Liga MX Apertura Week 6: Ochoa debuts in 1-1 draw with Tigres

Here are five from some of the main takeaways from the sixth week of play in the 2019 Liga MX Apertura.

Santos bounce back with win over Monterrey

After losing their undefeated status versus Querétaro last week, Santos Laguna served the perfect response by beating rivals Monterrey 2-1 on Friday. Los Guerreros not only got the three points they needed, but in the process they moved back up to first place in the league table with the win.

The result over Monterrey was undoubtedly big, given that the Rayados have been arguably the toughest team Santos have faced this season. That said, their next rival is none other than León, which should say a lot about where this team ranks amongst as the favorites to win the title.

Querétaro are brought back to reality

Speaking of León, La Fiera went into Querétaro and got one of the results of the weekend. Thanks to two goals from 19-year-old Jose Juan Macias, León cruised a to 4-0 win over the Gallos Blancos, who had arrived to this game as league leaders and unbeaten after five matches.

León were as impressive as ever, and it seems like their disappointing defeat to Monterrey in Week 3, coupled with their bye week, has reinvigorated the side. La Fiera remain one of the top teams in the league, and now that they find themselves in a top-eight position, it’s going to take a lot to see them move out.

Watch out for León!

Same old Atlas

Being an Atlas fan is not easy. Your team hasn’t won a league title in more than 50 years, and every season you get the same feeling of disappointment. Not to mention, it almost seems like a bad habit, but Atlas always seem to start the season in promising fashion before slowly regressing into nothing.

This season has been no different. On Saturday, the Rojinegros suffered there third straight defeat across all competitions, losing 3-1 to Pachuca at the Estadio Hidalgo. With the result, coach Leandro Cufre is a pair of defeats away from officially being in the hot seat, and well, Atlas is back to being Atlas. At least they have Chivas to make them feel better, right?

Ochoa makes América return in draw versus Tigres

“Reunited, and it feels so good.” Guillermo Ochoa officially made his return to Las Águilas on Saturday, as América had to fight back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at Tigres. There was a very strong indication that we would see Ochoa in the midweek Leagues Cup match in Houston, but instead we had to wait a few more days to see “Memo” back in the yellow and blue.

Of course, a game against the defending champs was never going to be easy, especially after Las Águilas had lost to this same Tigres team in the midweek Leagues Cup game. Tigres were by far the better team, and had they done better with their finishing, they probably would have taken all three points.

That said, these are two teams that have already faced off three times this semester, and in all three, the result has been a draw after 90 minutes. This shows you just how evenly matched both of these teams are, and if anything, this is definitely a matchup we could see come Liguilla time in November.

Chivas grab first home defeat of the season

All good things must come to an end. In Chivas’s case, it was only three games. After winning three straight home games, the Rojiblancos took their first L of the season at the Estadio Akron, falling 2-1 to Necaxa.

It’s now two straight defeats for Chivas in the Apertura, and Chivas fans are back to asking for Tomas Boy’s head. The coach’s overly defensive tactics still haven’t struck a chord with the majority of Chivistas, and in a season in which maximizing points at home is imperative, being thoroughly outplayed at home by Necaxa is never a good look.

Ultimately, Tomas Boy’s continuity hinges on if this will continue or not, but one thing is for certain, it isn’t going to get easier. The Rebaño Sagrado’s next two matches are against Cruz Azul and Atlas, who albeit in a negative streak of their own are always up for it in the Clásico Tapatio.