As the Clausura 2023 season reaches it’s midway point, it has become clear which teams have a real shot at clinching the Liga MX title in June. Additionally, the CONCACAF Champions League has kicked off during the week, meaning teams like Atlas, Leon, Tigres and Pachuca have a tight schedule waiting ahead.
The Highs
The biggest contender for the title this season is none other than Monterrey’s Rayados. The Nuevo León club sits comfortably at the top of the table with 25 points. Monterrey’s Rogelio Funes Mori has been a frontrunner in the golden boot race with eight goals. Mexican coach Victor Manuel Vucetich has turned Los Rayados into a formidable team, with players like Arturo Gonzalez and Jesus Gallardo being protagonists as well this season.
Right across town, Monterrey’s cross-town rivals, Tigres sit right below Rayados with four points in between the Nuevo León clubs. Tigres’ recent acquisition of gems like Diego Lainez and lethal goalscorer Nicolas Ibañez combined with Liga MX legend Andre Pierre Gignac have made them truly formidable up front.
However, the biggest storyline this year is the return of El Rebaño Sagrado to the top of Mexican football. Guadalajara’s Chivas sit comfortably in third place, becoming a competitive team despite losing important players like JJ Macias and Alexis Vega. Recent hiring Veljko Paunovic has brought in players like ‘Pocho’ Guzman and has turned them into well-oiled machines. Chivas’ impressive run so far could very much end in the long-sought 13th Liga MX title for Guadalajara.
A very welcome surprise is Ignacio Ambriz’ Toluca, who managed to make the final last season against eventual champions Pachuca. ‘Nacho’ knows what it takes to win a championship in Liga MX, he won one with Leon in 2020 before departing for a short stint in Spain.
The Lows
Despite winning back-to-back championships in what seemed like a new era, Atlas seems to have returned to what it has been for countless years, Atlas. The Rojinegros sit in 14th place and just lost the first leg of their first international competition in years in a devastating 4-1 loss to Honduras’ Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League. Despite retaining most of their base squad from their winning seasons, Atlas is facing a horrible case of campeonitis that plagues Liga MX.
However, Atlas isn’t the team that has seen the hardest fall from grace. Cruz Azul has hit a new low since their title clinch in the Guardianes 2021 season. They currently sit at 12th place, barely scraping a playoff round with ten points.
The Real Contenders
Although Liga MX is in essence a wild card, Monterrey, Tigres, and Guadalajara can be named early contenders as they’ve shown their squads are the best in the league. If Chivas can complete their storyline with the restructuring they underwent this summer, they could see a huge return to the top flight of el fùtbol Mexicano.