Liga MX: Who’s Breaking their Winless Streak Next?
2021 was the year of broken streaks across sports in general, but perhaps none more memorable than Liga MX breaking two(!) of their most famous “curses.” First, Cruz Azul broke their curse and won a championship after 23 long years of bewildering losses. Then, loveable losers Atlas broke an even longer streak when they finally won a title after 70 years. But now that Cruz Azul and Atlas have broken their streak, who has the longest to end now? And more importantly, who’s chances are better to do so?
- 1. Puebla: 32 years
La Franja hasn’t won a championship since the Campeonísimo year of 1990 when they defeated Tigres 4-1 at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc. They’ve recently had good participation in the league, having made it to the Liguilla in the past 3 tournaments. The farthest they’ve gotten is the semifinals, and the highest on the table they’ve finished is 3rd place in the Guard1anes 2020 tournament.
Not bad for a team trying to break a streak. But Puebla has been the perennial dark horse of recent years, always trying to get lucky and pull off some cinderella story and win out the league, but in Liga MX, is that enough? Who knows, we’ve seen others (Atlas) do it with less.
- 2. Necaxa: 24 years
Los Rayos last won the league in their glory days of the ’90s, a decade in which they won all three of their recent championships. The last of these, and indeed the last time they lifted the cup, was in 1998 after defeating Chivas at the Estadio Jalisco. Since then, they’ve had a rocky history, with more downs than ups.
The closest they came to winning it all was in 2002 when they lost the final against America, although they’ve reached the semis since then. Most recently, they did so in the Apertura 2019 when they lost in the semis to the eventual champion, Monterrey. Last year they failed to make the liguilla in either tournament, even ending in dead last place for the Clausura 2021. So far, things don’t look good for the Aguascalientes squad.
- 3. Toluca: 12 years
Los Diablos Rojos last won in 2010 for the torneo Bicentenario. That squad led by Zinha defeated Santos in a series defined via a penalty shootout. As of recent, los chorizeros have been a mid-tier team, making the playoffs in each of the past three tournaments. They were a hazardous team last tournament, and many expect them to be that way again for this one. Unfortunately, a thrashing in the first week by Pumas isn’t necessarily the best way to convince others that you mean business.
- 4. Pumas: 11 years
Speaking of Pumas, they are next on our list and perhaps the one that stands out the most. For being one of the “Big Four,” you’d expect more recency in championships. But unfortunately for la UNAM, their last title came in 2011 after defeating the now-defunct Monarcas Morelia. Historically, they’ve been known for not being flashy with signings and relying on their academy for players. It’s been a tried and true formula that’s worked for them, but it’s not an easy path to follow.
To make matters worse, the club has struggled financially recently, so no real help has come along their way. Even still, last season, they showed flashes of greatness and managed to get themselves into the semifinals before narrowly losing to the eventual champions, Atlas. So far this season, they’ve demolished their competition, and while it may be too soon to judge, so far, they’re the best this young season has to offer.
- 5. Xolos: 10 years
Tijuana is a relatively new team, having been in the league since 2011, but they’ve already got a championship under their belt. They’re the fastest team to have won a tournament, having won it after only a year in the league in 2012. However, with the way things have been with the club, it may be a while for them to repeat the feat. They failed to make the playoffs in the last three seasons and even finished dead last this past season. Unless they make drastic changes, Tijuana will only be moving up on this list.
And you, who do you think will break their curse first? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to follow El Tri Online across all our platforms this season to keep up to date with the latest news across Liga MX, and be sure to tune in Thursday at 9 pm E.T./6 pm E.T. for the newest episode of El Mexican Soccer Podcast as we get you set for Round 3!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
El Tri Online was founded in December 2017 to serve English-speaking fans of Mexican Soccer. Our mission is to create compelling Mexican soccer content and share it via our website, streaming apps, social media, and any other medium for English-dominant Mexican-American fans of the Mexican National Team, Liga MX, and their players.
Please email us at info@eltrionline.com if you have any questions or want to join the team, send us a message at gigs@eltrionline.com, or send us a D.M. on Instagram @eltrionline.
