Liga MX ETO Power Rankings: Clausura 2022 Round 14

Apr. 18, 2022 – Not surprisingly, our vote for the top two Liga MX teams came down to Pachuca and Tigres – who, like last week, traded places in the standings and are separated on goal differential by a margin of 1. 

After that, our top five starts to differ from the league standings.  While the team that’s been consistently in third lately is still in our rankings, the other two spots go to teams who are several places down from them in the table, but have been making strong runs lately and repositioning themselves as Liguilla contenders.

And with only five points separating 4^th and 13^th in the table, and a jornada doble beginning this Tuesday, the playoff picture should really come into focus this week. 

We’ll release our next rankings this coming Monday, after the conclusion of Round 16.  Until then, read ‘em and weep:

1. Tigres (10-2-2, 32 pts., +14 GD, 1^st in Liga MX)

A dominant win over Toluca Saturday night, particularly so in a second half that saw them outscore Toluca 3-0.  UANL boasts the highest-scoring player in the league, the highest-scoring team in the league (three goals more than Pachuca), and is tied for 4^th-fewest goals allowed.  Diario AS has some insight on what it took for Piojo Herrera to put together a strong enough team to be one of the first two to clinch a berth in Liguilla.

2. Pachuca (10-2-2, 32 pts., +13 GD, 2^nd in Liga MX)

Pachuca earned their Liguilla/quarterfinal berth with a win over Juarez Friday; and Nicolás Ibáñez scored his 9^th goal, putting him 1 shy of his career high for a tournament (Guardianes 2021).  As we’ve noted, there is plenty of room for debate over who is the better team and more likely champion between Pachuca and Tigres.  The case for Tuzos includes the fact that they already beat Tigres in a postponed Round 9 match, and they can make an even stronger case for themselves when they face 3^rd-place Puebla and 4^th-place Monterrey this week.

3. Puebla (7-5-2, 26 pts., +9 GD, 3^rd in Liga MX)

Took advantage of an early red card against León, playing with a one-man advantage for most of the game and winning 1-0.  While they’re no longer at the top of the table, as they were for several weeks, La Franja have held steady in 3^rd the last four rounds as Pachuca and Tigres have traded places in the top two.  And although Pachuca is next on the schedule, Necaxa and Mazatlán are the last two opponents afterward – so while it’s not official yet, Puebla appears well on its way to qualifying for the quarterfinals.

4. Pumas (5-4-5, 19 pts., +5 GD, 7^th in Liga MX)

UNAM returns to our top five for the first time in nearly two months, following a thrilling win over 4^th-place Monterrey – one in which Washington Corozo scored twice in stoppage time, with his team down a man for the entire second half.  After a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season, Pumas have gone unbeaten in their last four, and are as high as 7^th in the table for the first time since the end of Round 8.  At only three points out of a top-four spot, and with San Luis and Chivas as their opponents in the jornada doble, contention for the quarterfinals isn’t yet out of the question.

5. América (5-4-5, 19 pts., +3 GD, 8^th in Liga MX)

Don’t look now…in dead last after Rounds 8 and 9, Aguilas have now won four straight under interim manager Fernando Ortiz, and are at their highest position in the standings since finishing 6^th after Round 1.  That win streak, though, has come at the expense of teams currently in the bottom half of the table (except for Toluca) – and their remaining schedule consists of León, Tigres and Cruz Azul.

Also receiving votes: Necaxa, Monterrey, Atlas.

Dropped from last week’s rankings: Cruz Azul, Atlas.

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 9pm E.T./6pm P.T. for the latest episode of El Mexican Soccer Podcast!