Ascenso MX Recap: Jornada 1

The 2017 Ascenso MX Clausura tournament is poised to be another enthralling season of soccer as Dorados de Sinaloa look to defend their crown and earn promotion back to the top flight after just a year in the second division. The rest of the league will hope that they can find a way to end Sinaloa’s dominance and earn a chance to play in the Grand Final de Ascenso MX for a coveted spot in Liga MX.

Mineros de Zacatecas 0-0 FC Juarez

Los Bravos de FC Juarez traveled to Zacatecas to face a tough Mineros squad in Miguel Fuentes’ first game in charge of the team from the frontera. Shortly before the match was set to begin, both Fox Sports and Claro Sports announced that they would be cancelling their scheduled broadcasts. Neither company gave an official reason as to why their broadcasts were cancelled; but fans on social media speculated that it had something to do with the recent drama caused by the so called ‘gasolinazo.’

The match itself was a rather drab affair as neither team sent many players forward into the attack. FC Juarez had the best chance of the match in the when Leandro Carrijo’s 20th minute shot skidded just wide of the goal. However, after that point los Bravos primarily sat back and defended; ensuring that the game ended scoreless.

Atlante 2-0 Alebrijes Oaxaca

Atlante kicked off their new season by cruising to a 2-0 victory over the visitors from Oaxaca. The scoring was opened by Enzo Prono in just the 13th minute of the game. Atante never looked back after the goal, which was the first to be scored in the 2017 Clausura tournament, and proceeded to add another for good measure early in the second half.

Zacatepec Siglo XXI 1-0 Correcaminos

For much of the first 89 minutes of the match between Zacatepec and the visiting Correcaminos there was very little action. The two squads struggled to create many chances and for all intents and purposes looked as though they were willing to split the points with a goal-less draw. However, Zacatepec’s Rodrigo Prieto had other ideas. Prieto scored an absolute beauty from outside the box in the 90th to give his side victory.

Venados 2-0 Loros

Venados came out on top of hard fought battle against Loros thanks to a 50th minute penalty scored by Sergio Perez. The penalty was a result of Venados coming out of half time with a very attacking style of play. As the game wore on, Loros had several chances to score; but were unable to make any of them count and were punished as Venados scored a second goal to ice the game.

Murcielagos 0-2 Lobos Buap

Murcielagos opened the season at home with a game to forget as they fell 2-0 to a very strong Lobos side. Lobos outclassed the hosts in just about every facet of the game as they dominated in every statistical category including the scoreboard. 20 minutes into the match Lobos took the lead off of Hector Mancilla goal that was gifted by shambolic defending on the part of Murcielagos. Lobos added one more goal in the 85th minute to finish off the game.

Cafetaleros 1-2 Coras

Cafetaleros played host to Coras in one of the more exciting games of the opening weekend in the Liga Ascenso Mx. The game got off to a frantic pace as both teams raced up and down the pitch in search of the opening goal. In the 23rd minute Cafetaleros were awarded a penalty and took the lead. A mere 13 minutes later Coras equalized with a goal from “El Venado” Medina. For much of the second half the two teams were deadlocked at 1 goal a piece. It wasn’t until the 82nd minute Ulises Jaimes scored to ensure victory for Coras.

Celaya 3-1 Cimarrones

Celaya dominated the visiting Cimarrones from the opening whistle to the end of the match. Despite dominating the match for much of the first half, Celaya were unable to break through onto the score-sheet. However, that soon changed in the second half as Celaya broke away on counter attack after counter attack. The goals began to rain down as Cimarrones were unable to cope the pace of the opposition’s attacking players. In a short span of 20 minutes Celaya had scored three unanswered goals. Cimarrones scored a stoppage time penalty to make the score slightly more respectable.

Jaiba Brava 1-1 Dorados

Defending Liga Ascenso MX champions Dorados de Sinaloa traveled to Tamaulipas to take on the Jaiba Brava. The match was a cagey affair in which the home team set up a very defensive lineup to try and counter the attacking prowess of the defending champions. However, it was the home team who took a shock lead after five minutes of play thanks to a goal by Jesus Moreno. They managed to hang onto the lead until the 44th minute when Flavio Santos leveled the score at 1.

The defensive strategy worked wonders in the second half as the Jiaba Brava managed to shut down the Dorados. The visitors from Sinaloa looked flustered as they attempted to break down the defense to no avail for the final 45 minutes of the match.

Leones Negros 1-0 Potros UAEM

The final game of Jornada 1 got off to a quick start as Leones Negros took an early lead in the 23rd minute thanks to a goal from outside the box by Jorge Mora. Following the goal Leones Negros maintained a well organized defense and midfield that shut down most of the attacking play from Potros. As time wore on Leones Negros subbed off their attacking players for extra defenders in order to see out a victory in their opening game of the season.

If Jornada 1 is any indication of the level of futbol that will be played for the rest of the season, it looks like we’re in for another wild ride in Ascenso MX.