Liga MX Femenil recap: 2022 Apertura, Week 2

After the second week of action in Liga MX Femenil play, most teams have all of their players back from the Concacaf W Championship thanks to México’s early exit. Some teams will need them to incorporate back into the team quickly, as there is quite a difference in the standings of today against the standings that the teams ended the last season with. Perennial powerhouses Monterrey and Tigres have just four points combined, with neither in the top eight at the moment. Pachuca, who was in the Final last season, is in seventh place with just three points losing to Toluca this past week. On the other hand, Cruz Azul is in fifth place with four points after just missing the Liguilla last season, and León is in fourth place on the table after finishing in sixteenth last season.

Yes of course it’s very early, but I have always contended that one of the biggest assets that Mexican soccer has is its ability to embrace and embody chaos. Here’s to this chaotic energy going through the end of the season.

Puebla F.C. 1, UNAM Pumas 2: “Superlíder Pumas” isn’t really a phrase I thought I’d utter, but here we are. Pumas are in fact on top of the table with two wins in two games, picking up a 2-1 win at Puebla. Puebla had the first chance of the game in the opening seconds when a poor clearance was struck in on goal with only a great save from Miriam Aguirre averting disaster. Marylin Díaz put the visitors up three minutes later when she struck a rocket from about 30 yards out. In the 23rd minute Aguirre came way out of the box to execute a perfect sliding tackle on Eileen Martínez to remove the danger. In the 30th it was Karla Martínez making a fantastic diving save to knock a shot from Paola Chavera down before it went into the goal, and Fatima Rosales was there to clear it off of the line. Replays were not conclusive if the ball had fully crossed the line or not, despite the protestations of the Pumas players. In the opening moments of the second half, Fátima Vargas made a run down the right flank and hit a perfectly placed shot that Aguirre couldn’t get to to pull the hosts level. Chavero came close again in the 54th minute with a shot from the left flank that she couldn’t quite tuck into the far corner. Pumas got the game-winning goal in the 74th minute when Samantha López hit a shot from 25 yards out that Morales didn’t look set for and despite getting a hand to, couldn’t quite keep out. Puebla never really threatened again, and Pumas remains perfect on the season.

León 1, Atlas 1: Another phrase I wasn’t expecting was “top four side León”, but there they are in fourth place after a tie with Atlas. Atlas held León under sustained pressure early, compounded by an apparent ankle injury picked up by Karen Gómez in the seventh minute of play. Dani Calderón got León’s first shot of the game in the 22nd minute with a chance from the top of the box that sailed over the bar. Lucero Cuevas has a shot from almost the exact same spot in the 30th that ended with the same result. Calderón had a good chance in the 34th when she was played into the box but mishandled the ball and the chance never materialized. Goalkeeper Àngeles Martínez had to make a couple of routine saves in the first half, including on late on Fabiola Ibarra from distance. In the second half however Atlas capitalized on a defensive breakdown when Tania Morales lifted a cross past a broken León defense to Sulma Plancarte, who headed it in for the lead. Calderón almost equalized in the 51st minute on a shot that just went inches wide of the mark. Martínez made another good save in the 75th, turning a close range shot from Sabrina Figueroa around the post. León kept fighting and almost equalized in the 85th when Lourdes Gordillo got into the box and hit a volley that went just over the bar. Karen García almost put it away for Atlas in the 89th but her free kick clattered off of the crossbar and was cleared out. In the waning seconds of stoppage, Calderón was taken down in the box and a penalty was awarded. Calderón took the shot and buried it, snatching back a point for the hosts at the death.

Other scores:

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 3, Monterrey 2

Cruz Azul 0, Tigres UANL 0

Guadalajara 3, Necaxa 0

Mazatlán FC 1, FC Juárez 2

Club Tijuana 2, Club Atlético de San Luis 0

Toluca 3, Pachuca 2

América 2, Santos Laguna 0

---

Sub 18 results

Week 4

Toluca 0, Pachuca 0

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 2, FC Juárez 0

Necaxa 0 UNAM Pumas 0

Guadalajara 3, León 0

Cruz Azul 0, América 1

Monterrey 1, Atlas 1

Club Tijuana 3, Tigres UANL 0

Club Atlético de San Luis 1 (5) vs. Santos Laguna 1 (4)

Next week (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Saturday, July 23:

Tigres UANL (2-0-1) vs. Monterrey (2-2-0) - 9:00 AM

Pachuca (2-2-0) vs. Necaxa (1-2-0) - 11:00 AM

América (2-0-0) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (1-1-2) - 11:00 AM

Puebla F.C. (0-1-2) vs. Cruz Azul (0-0-4) - 3:45 PM

Atlas (2-1-1) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis (1-1-1) - 3:45 PM

León (0-0-3) vs. Club Tijuana (1-1-2) - 3:45 PM

Sunday, July 24:

Santos Laguna (0-2-2) vs. Mazatlán FC (1-1-1) - 9:00 AM

FC Juárez (2-0-1) vs. Toluca (1-1-1) - 10:00 AM

---

Notes and other things

Word today came out that the FMF had begun the process of investigating the U20 Women’s Team and that the coaching staff had been immediately suspended, with Ana Galindo taking over on an interim basis. Our thoughts are with the players impacted during this difficult time.

---

Chivas is playing a friendly in McAllen, Texas against Inter Milan on August 10th.

---

Speaking of international friendlies, América Femenil beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 on Friday, July 15th.

---

Desirée Monsiváis joined Glasgow City FC, where she’ll join up with Priscilla Chinchilla, Clare Shine, and the team as they head into UEFA Women’s Champions’ League action later this year.

If you have something that should be included in this segment, please reach out to me via twitter or email me at golazodelgringo@gmail.com

---

Next week (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Saturday, July 23:

Atlas (1-1-0) vs América (2-0-0) - 12:00 PM

UNAM Pumas (2-0-0) vs. Toluca (1-0-1) - 12:00 PM - ViX

Sunday, July 24:

Club Atlético de San Luis (0-0-2) vs. Guadalajara (2-0-0) - 5:00 PM - ESPN (Mexico)

León (1-1-0) vs. Cruz Azul (1-1-0) - 5:00 PM - ViX

Monday, July 25:

Necaxa (0-0-2) vs. Mazatlán FC (0-0-2) - 5:00 PM - ViX

Tigres UANL (0-1-1) vs. Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (1-0-1) - 7:00 PM - ViX

Santos Laguna (1-0-1) vs. Pachuca (1-0-1) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), ESPN Deportes (United States)

Monterrey (1-0-1) vs. Puebla F.C. (0-0-2) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), ESPN Deportes (United States)

FC Juárez (1-0-1) vs. Club Tijuana (1-0-1) - 11:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), FOX Deportes (United States)