LIGA MX
Club América beat Rayados and are first team to qualify for Apertura 2023 playoffs
A 0-3 away win against Monterrey, at the BBVA stadium saw Las Águilas as the first team mathematically through to the Apertura playoffs.
With their win in Monterrey on Saturday night, Club América officially became the first team to qualify directly for the quarterfinals of the league for the title of the Apertura 2023 tournament.
The Coapa side are the first of six teams who will progress automatically to the quarter final stages and will be joined by the two teams who progress via the new play-in system.
With just one game outstanding of matchday 14 allows, the Águilas comfortably lead the way in the competition with 33 points, the result of ten wins, three draws and one defeat, with the loss coming in the opening day of the season at home to Puebla. Current Liga MX champions Tigres faced Chivas last night in a repeat of the 2023 Clausura final and the Nuevo Leon side surprised a revived Guadalajara side with a 0-4 win at the Estadio Akron.
Rayados remain third despite their home defeat to America and have a game in hand of the other sides with the game against Santos Laguna scheduled for 8 November.
The 2023 Apertura play-in?
Both the FMF (Mexican FA) and Liga MX agreed recently to limit the number of teams progressing to post season from 12 to ten.
The top six sides advance to the playoff quarterfinals and will be joined by the winners of the play-in games as 7th face 8th and 9th against 10th in the general table.
The winner of the contest between 7th and 8th will enter the quarterfinals as the seventh seed; The loser will face in a second and final match the winner of the match between 9th and 10th, who will take the remaining place (eighth seed in the Liguilla).