolos lost to previously winless Pachuca).

The big climber in the latest ratings was Atlas after the Zorros extended their unbeaten streak to 7 games with a 2-0 home win over FC Juárez.

The schedule eases up a bit now with a FIFA break coming up before the end of the month which should allow teams to rest up for the stretch run. Well, at least those teams that won’t be loaning out their players to national teams or for Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Liga MX champs suffering extended hangover

The main storyline continues to be the disastrous season that the defending champs are having. León scored less than 15 seconds into their match against América, but allowed the tying goal only 5 minutes later. The Esmeraldas then conceded the winner 2 minutes into added time.

To make matters worse, “La Fiera” coughed up a lead in a midweek make-up game (their Matchday 3 contest at Monterrey was postponed after the Rayados were hit with a coronavirus outbreak) and settled for a tie. After losing only 1 game last season, León is now 2-2-6.

So without further ado, here are the Playing for 90 Liga MX Power Rankings after 10 matches. The figure inside parentheses after the team name indicates the movement related to the previous rankings.

1. Cruz Azul (—)

Record: 8-0-2     24 points

The Cementeros are on an 8-game win streak, outscoring opponents 15-3 but still seem capable of taking it up another notch. They snatched a win against the Pumas Sunday thanks to a late penalty. Coach Juan Reynoso has been having success rotating players. This has allowed him to keep the team fresh and to utilize a variety of tactical alignments.

2. America (—)

Record: 7-1-2     22 points

The Aguilas look to be getting more and more comfortable with what coach Santiago Solari wants while retaining their tendency for closing out games late. Substitute Federico Viñas scored the game-winner against León in injury time.

3. Monterrey (+1)

Record: 5-4-1     19 points

The Rayados are on a 3-game win streak after wrestling León to a 1-1 draw in a Matchday 3 make-up game Wednesday night. That followed a 2-1 home win over Querétaro that became more complicated than necessary when Vincent Janssen was red-carded in minute 34.

4. Toluca (–1)

Record: 5-3-2     18 points

The Diablos sputtered in a scoreless draw against an average Atlético de San Luis club and appear to have suffered a midseason lull. Hernán Cristante’s club can’t afford to drop points against lower-ranked teams as the schedule down the stretch promises to be difficult.

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