Liga MX ETO Power Rankings: Clausura 2022 Round 10

Mar. 14, 2022 – Our power rankings return after a week’s hiatus, a decision made in light of the horrifying violence that took place at Estadio Corregidora on March 6^th.  Simply put, it was no time to justify picking against any team – or against anyone.  With the sanctions and new security measures announced by Liga MX and FMF, the hope is that it will stop getting exponentially worse. 

So, we turn our attention back to the games and find a new leader in both the standings and our rankings.  Pachuca’s continued excellence, combined with Puebla’s first loss this tournament, was enough to earn Tuzos unanimous top billing among our panel.  Afterward, we saw a couple of layers of separation: The next two teams in the table combined for all but one of the second-and third-place votes; and four other teams combined for the majority of the fourth- and fifth-place votes, with only one of them receiving anything higher.

That’s how our ballots break down; now, here’s how our top five looks after adding everything up:

1. Pachuca (7-1-1, 22 pts., +12 GD, 1st in Liga MX)

A convincing win at Toluca Sunday, followed by Puebla losing on a stoppage-time goal, left Pachuca as Super Lideres.  At 5-1-0 in their last 6 games, tied for the league lead in goals, and with a “dreaming and evolving” young squad, Tuzos continue to impress – particularly now that they’re in a fairly tough stretch of their schedule.  They’ve beaten Atlas and Toluca the last two rounds, and Cruz Azul is coming up this Saturday in Round 11…and we’re already looking forward to Apr. 7^th, for a Round 13 matchup (and possible Liguilla preview) against Tigres.

2. Tigres (6-2-1, 20 pts., +7 GD, 3rd in Liga MX)

Some facts about Tigres’ win Saturday: It was their first shutout of Clausura 2022; it came against a León squad that had worked its way up to 5^th in the table; it was their first win at León since Apertura 2016; they’re 6-1-0 in their last 7 games; and André-Pierre Gignac has scored in a career-high seven consecutive games, with 8 goals total over that span.  This team is still rolling; and with a somewhat-favorable schedule coming up (Monterrey, Tijuana, Querétaro), it doesn’t look like there’ll be anything stopping them.

3. Puebla (6-3-1, 21 pts., +9 GD, 2nd in Liga MX)

Following Round 8’s draw against Juarez, manager Nicolás Larcamón spoke about a bittersweet feeling among the team – knowing that while things could have been worse, they also could have done more late in the game.  Those words proved to be somewhat prophetic Sunday: When Martín Barragán equalized the game against San Luis in the 88^th minute, it looked like Puebla was going to pull out a close game, as they’ve done several times this tournament…and then Efraín Orona scored in stoppage time, to give La Franja a loss that several headlines described as either “agony” or “agonizing.”  Puebla will look to bounce back against a Santos team that’s won 3 of its last 4.

4. Atlas (5-3-2, 18 pts., +5 GD, 4th in Liga MX)

With Friday night’s victory over Juarez, Atlas has now won two straight following a four-game winless streak and stays in the top four.  This comes with a caveat, as their abandoned game against Querétaro was officially ruled a 3-0 win (they were up 1-0 when it was stopped).  This weekend’s Clásico Tapatío should tell us more about whether Los Rojinegros have overcome a relative slump.

5. Cruz Azul (5-2-3, 17 pts., +4 GD, 5th in Liga MX)

First, the good news: Cruz Azul got a much-needed victory against Pumas Saturday, ending both a 3-game home losing streak and a 3-game winless streak overall.  And there was a great moment within that win, as the deciding 70^th-minute goal by Juan Escobar was the best of the weekend and a candidate for best of the year.  In the big picture, though, this game continued a recent pattern of La Maquina alternating between soaring highs and excruciating lows:

• Round 3: Up 2-0 to Monterrey entering stoppage time, allowed two goals to come away with only a draw.
• Round 4: Beat León 1-0, handing them their first loss of Clausura 2022.
• Round 5: Allowed another stoppage-time goal, this time against Necaxa, and lost at home 2-1.
• Round 6: In the wake of that loss and some front-office changes, scored 4 goals at Toluca for the first time in 27 years.  The 4-1 win remains their largest margin of victory this tournament.
• Round 7: Allowed another stoppage-time goal, losing 2-1 at home to one of the worst teams in the league in Santos.
• Round 8: Cruz Azul flipped the script, as Ignacio Rivero’s stoppage-time goal helped them salvage a draw against a top-flight Tigres squad, ending their winning streak.
• Round 9: It wasn’t a late-game collapse; but their loss to Puebla was a decisive one, highlighted by a hat trick from Fernando Aristeguieta.
• Round 10: See above.  After beating a fading Pumas team, Cruz Azul seems to be back on track – seems to be – heading into a Round 11 matchup with Pachuca. 

For a team that’s been near the top of the table all along, this has been a weird run.  How much do you believe in them?

Also receiving votes: León, Monterrey.

Do you agree or disagree with our rankings?   Let us know what you think by leaving a comment, and be sure to tune in Thursday at 9 pm E.T./6 pm P.T. for the latest episode of El Mexican Soccer Podcast as we get you set for Round 11 of Clausura 2022!