Holders Atlas set to make debut amidst Covid spike

Matchday 2 is upon us and although the spike in Covid cases across Mexico has not forced any postponements yet, Liga MX teams will be reducing attendance across the league.

Liga MX officials have instructed clubs to consult local health authorities to determine what protocols to put in place. Both Guadalajara teams (Atlas and Chivas) have taken the biggest step – requiring fans provide proof of vaccination or a current negative test result – while all but two home teams for the weekend have announced a reduction in ticket availability.

Here is the latest breakdown (percentage of tickets to be made available in parentheses): UNAM at Querétaro (40%); Monterrey at Necaxa (50%); Atlético de San Luis at Atlas (60%); Puebla at Tigres (50%); FC Juárez at Cruz Azul (100%); León at Tijuana (50%); Santos at Toluca (80%); and, Chivas at Pachuca (30%).

The América at Mazatlán game was postponed because Estadio Kraken is undergoing some emergency maintenance. And just hours before kick-off in Estadio Victoria, health officials were considering forcing the Rayos to host Monterrey in an empty stadium as new infections spiked in the state of Aguascalientes.

Liga MX champs set to make debut

After resting during Matchday 1 (the two finalists from the Apertura season always get the first week of the Clausura season off to make up for vacation time lost), Atlas will take the field as reigning Liga MX champs for the first time in 70 years.

The Zorros defeated León in a penalty kick shootout on Dec. 12 to claim their second-ever Liga MX championship.

Atlas returns to action Saturday afternoon against Atlético de San Luis (a 2-0 loser to visiting Pachuca last week). Fans will be pleased to see all the familiar faces of their heroes … except one. Defender Jesús Angulo was sold to the Tigres and in his place arrives veteran Emanuel Aguilera from América.

It will be interesting to see if coach Diego Cocca sticks with his 5-man back line since the veteran Aguilera (32 years old) lacks the versatility the 23-year-old Angulo provided. Cocca has other concerns as five unnamed members of his roster tested positive for Covid this week and are ruled out of Saturday’s match.

Rayos pulling the plug?

Necaxa coach Pablo Guede and his Rayos will host a pissed-off Monterrey team (held scoreless in its home opener by minnows Querétaro) without their top scorer.

Alejandro Zendejas is on the verge of moving to América, much to the manager’s dismay, especially because the transaction (reportedly for $3 million dollars) basically suggested the front office had already surrendered on the Clausura 2022 … after just one game!

Reports suggest ownership decided to sell the midfielder to the Aguilas so as to start building up its bank account in anticipation of finishing in the bottom three of the Liga MX table. Such an outcome would require Necaxa to fork over a considerable sum of money (18th place – 80 million pesos; 17th – 47 million pesos; 16th – 33 million pesos).

The Rayos are currently in 15th place in the Relegation Standings and they finished 14th in the Liga MX table last season, so the move by the front office suggests management has little confidence in its chances this season. This is especially true since Zendejas was the team’s top scorer last season (tallying 6 of Necaxa’s 16 goals).

On the other hand, the deal proved to be quite profitable. Zendejas was loaned to “los Electricistas” by the Chivas in July 2020. When Guadalajara declined to renew his contract six months later, Necaxa signed him for free. So the Aguascalientes-based club made a tidy 5 million-dollar profit with the sale to América. Unfortunately, ownership doesn’t expect to be able to invest the windfall in improving its roster. One wonders when the new investment group that bought into the team last year will start to make its presence known.