It was an entertaining week in Liga MX, one that saw no scoreless draws and 28 goals put in altogether (eight of those came in Cruz Azul's 5-3 win over Veracruz, a match in which we didn't learn enough to make it one of our five things). And with this international break the penultimate respite before the Liguilla begins, it seems the picture should be clearing up.
In some senses it is. Tijuana clinched a spot in the playoffs, and despite a defeat this round, Tigres aren't far behind. But in other ways, this weekend reminded us just how tight things can be and just how many teams could be playing meaningful matches after Mexico begins its Hexagonal campaign in November.
Let's take a look at what we did learn from Round 12 of the Liga MX Apertura:
LEON ROARS LOUDEST — AND HAS LEGIT PLAYOFF CHANCE
In a battle of ferocious felines, it was the underdog Leon that came out on top over Tigres, 3-2, making it the first team to hand Tuca Ferretti's men a loss this campaign.
That defeat is Tigres' second in a row after they also fell in the CONCACAF Champions League during the week, and a scoreless draw against Cruz Azul last weekend has fans wondering if this team is again going through a swoon like it experienced in the latter portion of the Clausura. The depth of the side should help ward against that, but it's something to keep an eye on when action resumes after the international break.
Far from simply being a stumbling block for Tigres (Leon now has won four of the last five meetings between the teams), Leon also looks to be a legitimate playoff contender. That sentence would've been a ridiculous one just a few weeks ago, but manager Javier Torrente, who worked with famed coach Marcelo Bielsa, has his men understanding what he's asking.
What is it he's asking? Pressure upfield for one, which has helped the back line allow fewer shots and goalkeeper William Yarbrough to do a little less. The back line still isn't exactly world class (see the two goals conceded Saturday), but with Mauro Boselli again finding the back of the net, Leon can outscore its opponents.
Leon is now undefeated in its last five league matches and has a relatively easy schedule to close out the season. Things, as they always seem to be, are wide open in the race for the Liguilla. Remember, the top eight get in. Leon sits 12th, but Necaxa is 8th and has just one more point than Leon. Postseason play in Guanajuato is easily within reach for Torrente.
MONTERREY FIGURING OUT HOME FIELD?
It's been a rough tournament for Monterrey, which crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League courtesy of two defeats to Panamanian side Arabe Unido and has just three wins in league play. But while the record is poor — and at 3-4-5, it is poor — Antonio Mohamed's team didn't look half bad in the Estadio BBVA Bancomer on Saturday.
After a 3-1 loss to Atlas in its last home league match and other embarrassing reverses, like a 1-0 defeat to Queretaro and a 5-3 loss to Pumas in August, Mohamed will hope this is the start of his team getting back to the kind of form it had at home during the Clausura, when the club topped the regular season table.
The attack looked lively this weekend while being led by Dorlan Pabon, who converted a penalty that he drew in his side's 1-1 draw with Club America. It's an America team still getting acclimated to new manager Ricardo La Volpe, but it's also a club that sits in the playoff positions and has plenty of attacking talent. Somehow, Monterrey allowed just one goal, to Silvio Romero, and managed to ride its home support to a point.
Monterrey always seems to struggle with America, with Saturday's game making it just one out of the last 14 meetings between the two sides that saw the Rayados keep America scoreless. Could the Rayados keep the next opponent in town, Toluca, off the board entirely?
PULIDO SETTLING IN, BUT ANOTHER PLAYER LIFTING CHIVAS
Alan Pulido scored his second goal for Chivas by converting from the penalty spot in the Guadalajara outfit's 2-1 victory over Morelia on Saturday, but rather than the summer acquisition, it's a teammate who is really keying Chivas' vault up the table. Isaac Brizuela lashed home a beautiful goal to seal off the points for Chivas. It's the fourth goal of the season for "El Conejo," who arrived to much fanfare from Toluca but has been spotty prior to this tournament.
The 26-year-old is back in the picture for El Tri, called up for October's friendly matches and hoping to earn his first minutes in a national team shirt since 2014. Brizuela has benefited from Pulido joining up top but also from better distribution both from the middle and on the overlap. Orbelin Pineda and Michael Perez have worked wonders together in the center, while Jesus Sanchez getting forward well and creating a difficult right side for defenders to deal with.
Brizuela will have more to say about whether Chivas can get into the title race than the heralded Pulido, though both can work together to help Matias Almeyda's side.
ESTADIO CALIENTE BACK TO ITS FORMER GLORY
Tijuana's 1-0 victory over Atlas on Friday wasn't its most glamorous of the season, but ugly wins count for three points, too. There are things manager Miguel Herrera will have to work on during the international break, but there's one thing the team has achieved, that's the return of its home venue as the league's most feared place to play.
There are a lot of things that make Estadio Caliente a difficult road trip. Matches are on Friday, when most teams are used to playing on Saturday. The trip is the longest of the year, and Tijuana's time zone is two hours behind the other teams in the league. The crowd, while often mixing in fans of the opposing team, is boisterous. But in recent years, that home-field advantage has slipped away, with the team upgrading the artificial surface and perhaps making things easier on visitors who previously weren't used to the turf.
The Xolos avoided defeat in 13 straight matches in a streak stretching from 2012 to 2013 and matched that streak from May 2013 to January 2014. The win over Atlas gave them six consecutive victories, the longest win streak in one campaign. The record at home is perfect, and it's clear that the Estadio Caliente is back to being a house of horrors for opposing teams.
The truth is, the team also is just much better than it has been in the past few campaigns. Friday's win saw the team go back to the top of the table, and a postseason berth already has been clinched. Opposing coaches already are dreading having to head to the border for second-leg playoff games.
NECAXA APPARENTLY CAN SCORE MORE THAN TWO
Prior to this week, Necaxa was locked in a strange pattern. The side, promoted to the top division this year, had yet to score more than twice in a game. The Bolts had reached two goals four times and had been held scoreless four times as well. This week, they finally broke the two-goal barrier. Fabian Espindola finished off a cross in the fifth minute, and Necaxa scored from a corner later in the first half.
It was Chilean attacker Edson Puch, who leads the team with six goals in the Apertura, who put Necaxa over with this breakaway goal and helped the team to a 3-1 win.
That result takes Necaxa to eighth, where the team from Aguascalientes occupies the final playoff position and continues building points to ward off relegation.
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