{"id":49262,"date":"2026-10-02T15:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/?p=49262"},"modified":"2026-10-02T15:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:53:16","slug":"liga-mx-apertura-contenders-entering-the-final-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gambyl.com\/en\/liga-mx\/liga-mx-apertura-contenders-entering-the-final-stretch\/","title":{"rendered":"Liga MX Apertura: Contenders Entering the Final Stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Toluca and Am\u00e9rica are level on 20 points<\/strong> with an identical +11 goal difference<\/strong>.

Am\u00e9rica have played one Liga MX match fewer.<\/strong>

That is the Apertura with seven rounds left: a leader who is not really leading, a defending champion who just recorded their first draw of the season, and a Chivas side that was top a fortnight ago and has just been beaten at home by Quer\u00e9taro.

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The Table After Jornada 10<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Club<\/em><\/th>GP<\/em><\/th>GD<\/em><\/th>Pts<\/em><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1. Toluca<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>+11<\/em><\/td>20<\/strong><\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2. Am\u00e9rica<\/em><\/td>9<\/em><\/td>+11<\/em><\/td>20<\/strong><\/em><\/td><\/tr>
3. Guadalajara<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>+7<\/em><\/td>18<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
4. Quer\u00e9taro<\/em><\/td>9<\/em><\/td>+5<\/em><\/td>17<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
5. Le\u00f3n<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>+3<\/em><\/td>17<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
6. Atlas<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>-1<\/em><\/td>17<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
7. Cruz Azul<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>+1<\/em><\/td>16<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
8. Tijuana<\/em><\/td>9<\/em><\/td>+1<\/em><\/td>14<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
9. Puebla<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>-1<\/em><\/td>14<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
10. Monterrey<\/em><\/td>9<\/em><\/td>+2<\/em><\/td>13<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
11. Pachuca<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>+4<\/em><\/td>12<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
12. Pumas<\/em><\/td>10<\/em><\/td>-2<\/em><\/td>12<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Am\u00e9rica Are the Real Leaders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Twenty points from nine matches, +11, and the best scoring rate in the division.<\/strong>

They beat Necaxa 4-2<\/strong> on the road in Jornada 10 to draw level with Toluca at the summit, and they did it having played a game fewer than everybody above and around them. Win the match by hand, and they are three clear.<\/strong>

Twenty-one scored, and ten conceded across nine matches<\/strong> is the most balanced record in Mexico. The three-defeat fortnight in September (two at the Leagues Cup, one in the Cl\u00e1sico Joven) has been answered with a run that has taken them from third to first in all but name.

The case against:<\/strong> they have not yet beaten a direct rival. The 2-2 Cl\u00e1sico Nacional against Chivas was a comeback from 0-2 down rather than a statement, and the 4-3 defeat to Cruz Azul is still the only meeting with a top four side this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toluca Are Top and Have Stopped Winning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Twenty points out of ten, and only one victory in the last three rounds.<\/strong>

The 3-3 draw at Cruz Azul was entertaining, and it cost them the outright lead. Before that, they lost 3-2 at home to Santos (the second-worst team in the division) after going two goals up.

Twenty-three scored is still the best attack in Mexico,<\/strong> and the +11 difference is joint-best. Antonio Mohamed’s side has not become bad; they have become beatable, and the gap they built in the first eight rounds has evaporated.

The case against:twelve conceded<\/strong>, up from six after eight matches. Six goals shipped in two games against Santos and Cruz Azul is not a run, but it is a direction, and the Leagues Cup winners have played more football this calendar year than anyone in the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chivas Have Fallen Out of It, For Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eighteen points out of ten, and they have just lost 2-0 at home to Quer\u00e9taro.<\/strong>

Guadalajara led the Apertura after Jornada 8. Since then, they have drawn the Cl\u00e1sico Nacional from a winning position and been beaten at home by a club nobody expected to be in the conversation.

Seventeen goals scored is the lowest total of any side in the top six.<\/strong> The defense remains good (ten conceded is second only to Am\u00e9rica), but a team that cannot score at home against Quer\u00e9taro is not winning a title.

The case against:<\/strong> two points from the last two rounds, and the fixtures do not get easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quer\u00e9taro Are Fourth, and Nobody Can Explain It<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seventeen points from nine matches, +5, and a 2-0 win at Guadalajara.<\/strong>

We flagged Gallos a fortnight ago as the surprise of the tournament and ranked them above their table position based on a game in hand and a run of away results. They have now added the best win of anyone’s season.<\/strong>

The profile has not changed: thirteen scored and eight conceded<\/strong> is modest at both ends, and they win close matches rather than good ones. Mateo Coronel and Iker Benito lead the attack; goalkeeper Guillermo Allison organizes the defense.<\/strong>

They also still hold a match in hand on Le\u00f3n, Atlas and Cruz Azul<\/strong>, which means fourth understates them.

The case against:<\/strong> thirteen goals in nine matches is a Liguilla profile, not a title one. One injury to the spine of this team ends the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruz Azul Finally Drew a Match<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 3-3 with Toluca was the defending champions’ first draw of the season.<\/strong>

Nine matches, five wins, four defeats and nothing in between: we wrote that it was a temperament rather than a record. The tenth produced a six-goal draw against the league leaders, which is somehow the most Cruz Azul outcome available.

Sixteen points, +1, seventh.<\/strong> Nineteen scored and eighteen conceded by the reigning champions, who also lost the Campeones Cup at Inter Miami last month.

The case against:<\/strong> eighteen conceded in ten matches is the worst defensive record in the top seven by a distance, and a club in the quarter-final places on a +1-goal difference is not a contender. They will beat anybody. They will also lose to anybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cluster on 17, and the Problem with Atlas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Le\u00f3n and Atlas are level with Quer\u00e9taro on 17 points. Their goal differences are +3 and -1.<\/strong>

Atlas sixth with a negative goal difference<\/strong> is the clearest overperformance in the division. They scored 16 and conceded 17 across ten matches and sit in a quarter-final place, having just won 3-2 at Tijuana.

Le\u00f3n at +3<\/strong> is the more solid of the two and beat Ju\u00e1rez 2-1.

Neither is the title contender.<\/strong> Both are fighting for seeding, and the difference between fourth and sixth is the difference between playing the fifth-placed side and playing a team that finished third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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