Welcome to the Liga MX recap of Jornada (Matchday) 7 action! All 18 teams in the league played over the weekend from Friday to Sunday. We’ll go through the results and the current table heading into the FIFA International window. Liga MX resumes with Jornada 8 on Friday, September 10, 2021.
Scores
The home team is listed first.
Mazatlán 2-2 Atlético San Luís
Puebla 1-0 Querétaro
Tijuana 2-2 Monterrey
Chivas 2-1 Necaxa
Tigres 1-1 Atlas
León 1-1 Club América
Toluca 2-1 Pumas
Santos Laguna 2-0 Juárez
Cruz Azul 1-1 Pachuca
As you can see, five of the nine matches ended in a draw which doesn’t cause much movement in the table. It appears that there has been a dip in quality of play so far this season and maybe the busy summer international schedule has something to do with it. Many Liga MX players were playing in either Copa America, Gold Cup, or the Olympics this summer with the latter two lasting into August when Liga MX had already started.
Players are definitely tired, but I expect the quality to pick up as the season progresses. I would have to check the stats compared to previous seasons, but there have been quite a few red cards, a lot more than I’m used to. Fatigue could be the cause of this as well. Players are arriving late to plays and are more exposed during challenges. It will be interesting to see going forward.
Winners
Santos Laguna
Santos remains unbeaten in this campaign but until now had only managed one win and five draws with a couple of those draws coming from conceding agonizingly late. Getting a win when the clubs above them only managed draws boosted them up to fifth place in the current table.
Puebla
Puebla desperately needed a win after a rocky start to this season. They had a breakthrough last season when they finished third and advanced to the semifinal. Their manager Nicolás Larcamón has been a revelation when they surprised many last season. Many hoped he would be able to continue building.
Young Mexican Players in Liga MX
As I mentioned earlier, many players were off on international duty to begin the season. Some of those players returned but have been injured or fatigued. As a result, other players are getting more opportunities. Notably, more young Mexican players are getting a chance to play. I would hope that would continue with crammed international breaks for World Cup qualifiers.
Many in the Mexican sports media criticize Liga MX for having too many foreign players and putting too much pressure on managers to win. Because of this, they say, managers are less likely to play young Mexican players from their academies. With the congested schedule, fatigue, and injuries, managers should continue to give opportunities to their young Mexican players.
Losers
Juárez, Tijuana and Querétaro
I debated whether Tijuana should end up in the losers. After all, they did manage a draw against Monterrey, but they need a victory. They outplayed Monterrey for portions of the match and could build some momentum. Querétaro is a mess. They’ve only managed to score one goal in seven matches. As a result, they have made a change on the bench. Juárez has been awful under Tuca Ferretti. It is going to take some time for Tuca to get that project turned around, if at all.
Table
Pachuca and Atletico San Luis have a match in hand due to their match in Jornada 5 being rescheduled. Club América has been the best team so far and their point total manifests just that. They are one of three unbeaten clubs and have also have won five out of their first seven matches, while the other two have only won twice. I hope you enjoyed this week’s version of the recap. We’ll be back next week with a preview of Jornada 8.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Check out our Shop!