Liga MX Apertura 2023 Winner Outrights

Liga MX Apertura 2023 Winner - Overview

After a couple of stuttering steps at the start of the season, San Luis have won five successive games in the league, which has catapulted the club to the top of the table. They drew their opening game of the season against CF Monterrey and lost the second game against the Clausura 2023 runners-up Chivas Guadalajara. 

In the third match, San Luis bounced back with a stellar 4-1 win against Queretaro FC and then went on to defeat Club Puebla, Club Leon, Pachuca, and Atlas in quick succession. The club is expected to keep this winning streak alive and could go unbeaten for another five games, as they are up against teams that are struggling in the league. 

San Luis have excelled against the underdogs till now, but the real pre-playoff test will come in the final five league games for the club in this Apertura season as they take on a couple of strong sides in FC Juarez and Santos Laguna, and three title contenders in the form of Toluca, Club America, and Tigres UANL. 

As things stand, there are two big names that are not in the playoff qualifying spots. Current CONCACAF Champions League winners Club Leon and 2022 Apertura champions Pachuca. The former is only a point away from the last qualification spot, while the latter continues to struggle three points away from the same spot. 

After winning the previous Apertura title, Pachuca have entered a slump and are yet to climb out of it. As things stand, the club has won just one out of seven league games this season. They have drawn three and lost three of the remaining fixtures. A disappointing attacking display has seen them score just four goals so far whilst conceding 14 due to a leaky defense. 

Club Leon, on the other hand, may not be in a very commanding position right now but are expected to snatch the final playoff qualification spot away from Pumas UNAM. Only a solitary point separates the two sides with almost half the season left to play. This will also provide hope for Pachuca, but considering their performance, it seems unlikely that they will make it.

Disappointment in the 2023 Leagues Cup

The third edition of the Leagues Cup took place during the recent season break. The competition that features American and Mexican sides was dominated by the latter in the first two editions with Cruz Azul winning the inaugural edition and Club Leon taking the title at the end of the second.

However, this season, the tables turned and almost all the Mexican top-division clubs struggled. Current league leaders San Luis and Clausura 2022 runners-up Chivas Guadalajara were eliminated in the group stage itself, along with other weaker sides like Necaxa, Club Puebla, and Club Tijuana. Santos Laguna were also eliminated at this stage.

In the knockout rounds, many more Mexican clubs bit the dust as CF Monterrey were the last competitive Liga MX side left in the competition. However, they were eliminated in the semifinals and lost the third-place encounter against Major League Soccer (MLS) side Philadelphia Union to finish fourth.

Despite being the Mexican top seed of the tournament and skipping the group stage, Pachuca could not capitalize on the advantage and were eliminated in the first knockout round itself. Ultimately, all Liga MX clubs faltered at crucial stages and will now look for vindication as the playoff stage inches closer.