Liga MX playoffs approach; Tigres sign Thauvin
The Liga MX playoffs kick off with four wildcard matches this weekend with the winners advancing directly to the quarterfinals where the top 4 seeds await their opponents.
The wildcard round is a one-off game played at the site of the higher seed but from here on out each round is a two-game, home-and-home set-up with the away goals rule in effect except in the Finals.
Saturday sees No. 10 Tigres visiting Estadio Jalisco to take on the Zorros of Atlas followed by No. 5 Santos Laguna playing host to No. 12 Querétaro.
Sunday’s schedule has the defending champs León – the No. 7 seed – welcoming No. 10 Toluca after which No. 8 Guadalajara takes on the No. 9 Tuzos in Pachuca.
Tigres aim to make statement in Liga MX playoffs
After standing up to Bayern Munich in the FIFA Club World Cup Final in February, the Tigres promptly returned to Liga MX and fell flat. The once-formidable club went 1-2-6 before turning things around (sort of) with a 2-2-0 finish, good enough to squeeze into the playoffs.
The past few weeks have seen additional turmoil as the team announced that legendary coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti will not be back with the club. “Tuca” had been under fire from fans who thought he was not properly using the loaded roster at his disposal, instead relying on the aging veteran group that won five titles in the past 10 years.
The team’s leading scorer – Nico “Diente” López, 6 goals – got only seven starts while much-ballyhooed playmaker Leo Fernández got just three starts.
This week, however, word leaked out that “Diente” has been a reluctant participant at practice, helping to explain why the Uruguayan forward was not getting much playing time. One wonders how unified the squad is since several veteran leaders have voiced displeasure at the decision to let “Tuca” walk.
The Tigres will no doubt be fired up, eager to send “Tuca” along his way with another trophy. That may be too much to ask since the offense has struggled all season. Star striker André-Pierre Gignac has just 2 goals in the Guardianes 2021 and wingers Javier Aquino and Luis Quiñones have been erratic.
Fortunately, for the Tigres, their wildcard opponent is not that formidable.
Atlas returns to the playoffs for the first time in four years but they were helped by a controversial decision after a Matchday 7 loss to América. The Zorros filed a protest because the Aguilas had inadvertently left a player’s name off their game roster, and even though the player in question did not play (and was removed from the bench at halftime), Liga MX officials declared the game a forfeit. Those 3 points were instrumental in getting Atlas into the playoffs.
The Zorros feature a mixed line-up of veterans and youngsters from the famed Atlas academy. The kids have produced quality (Jonathan Herrera, 19, and Jairo Torres, 20, lead the team in goals scored with 3 each) but the veterans have come up short. Striker Milton Caraglio has just 1 goal on the season (1,231 minutes) and that came from the penalty spot.
For Atlas to have a chance against the Tigres, winger Renato Ibarra and Caraglio must show up while the back three of Hugo Nervo, Anderson Santamaría and Jesús Angulo must stand tall.
Back in late January, the Tigres defeated Atlas at Estadio Jalisco 2-0 in a Matchday 3 contest, but that was before the Club World Cup adventure.