Liga MX playoffs: Who are the favorites to make it to the final?
Four teams remain in contention for the 2022 Liga MX Apertura title with one clear favourite to lift the trophy.
The 2022 Liga MX Apertura tournament kicked off back in early July with eighteen teams competing for the title. Fast forward to late October and just four sides remain in the competition with games coming at a fast and furious rate with the tournament having to finish early to allow sufficient preparation for those players competing at the forthcoming 2022 World Cup which kicks off on 20 November.
After a slow start to the season, Club America put together an incredible winning run and were the first side to claim a postseason place topping the table with 12 wins from their 17 games and the highlight for many ‘Aguilas’ fans being the 7-0 win over CDMX rivals Cruz Azul in August. Fernando Ortiz’s side were the most prolific goalscorers too during the regular season finding the net 38 times and have scored 50 goals in the entire campaign with a resounding 11-2 aggregate score against Puebla in the quarter-final.
Despite their 2-1 first league defeat away to Toluca, it’s difficult to argue with the many that claim the side from Coapa are odds on favorites to claim their fourteenth league title.
Rayados gunning for title No. 5
Monterey are the other team expected to compete with America in the final. Unbeaten at home all season and the side with the best defensive record in the regular season shipping just 13 goals with Vucitech’s team happy to sit back and let their opponents dictate the play. Los Rayados were the 14th placed team in the league in terms of possession and look to counter and feed strikers Funes Mori (who has recovered from injury), Germán Berterame and Rodrigo Aguirre.
Liga MX Semifinals: Apertura 2022
America (1) vs. (6) Toluca
Las Águilas wrote another chapter in the Liga MX history books with their emphatic 11-2 aggregate score Puebla 11-2 with Fernando de Ortiz many peoples favourites to lift the Apertura 2022 title. The Coapa side now face a tough test against a Toluca side who finished sixth in the regular season and have beaten FC Juárez in the repechaje and were too strong for Santos Laguna. The ‘Red Devils’ are something of a black horse and showed this with a surprise first leg win over America at their Nemesio Diez fortress.
Monterrey (2) vs. (4) Pachuca
A 3-0 win at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer flattered Rayados last Saturday against a robust Cruz Azul who never threw in the towel. Víctor Manuel Vucetich’s side have shown a dogged determination and are undefeated so far this season in Monterrey. Fans in the northern city were left disappointed after Pachuca advanced by virtue of their regular season position after a 2-2 aggregate score against Tigres. Both sides did come face to face recently in the final game of the regular season but played out a 0-0 draw in Monterrey.
