Two surprise entries into the Liga MX playoff picture put their long undefeated streak on the line this weekend with Leon hosting Morelia and Necaxa hosting Veracruz.
Leon sits on the outside looking into the top eight, but that could change this weekend with a win over the struggling Monarcas. The playoff race is looking increasingly complicated as we enter the final month of action, but there's a tried and true formula to getting into the postseason - continuing to win.
After starting the season with four defeats and a draw, the Guanajuato outfit has turned things around, bringing a six-match undefeated streak into Saturday night's contest. The impetus has been new manager Javier Torrente, a Marcelo Bielsa disciple who has helped Leon generate much more going forward and reinvigorated forward Maruo Boselli. The Argentine has five goals in his last five Liga MX matches.
But even Leon's six-match unbeaten streak falls short of the mark the team above it in the eight and final Liguilla spot is holding onto. Necaxa, back in Liga MX after winning promotion in the spring, has won its last two and hasn't lost in its last eight games.
With Liga MX's system of relegation, the newly promoted team typically is the one sent right back down in the fall. While other teams can rely on four prior tournaments to boost their ratings in the rankings that take the last six into account, the new boys have just two to amass a better rating than their rivals. Necaxa currently sits in the top half of that mark, with being sent back down currently not a worry.
The team has relied on the same core group that got it into the top division with a couple of key additions. Chief among the newcomers is Edson Puch, the Chilean who broke out at the Copa America Centenario. Had he not already been tied to the Rayos, perhaps he would've gone elsewhere, but he's become a star in the Estadio Victoria with seven goals. Puch has strengthened a team that already had center back Marcos Gonzalez in the middle and Brayan Beckeles at right back. Getting those players a bit of help in front of them, while also bringing in Fabian Espindola from MLS to help Puch with the attack has been good business for Necaxa.
Espíndola le da tranquilidad al Necaxa y silencia el 'Volcán'. https://t.co/qPOUssKS7M
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) October 16, 2016
Espindola was critical in Necaxa's upset win against Tigres, a result that saw the team extend its unbeaten streak past two months. This week, not only is Necaxa back in the comforts of home but also plays a Tiburones Rojos side that has lost its last five matches.
Saturday night won't see any of Liga MX's glamor teams in action, but Leon and Necaxa have troubled those squads during the regular season. It looks more and more likely that they'll do the same once the playoffs begin.
