Liga MX Clausura Week 11: América win Clásico Nacional, Veracruz say bye-bye to Liga MX

Here are your five conclusions from the eleventh week of play in the 2019 Liga MX Clausura.

Time for Pumas to focus on Copa MX

After a rapid start to his tenure with Pumas UNAM, the Universitarios have suddenly regressed back to reality under new coach Bruno Marioni. On Saturday, Pumas suffered their fourth straight game without a win in Liga MX, losing 1-0 to Puebla at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc to make it three defeats in their last four.

Not all has been bleak for the Universitarios, however, as Marioni’s men have forged a relatively easy path to the Copa MX Semifinals. With a place in the Liguilla rapidly looking out of the question for Pumas, the Mexico City side has turned its attention to the cup, where a Clásico Capitalino final could be in the cards if they manage to beat Juárez in two weeks.

Club América notch consecutive wins over rivals Chivas

Speaking of Clásicos and Club América, Las Águilas handled business twice against Chivas in a span of four days, with two straight 2-0 victory over Guadalajara (one for Copa MX and the other for Liga MX). Chivas hardly put up a fight, and Club América were deserved winners on both occasions, dominating both matches with relative ease.

Obviously, when it comes to a game of these proportions, there is always plenty to talk about, so make sure to read more about this game on our “what we learned” article, which you can read here.

Tijuana end Monterrey’s undefeated run

All things must come to an end. On Saturday, Monterrey’s undefeated run drew to a close after Xolos de Tijuana triumphed in a 1-0 victory at the Estadio Caliente.

Nothing short of a defeat was expected from the Fronterizos after last week Oscar Pareja’s men were demolished 4-0 by Pachuca, but here, they managed to edge out all three points thanks to a 67th minute goal from Miller Bolaños and a superb performance from Gibran Lajud and his defense.

Tijuana all of a sudden find themselves fifth in the league table with 19 points and with jut one defeat in their last eight matches across all competitions.

Necaxa shock Santos Laguna at home

One team back in the Liguilla frame is none other than Necaxa. Having previously endured a run of three straight defeats, Los Rayos are now without a loss in their last three, and their latest victory was arguably one of their biggest. Thanks to a last-minute goal from Rodrigo Contreras, Necaxa managed to beat Santos Laguna 2-1 to give the Guerreros only their second home defeat of the campaign.

Apart from León, Tigres, and Monterrey, the rest of the league table has been something of a mess this season, and it is looking increasingly like nothing will be decided until the very last few weeks of the regular season. Necaxa have gone from top four, to outside the top eight, and finally up to sixth all in a span of just a few weeks, proving once again Liga MX is as unpredictable as it gets.

Veracruz relegated with six games still to play

That said, one thing we all saw coming from miles away was Veracruz’s relegation. On Sunday, league leaders Club León sent the Tiburones Rojos back to Ascenso MX with a 2-0 win at the Nou Camp.

In theory, this spells the end for Veracruz in Mexico’s top flight, but given the wackiness of this league, you just never know what can happen at the end of the season. Ultimately, it’s a shame that a plaza like Veracruz’s loses a team, but it’s a bigger shame that owner like Fidel Kuri managed to stay in charge of a Liga MX squad for so long. Kuri is one of the more immoral characters in Mexican football, and his departure should be a welcomed sight for everybody in the league.

Now, if there was only a way Veracruz could be relegated without goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado. He definitely has a future in whatever league he plays.