J 17 Recap: Regular Season Over

Tressor Moreno | Somehow, San Luis are in the Liguilla.

In their last five games San Luis only won a single game and left the door wide open for Chivas, Atlas, and Queretaro to sneak right in. Luckily for San Luis their opponents also suffered from a lack of winning which meant that the 11th over all team would make it into the Liguilla.  

Puebla - Puebla actually qualified on their own terms. La Franja had to deal with the toughest group to start things off. Puebla was placed in group 2 where 4 of the 6 teams made it in. It would have been five if the rules were implicated to have the 8 best teams but their not.  Puebla went undefeated for nine straight Jornadas where they had 3 wins and 6 ties. The Poblanos will have no momentum though since they were defeated by both Cruz Azul and Toluca in their last two games.  

Santos - Santos did what they had to, to qualify.

Sergio Bueno | Inconsistent season from Bueno's Santos side.

They played a good season where they rode a nine game unbeaten streak. Things started to complicate as Santos started to say good bye to their old stadium. Santos has not seen a victory in their last five games. In those five games Santos lost to Morelia and suffered an awful defeat at the hands of San Luis. Santos however is enjoying their brand new amenities and will not want to lose at home in the Liguilla.

Monterrey - Monterrey did not close out the season the way they wanted to. In their last six games Monterrey has only won 2 games. Every team is bound to trip up but Monterrey did against the weakest teams in the league. Monterrey lost to Chivas, Jaguares, and Pumas. These losses will certainly put in question the ability of Monterrey to participate at the highest level.

America - America blew up the stat charts early in the season but diminished as they went on. Las Aguilas lost only three times in the tournament. As the season wore on America seemed to find it harder to get to their opponents goal. America will play the first leg of the quarterfinals at home where they have only lost once this season.

Morelia - Without a doubt Morelia was one of the most electrifying teams this season.

Moises Muñoz | Morelia was an exciting club during the regular season.

Morelia tied only three times this season and was on the way of qualifying as the best team. Morelia however tied their last two games which saw their stock drop down to third. Morelia will meet the team who with they opened up the regular season, Santos.

Cruz Azul - Cruz Azul was one of those teams who did not look like a title contender at the beginning of the season. Sure the team had improved from a season before but they were just to unstable. As soon as Cruz Azul started to pick up speed they would hit a road bump. La Maquina closed the tournament with four straight wins. Cruz Azul has to be the most motivated team in the Liguilla.

Toluca - Toluca took a huge spill early in the tournament when they dropped seven against America. Toluca slowly started coming back after that though. Los Diablos dropped only one game in their last four encounters. Toluca might not have Hector Mancilla to start the Liguilla but they still have plenty of weapons to make a good run in the Liguilla.  

Atrocious Football: Atlante vs. Estudiantes

The worst game of the season was played on Saturday night. It featured two teams fighting for nothing. Atlante and Estudiantes played for 90 long minutes and in the end the score remained the same 0-0.

This game was so horrible that it raised the question, why even play? Atlante and Estudiantes have nothing going for them in the Mexican league so why risk it?

Christian Bermudez | El Hobbit was part of the worst game of the Apertura 2009 season.

Atlante's only thought on Saturday was on the long awaited Club World Cup. So they were not going to risk any injuries to their players in a meaningless game against Estudiantes. Estudiantes had nothing to give even with the game being Bruno Marioni’s last.

The game was so bad that a lot of websites did not have a recap of the game and sports TV shows did not show any highlights because there weren’t any.

There is bound to be one bad game and it came at the end of the season. This was supposed to be Marioni’s last game but I doubt he will want to make an exit with such a lousy game. He might not play another official game but he might round up some football friends and play a friendly between them. It should make for a better spectacle than an Atlante vs. Estudiantes game.

Indios Making History

Being the best at something usually brings you a great sense of pride. Being a champion is a reflection of your work through out the season. Being the best speller usually means you’re the smartest kid in school. Being the best; however, is not always the greatest thing in the world.

Indios made history on Sunday. After just a short time in the Mexican top flight, Indios are already the best at something. Indios are the best losers ever in a short tournament. Indios had the opportunity to erase that title against Pumas on Sunday but couldn’t.

Hector Hugo Eugui | Eugui's sacking changed nothing with Indios.

Indios will go down in history as the first team ever in Mexico to go with out a win in the short tournaments.  

After making such a good run last season Ciudad Juarez had nothing to give this season. The same team was basically back from last season. They just couldn’t pull off a win.  

Indios had a nice cushion Queretaro in the relegation table. Now that cushion has deflated and Indios look poised to be the team to go next season. Indios need to find a way to turn it around next season if they want to stay afloat. Queretaro is their nearest opponent and with a string of good results they could leap frog them in the table. Another season like this however, and it’s bye bye Indios.

Quote Of The Week

“We had our chances but we did not deserve to qualify. I want it to be clear that we did not deserve to. We had the opportunity but we could not make the most of it. We needed goals tonight but they never came. Now we will analyze the good and the bad so that we can move this process forward," said Rafael Lebrija after Chivas failed to qualify.

I like your honesty Mr. Lebrija but you just made some enemies within Chivas with your comments. It is true that Chivas did not deserve it. San Luis left the door wide open for them to clinch the second spot in group one but they just couldn’t pull it off.

Don’t expect for Chivas to change any time soon. With the new stadium coming people will be flocking to it even if Chivas becomes even worse. If you want change want change you have to hit Vergara where it hurts, in his pockets.

Player of the week: Raul Nava

Substituting a player like Hector Mancilla is never easy and Raul Nava had that task on Saturday.

Raul Nava | Nava was the star for Toluca on the weekend.

Nava responded to the task with the only two goals in the encounter against Puebla. His first goal was a rocket from the left side and the second came off a great play from Antonio Naelson “Zinha”, which Nava capped off with a goal.

Game of the week: Queretaro vs. San Luis

San Luis were in control of their destiny but not in control of Saturday’s game. Queretaro dominated over San Luis leaving them stranded on offense. 3 of the four goals scored in the match came form outside the box, which is something hard to do against a keeper as tall as Adrian Martinez. Queretaro finished off San Luis and gave Chivas a great chance but they couldn’t pull it off and the Gladiators advanced into the Liguilla.

Team of the week: Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul deserves some credit for what they have been doing to close the tournament out. La Maquina has four straight wins and reached the second spot with the defeat of Chivas on Saturday. Now Cruz Azul will face a Puebla team that they recently beat 4-0. Cruz Azul also has the best weapon of the league and his name is Emanuel Villa. Villa averages a goal a game and with that kind of firepower the outcome looks great for Cruz Azul.

Sylvestre Adame's Jornada Recap appears after every Jornada during the Mexican league season.

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