LIGA MX
How the Liga MX Apertura 2023 table looks after Matchday 15
Club America won yet again and with Necaxa losing in Monterrey, they become the first team to be mathematically eliminated from progressing to the Liguilla.
The end of the regular Apertura 2023 tournament is looming and Club América look like an unstoppable force as the side from Coapa recorded yet another victory (away to San Luis) to make it seven wins from their past seven Liga MX outings. The ‘azulcremas’ will now end the season in top position with other midweek results after Tigres lost in Tijuana.
The chief advantage of qualifying for the Liga MX playoffs as regular-season champions is that the top seed is paired with the postseason’s lowest-ranked team in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
And in addition to being guaranteed a theoretically easier tie, the No. 1 seed also benefits from a Liga MX rule that gives the higher-ranked team in each tie a say over kick-off times.
Cruz Azul continue to keep their dreams of postseason action alive after they maintained their recent good form with a 2-0 home win over FC Juarez with the surprise of the night coming in Tijuana as Miguel Herrera recorded his first win as Xolos manager beating his former Tigres side with a 2-0 scoreline.
Liga MX 2023 Apertura: Matchday 15 results
Toluca 0-1 Puebla
Queretaro 1-2 Chivas
Léon 1-1 Pumas
Monterrey 3-0 Necaxa
Atlas 0-2 Pachuca
Cruz Azul 2-0 FC Juarez
Atlético de San Luis 0-1 America
Mazatlán 3-1 Santos
Tijuana 2-0 Tigres
Midweek results also saw the ‘Rayos del Necaxa’ become the first Liga MX team to bid farewell to postseason action as they lost to Monterrey and the side from Aguascalientes are cut adrift at the foot of the table with just 11 points from 15 games.
The battle for a top 10 place
Earlier this year, both the FMF (Mexican FA) and Liga MX agreed recently to limit the number of teams progressing to postseason 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 the loser of that game set to play the winner of 9th against 10th in the general table. Querétaro are also on track to miss out on postseason after losing at home to Chivas with the Gallos Blancos failing to translate their fine Leagues Cup form to the domestic competition.
Two games of the regular season remain and with just one team mathematically eliminated at this point as teams look to jockey for top positions that will look to extend their season in the quest to become Apertura 2023 champions.