Liga MX Femenil recap: 2022 Apertura, Week 12

Heading into the doble jornada, Chivas could become the first team to clinch a spot in the Liguilla with a draw against Pumas and Cruz Azul losing or drawing. Rayadas can also clinch a berth if they win against Cruz Azul, and Tigres needs a win and losses by Pumas and Cruz Azul to clinch this week, which may make for some teams who don’t usually root for one another cheering each other on. Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, Necaxa has to win and hope Cruz Azul and Pumas lose in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, Santos and Mazatlán have a little wiggle room, but the phrase “mathematically eliminated” is hanging over their heads as well.

Game of the Week

América 1, Monterrey 2: While I had Chivas vs. Tigres as the Game of the Week last week, I almost went with this one and in retrospect, I should have trusted my gut. This was an epic battle at one of soccer’s hallowed grounds, with two of the best in the league going toe-to-toe for 90 minutes. Aylin Aviléz put Rayadas up in the 25th minute with a screamer from distance. América Kiana Palacios tied it up in the 54th after being played in past the defense, making a great run and catching Alex Godínez going the wrong way on the shot. And just when it looked like the match would end in a draw, Christina Burkenroad got her tenth goal of the season when she got onto a nice ball from Diana Evangelista on the right. Burkenroad paid the price, taking a hard collision with goalkeeper Itzel González and being subbed out for María Salas in the 86th.

Other scores:

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 1, Puebla F.C. 0

Atlas 2, Club Atlético de San Luis 3

Cruz Azul 1, Mazatlán FC 0

Toluca 2, Necaxa 1

Pachuca 3, UNAM Pumas 0

Club Tijuana 2, León 2

Guadalajara 1, Tigres UANL 0

FC Juárez 4, Santos Laguna 1

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Sub 18 results

Week 13

UNAM Pumas 1, Necaxa 1

Pachuca 1, Toluca 1

América 2, Cruz Azul 1

Mazatlán FC 1, Tigres UANL 1

Santos Laguna 4, Atlas 0

Monterrey 1, Guadalajara 1

FC Juárez 0, Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 0

Club Atlético de San Luis 0, León 2

Week 14 (all records are in W-D-L format, all times as listed):

Saturday, September 24

Toluca (4-3-4) vs. FC Juárez (2-2-8) - 11:00 AM

Necaxa (5-4-2) vs. Pachuca (7-5-0) - 11:00 AM

Tigres UANL (6-3-2) vs. Club Atlético de San Luis (1-1-10) - 11:15 AM

Guadalajara (9-2-1) vs. Club Tijuana (5-2-4) - 3:45 PM

Atlas (4-3-4) vs. Mazatlán FC (2-4-6) - 3:45 PM

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (3-4-5) vs. América (8-2-1) - 3:45 PM

León (6-1-5) vs. Monterrey (3-6-2) - 3:45 PM

Sunday, September 25

Cruz Azul (3-2-7) vs. Puebla F.C. (1-3-7) - 10:00 AM

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Notes and other things

Leagues in the Americas are drawing to a close, with several South American leagues either having already finished or in the late stages of their playoffs. Europe meanwhile is getting back underway after their summer hiatus.

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El Tri Femenil formally named Pedro López as the team’s new head coach following the dismissal of Mónica Vergara.

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Until there’s a Women’s Concacaf Champions League, the closest thing is the Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol (UNCAF) tournament that hosts clubs from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panamá. The 2022 edition was won by Costa Rica’s Alajuelense, with former Cal Golden Bears forward Mia Corbin winning the Golden Boot with seven goals, including the lone goal in the final against Saprissa.

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San Diego Wave FC set the record for attendance at a women’s pro soccer match on September 18 with 32,000 people for the grand opening of Snapdragon Stadium against Angel City FC.

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The Copa Libertadores Feminina brackets are set, with the exception of the two spots from Ecuador (Club Ñañas and Dragonas Independiente del Valle are playing the second leg of their Final on Sunday, September 25 after drawing 0-0 on Sunday, September 18), one spot for Perú (Mannucci and Alianza Lima play a two-legged series on Sunday, September 25 and Thursday, October 6), and one spot for Venezuela (Madeira Club Lara and Deportivo Lara are playing the second leg of their final on Sunday, September 25 after playing to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, September 17).

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The first leg of the Brasileiro Feminino 2022 between Internazionale and Corinthians ended in a 1-1 draw, setting up what’s sure to be a fantastic second leg. The first leg drew a record 36,330 in attendance, and as of the writing of this Corinthians have already sold 39,000 tickets. Take note, since Arena Corinthians holds over 49,000 people.

Don’t ever let them tell you no one pays attention to women’s soccer.

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

Game of Next Week

While the Rayadas vs. Cruz Azul and Pumas vs. Chivas matches have huge playoff implications, my pick for Game of Next Week is Necaxa vs. Santos. Both of these teams need a win to keep their slim playoff hopes going, and I think you’ll see that come out in the play. There’s nothing quite like playing like your season depends on it, and both teams have shown they can play well at points during what for them is an otherwise forgettable season.

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

Thursday, September 22:

Necaxa (1-3-8) vs. Santos Laguna (3-0-9) - 5:00 PM - ViX+

Gallos Blancos de Querétaro (3-3-6) vs. Toluca (6-1-5) - 5:05 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

Club Atlético de San Luis (4-0-8) vs. América (7-2-3) - 7:00 PM - ESPN (Mexico)

Pachuca (6-1-5) vs. Atlas (3-5-4) - 7:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico)

Monterrey (9-2-1) vs. Cruz Azul (5-3-4) - 9:00 PM - FOX Sports (Mexico), FOX Deportes (United States)

Mazatlán FC (2-2-8) vs. Club Tijuana (6-3-3) - 9:00 PM - TVP (Mexico)

Friday, September 23:

UNAM Pumas (5-3-4) vs. Guadalajara (11-0-1) - 5:00 PM - ViX

Tigres UANL (9-1-2) vs. FC Juárez (4-1-7) - 7:00 PM - ViX

Thursday, October 20:

Puebla F.C. (3-1-8) vs. León (4-3-5) - 3:45 PM - Azteca Deportes (Mexico)