Liga MX Clausura Liguilla takes shape | OneFootball

The curtain has officially fallen on the Liga MX Clausura regular season this weekend, confirming the full Liguilla lineup and setting the stage for the business end of the campaign.

It wouldn’t be a Liga MX weekend without a dose of drama, and this one delivered in abundance. Chivas and Pumas battled for top spot, while four teams scrapped it out for the final two postseason places.

In the end, Saturday evening proved to be the defining night, as Tijuana and Club León faced Chivas and Toluca, needing maximum points to force their way into the next round.

Liga MX Clausura: Big changes

The first major change heading into this postseason is that only the top eight teams will survive. Previously, the league welcomed a ‘play-in’, inviting teams finishing 9th and 10th into a mini-competition with those in 7th and 8th to fight for the final two spots in the Liguilla.

Initially dropped due to scheduling conflicts with the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the FMF has since opted to make this permanent.

The World Cup has a second gotcha in store as well. Any Mexican player selected to represent El Tri at this summer’s tournament will not be cleared to play in the Clausura playoffs.

Though we await Javier Aguirre’s final roster decisions, it’s expected that Chivas and Toluca will be the most affected.

In the case of Los Rojiblancos, they could be set to lose the likes of Armando González, Bryan Gutiérrez, Richy Ledezma and more, while the reigning bi-champions are likely to be without Alexis Vega, Jesús Gallardo and Marcel Ruíz.

Liga MX Clausura: Liguilla lineup

This weekend’s results delivered some major surprises, reshuffling the postseason picture and setting up a mouth-watering quarter-final lineup.(1) Pumas vs Club América (8)(2) Chivas vs Tigres (7)(3) Cruz Azul vs Atlas (6)(4) Pachuca vs Toluca (5)

Chivas’ goalless draw with Los Xolos moved them down to second, moving Efraín Juárez’s Pumas up into top spot for the first time this season. The result also means that Los Universitarios will be top going into a Liguilla for the first time in 10 years. They are chasing a first league title in 15 years.

As a result, fans miss out on an instant-classic Clásico Nacíonal double-header. Gabriel Milito’s side head to Monterrey instead for a meeting with Tigres.

Cruz Azul had slipped to fifth place ahead of their final match against Necaxa, but their 4–1 victory at the Estadio Banorte lifted them up to third. That result sets up a clash with Atlas, who also secured an important win at the newly reopened Banorte, pulling off a surprise victory over Club América.

The final quarter-final tie sees Pachuca take on Toluca in what promises to be another thrilling encounter. Los Tuzos stumbled on the final day, falling to Pumas, with red cards for Brían García and Salomón Rondón compounding an already difficult outing.

Liga MX Clausura: So close but yet so far

Two teams waved goodbye to their Liguilla hopes after pushing until the final day.

Going into the final round, both Tijuana and Club León had a chance of survival, as long as they won their matches.

However, Los Xolos failed to get the better of high-flying Chivas, that nil-nil result looking good on paper but ultimately not enough to carry them through. Meanwhile, León went toe-to-toe in the first half, before being on the receiving end of a blood bath in the second half, sinking to a 4-1 defeat at the Estadio Nemesío Diez.