Why the Mexican League would be a great addition for FMM20

Hi Vibe, hi everyone, I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the last two months of FMM19. As FMM19 comes to an end, it is time to start talking about the features the next edition might add.  @Foxy has done a fantastic job compiling (with due credits to @smoggy90, @Rob, @Mr Tree, and @Ian) some cool ideas and features the game might have here, so go check it out. In said article Foxy mentions Mexico’s First Division, Liga MX, as potential cool league to be added to the game. He gives some interesting points to support his argument, and it is my intention to give some more arguments that fully answer: 

 Why Mexico’s “Liga MX” would be a positive addition to FMM2020?

 

 

So if you’re interested please join me in this 6 post series (posted separately), where I’ll try to expose some aspects of Mexican football, which I intend convince you of the positiveness of the aforementioned addition,  or at least spark some interest in you for my Nation’s league. Anyway, let’s start with the 6 points to be discussed 

 

1. How the league works? (It is a complex one)
2. Some facts
3. Liga Mx as a supporting feature for the MLS
4. Historic and best teams
5. Former players
6. Best youth prospects

 

Enjoy. Posts will be published shortly.

Edited September 15, 2019 by S4NCH0

[S4NCH0]

How Liga Mx works?

 

Liga Mx (Mx League) is complex. No, Liga Mx is very complex. So read carefully if you wish to understand.

 

The league currently has 19 teams, although it has recently started an expansion project which saw them add a team this season and which most probably will see them add a 20th team before long. The league has 4 important aspects to be discussed in today’s article:

 

1.- Short Season format

2.- The “liguilla” (or playoff) 

3.- Continental Qualification

3.- Relegation

4.- Promotion

 

1.- Short Season Format

 

The first curiosity Liga MX has to offer is the format. Contrary to european leagues, where seasons go from the last days of August to the last days of May, in Mexico every year two seasons are played, the Clausura (Closure) and Apertura (Opening ) seasons are played from January to May and from July to December, respectively (yes the names seem out of place to me too). 

Both are what’s called a Torneo Corto (or Short Tournament) and each has its own champion. Therefore, Liga Mx has a new titleholder every 6 months or so. The champions of the Clausura and Apertura of each year, play each other in a recently created and mostly insignificant, Campeón de Campeones (which roughly translates to Champions among Champions). 

As a side note, and also following the Short Season format, we have Copa MX. Copa Mx is a Interdivisional cup which faces First and Second Division teams against each other. First Division teams which qualify for international competitions (more on that later) and the worst positioned Second Division teams. The Cup is played in a group format which then turns into knockout rounds. The winner then plays an also recent and also insignificant Super Cup, against the winner of the corresponding Torneo Corto. 

 

Coming back to the league format, each team plays each other once. Since the number of teams is uneven, every team has a bye week. Teams play 9 home games and 9 away games each tournament, which next season alternate. The point system is normal, with three points for each win, 1 point for each draw and 0 per defeat. Contrary to the Second Division (Ascenso Mx) where 4 points are awarded for an away win, 3 for a home win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a defeat. 

 

The teams play 18 games in total for the regular season. I say regular season since the top 8 teams at the end of the 18 games, qualify to the Playoff round, known in Mexico as the Liguilla (“little league”). Hold tight because things, will start to get complicated.

 

2.- La Liguilla (The Little League)

 

As I was just saying the top 8 teams after the end of the regular season qualify to what we call the Liguilla. These 8 teams will have to battle against each other to progress all the way to the final. Depending on their league position the teams get sorted. The team placed 1st at the end of the regular season will play the 8th team, the 2nd will play the 7th, the 3th will play the 6th, and the 4th will play the 5th. Then, the Semifinals will depend on the winner of the 1st vs 8th, who will play the winner of the 2nd vs 7th, the other semifinal is between the remaining of the teams. The winners will naturally play the Final. That’s the essence of the Liguilla, but let’s analyze its format in depth: 

Each encounter from the Quarter finals all the way to the Final, consists of two legs, with the highest ranked team playing at home for the closing match. In case of a draw, the first tie breaker is the Away goals scored. In case both scores are the same, and hence both away goals, the next sorting criteria will be position on the regular season, with the higher placed team going through. So, there’s no place for penalties neither in the QF nor in the SF. The Final is a slightly different story since the two aforementioned criterion do not apply. If the Grand Finale finishes in a global draw after 180 minutes, regardless of goals scored and position of each team, the teams will have to play an Extra Time and, if necessary, penalties. 

 

3.- Continental Qualification

 

Mexico is situated in North America (hope you already knew that) and hence its part of CONCACAF. Said confederation hosts the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) every year, in which teams from Mexico, USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and other North American/Caribbean countries participate. 

 

As a quick fact, Mexico has always dominated North American soccer and the CCC is no exception. Let’s have a look at the Overall performances by club and by country, and well see Mexico comes out on top of them both:

 

So, who qualifies for the CCC? 

 

The winners and runner-ups of both Clausura and Apertura, which subsequently loose the chance to play that year’s Copa MX. 

 

Now in FMM2020 if Liga Mx were to be added, winning the CCC would be fairly easy with most Mexican teams. However, after winning the CCC, you’ll qualify for the Club’s World Championship, which regardless of the countless times Mexico has been represented at said tournament, no Mexican team has ever been crowned as World Champions. There’s a nice challenge for you. 

 

4.- Relegation

 

Here’s where things will get very complicated. Contrary to other leagues around the world where the teams placed at the bottom of the leagues get relegated to the second division, in Mexico you could finish bottom place of both Clausura and Apertura, and still play in the Top Flight the following season. How does that work? Let me try to explain. 

 

Each 12 months, after one Clausura and Apertura are played, the team placed last in the Quotient tables is relegated and one team is promoted from the Ascenso Mx. But what’s the Quotient table? 

The Quotient table is a table which ranks the teams by their points-per-game-played ratio from the last 6 tournaments (3 years). What this means is that the points a team obtains in the last 6 tournaments as divided by the games that teams plays to give us a quotient or ratio, usually between 0 and 2, with which the teams are ranked. A higher ratio means a better performing team. As for teams recently promoted, they play less game (only 2 or 4 seasons) and therefore they have a highly volatile Quotient which can play for or against them. After 12 months the team placed last in this table goes down the leagues. Or at least that’s what supposed to happen. Let’s look at some exceptions: 

 

1. Relegated team pays fee:

 

Let’s say Team A finishes last of the Quotient Table for the 2019 year, according to the rulebook they should go down and from now on play in Ascenso MX, but there’s certain conditions and a certain fee which might help them keep afloat in the First Division, these are the 2 cases:

 

• To improve competitiveness and rentability of promoted teams, the Mexican FA has implemented certain criteria that Ascenso MX teams have to fulfill in order to be allowed to play in Liga MX. even if they come out winners of the promotion pass (more on that later), the teams most have certain stadium capacity, certain economic capital, certain youth systems and a female squad, in order to qualify for promotion. In case they don’t fulfill any of these, the “relegated” team has the chance to pay the money equivalent to the Ascenso MX prize to the “promoted” team, in order to remain in First Division. The amount to cash in is of around 6 million USD. If the team is unable to pay and/or unwilling to do so, they are relegated and the Liga MX looses a team for the next 12 months. This tactic was implemented in 2017 by the now disappeared Lobos BUAP to remain afloat. 

 

• Now, if the team which wins the promotion playoff, does qualify to play in the Top Flight, then they will automatically win promotion. If however, the league hasn’t reached it’s 20 team limit by then, the “relegated” team will have the chance to pay the 6 million USD quota and stay up. This can be done until the limit of 20 teams is reached, by then, “relegated” teams will have no chance to pay their fee. 

 

2. The relegated team buys the promoted franchise: 

 

• This has only happened a couple of times, and the concept is simple. The relegated team bids to try and buy the promoted franchise, and if they manage to do so, they remain in the First Division.

 

3. The relegated team buys a First Division franchise: 

 

• This might have also happened once or twice.The case is the recently relegated team, buys a struggling first division team and that way manages to play 2 more seasons playing in the Top flight. 

 

5.- Promotion

 

I don’t want to get much into this topic since the probability of Liga MX being added to FM20 is relatively small, and therefore the probability of the addition of Ascenso MX is close to 0.0%. However I do feel it is important  to mention how promotion works. The idea is simple, Ascenso MX teams play 2 Short Tournaments per year, in which the top 7 teams qualify for a Liguilla with a similar format to that mentioned above (won’t get into too much detail here), the winner of the Liguilla then qualifies for the Promotion Final which they play against the winner of the other Short Tournament’s Liguilla. If the winner of both Short Tournaments is the same, then that team is promoted if it fulfills the conditions mentioned above (topic 4, subtopic 1). If the team doesn’t fulfill the requirements then there is no promotion that year. 

 

Since the Mexican franchise rules is a joke, a team from Second Division might buy a First Division franchise (Juarez bought struggling Lobos this year) and get to play in the First Division for the next 2 seasons. This doesn’t rule out the promotion won on the field, and therefore there could be a double promotion that year.

 

Conclusion

 

Liga Mx is a mess, but nevertheless a very fun league to watch and try to understand. 

 

This is the first post of a 6 post series. If you liked it and appreciate the work put into it, please leave a like. 

 

Thank you, and until next post. 

Meanwhile enjoy Mexican trainer Tomas Boy having a dance:

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by S4NCH0

[SophiaFM]

I agree reading that it sounds like a fun, crazy league. It’s also at a good quality level. There’s always a few decent players from the Mexican league in the transfer market. When we have leagues like the Irish and Welsh ones for some reason, no disrespect but the quality is poor in those leagues! then why not?! 🙂

[S4NCH0]

8 hours ago, SophiaFM said:

I agree reading that it sounds like a fun, crazy league. It’s also at a good quality level. There’s always a few decent players from the Mexican league in the transfer market. When we have leagues like the Irish and Welsh ones for some reason, no disrespect but the quality is poor in those leagues! then why not?! 🙂

I agree, the league has a good overall level and some decent/exciting youth prospects as well as some great experienced talents, I'll talk about them in later posts. As for Irish and Welsh leagues, I do agree the leagues have a very poor level, but I think there are good reasons for them to be in the game: 

1. It complements the English and Scottish leagues, since these 3 countries complete the Brittish Island countries.

2. Some nice hidden gems

3. Some massive challenges

 

Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it.  

[S4NCH0]

*NOTE: Long post ahead, with mostly numbers. You might want to jump ahead if you are not that into raw data. This could be a useful post to come back to for challenges and mini games if  ever Liga Mx is added to the game. 

                                                  Some Interesting Records

If you find yourself asking: why would I care about some “fun facts” (or as my mom calls fun facts: “garbage culture”) if that doesn’t have anything to do with FMM2020? And maybe you are right, what do some facts change about your opinion wether the game should be added?  

Maybe they change nothing, but I’ve always enjoyed breaking appearance records, goals record, title record, etc. to make the game a little bit more realistic or maybe as side challenges for when I tackle bigger ones. Also, I love statistics and data, so get ready for some numbers. So, today I bring you some fun facts, some stats, some stories which I hope, one again, get you excited about Liga MX and it’s posible addition to the game.

 

Let’s star with the basics:

 

Inauguration Date: October the 17th, 1943

 

Games Played: 23,004 

 

Goals scored: 65,554

 

Seasons played: 101

 

Total teams: 57

 

Team Records

Game Records:

Spoiler

 

Most seasons played: 101 (Guadalajara and Club America)

 

Most consecutive seasons played: 91 (Toluca)

 

Least seasons: 1 (Colibríes de Cuernavaca) 

 

Most victories: 1054 (America)

 

Most consecutive victories: 12 (Club León, 2019)

 

Least Victories in a season: 0 (Veracruz, 2019)

 

Most defeats: 886 (Club Atlas)

 

Least defeats in a season: 0 (Club Puebla, 1985) 

 

Most unbeaten games in a row: 28 (America, 2005)

 

Goal records:

Spoiler

 

Most goals in a season: 55 (Toluca, 2002) 

 

Most Goals received in a season: 45 (Puebla, 2002)

• Points records: 

 

Most points in a season: 43 (Club America, 2002)

 

Least points in a season: 0 (Veracruz, 2019)

 

 

 

 

Other Records:

Spoiler

 

Most league titles: 13 (Club America)

 

Teams with consecutive Short Season titles: UNAM (Apertura and Clausura 2004); León (Ap and Cl. 2013)

 

Teams with Cup and League doubles: Necaxa (2) , Asturias, León, Cruz Azul, Guadalajara (2), Puebla

 

Teams that have lifted the title: 24

 

Youngest team to become champion: Xolos Tijuana won the league just 5 years after its birth.

 

Teams that have never been relegated: America, Guadalajara, UNAM, Toluca, Cruz Azul and Tiuana. 

 

Most Promotions: Veracruz with 6 (4 promotions by buying a franchise, 2 by league expansions, 0 by sport merit)

 

Most Relegations: Veracruz with 5

 

Most goals in a match: 11 (Pachuca 9-2 Veracruz, 2019)

 

Most finals played: América 17

 

Most finals lost: Cruz Azul 10

 

 

 

 

 

Individual records 

Goal records:

Spoiler

 

Most goals: 312 goals (Evanivaldo Castro Cabinho with UNAM and Atlante)

 

Most goals in liguillas: 43 goals (José Saturnino Cardozo, for Toluca)

 

Most goals in finals: 9 goals (José Saturnino Cardozo

 

Most Goals in a Match: 7 (Isidro Lángara, 1946 with Club España)

 

Most goals in a single Liguilla: 9 (Jared Borgetti, 2001)

 

Most goals in a single final: 4 (Javier Orozco, 2015 with Santos Laguna)

 

Most Top Goalscorer titles: 8 (Evanivaldo Castro Cabiinho) 

 

Most games in a row scoring: 15 (José Saturnino Cardozo)

 

Appearance Records:

Spoiler

 

Most League appearances: 740 (Oscar Perez) 

 

Most games with a single club: 608 (Cristobal Ortega, Club America)

 

Most Liguilla appearances: 94 (Oswaldo Sanchez)

 

Most consecutive minutes with clean sheet:  772 (Hernan Cristante, 2008)

 

Youngest debutant: Martín Galván (15 years, 7 months and 3 days)

 

Oldest player to play a game: Salvador “Chava” Reyes (71 years, 4 months, it was a special occasion and he only played 2 minutes) and Oscar Perez (44 years, 9 months)

 

Oldest debutant: Humberto Filizola (44 years old, the Dean of the UAT university, he debuted for them in a First Division match in 1994)

 

Coach Records: 

Spoiler

 

Most League titles: 7 (Ignacio Trelles and Ricardo Ferretti)

 

Most league matches: 1107 (Ricardo Ferretti) 

 

Most finals: 12 (Ricardo Ferretti)

 

Most games in a single club: 505 (Ricardo Ferretti) 

 

Most years coaching the same club: 13 (Ricardo Ferretti and Javier de la Torre)

 

Oldest coach: Ignacio Trelles (75 years old) he is still alive and 103 years old.

 

Active Players Records:

Spoiler

 

Most Goals: 165 Oribe Peralta 

 

Most Appearances: 507 Oribe Peralta

 

 

Hope you enjoyed. If you did it would be very nice from you if you could drop a comment and a like. 

 

Until next time. 

Adios.

Edited November 1, 2020 by S4NCH0

[S4NCH0]

                               Liga Mx as a supporting feature for the MLS

This will be a short post, since I believe it is a pretty obvious one. Anyway, let’s discuss some points which I believe make Liga MX the best addition to complement and boost MLS in FMM2020.

 

• Both Liga Mx and MLS are part of CONCACAF

This point is just to give you a little context. Mexico and USA are neighboring countries and therefore they play for the same football confederation: CONCACAF. At club level Mexican teams have always dominated the zone, but Nations wise, USA has been shortening the distances and is now at the same level as the Mexican national team. They play a very sparky  “derby” which always ends with many goals, fights, polemic decisions, etc. This game is also one of those golden nuggets of sports, since it is one of the most followed around the world and one that generates millions in revenue. The addition of Liga Mx in FMM2020, would give players a chance to get closer to this rivalry and experience it through their own fingertips.

 

• USA represents the second biggest audience for Liga MX

 

Even with the heated rivalry between both countries, Liga MX has its second biggest audience in United States. Why is this important? Well, I assume the MLS was added since the American market is among the richest and most consuming ones. They are willing to consume, and the video game industry is an ever-growing one in USA. Therefore, the addition of MLS to the game represented a tactic for the game to make its way into the american market. 

 

Now, if this assumptions are true, then the addition of Liga MX will boost sales massively in both America and Mexico. Why is that? USA has received millions of Mexican immigrants in its recent history, and among the older immigrants, the recent ones and their respective descendants, it is estimated that 41,000,000 Mexicans or Mexican descendants live in the USA. This number represents 16% of the American population. 

 

This number becomes evident when one watches a Mexican national team match being played in the USA. The stadium usually fills with mostly Mexicans (yes, even when playing against USA). Mexicans feel a lot of passion for “soccer” and for Mexican-americans, the addition of FMM2020 would mean a chance to come closer to their origins. 

 

As an economic decision, the addition of Liga MX doesn’t seem as a huge risk to be taken by SEGA. 

 

• Mexicans, Americans and Mexican-americans in Liga Mx and MLS

Due to their neighbor status, the massive amounts of immigrants, and the influences USA has in Mexico and Mexico has in USA; Liga Mx and MLS have tenths if not hundreds of players who carry both nationalities playing in them. Also, due to the recent growth of the MLS, teams have invested in Mexican superstars like Marco Fabián, Giovanni Dos Santos, Jonathan Dos Santos and Fan-favorite Carlos Vela. In recent years, many Mexican youngsters have decided to play in the MLS in order to get some experience and some have even ended playing for the American National Team. Something similar has happened the other way as well, with some American youngsters choosing the Tricolores over the Stars and Stripes. 

 

If Liga Mx were to be added, users could experience this binational, sometimes love sometimes hate, relationship between the MLS and the Liga Mx. 

 

• MLS and Liga Mx have been the dominant forces of CONCACAF

As it was mentioned before, Club and Nation wise, Mexico and USA have no rivals in the zone who can challenge their Continental Superpower status. The CCC semifinals have been all Mexican-american for countless times now in recent year. And FMM2020 would be nice wa y to experience that. Currently, when one plays with an MLS club, it is very easy to win the CCC in 2 or 3 seasons, imagine now having to challenge stormer Liga MX sides, the experience would get much more fun and realistic. Or maybe, you could play with a Liga Mx side and fight the ever-expanding MLS teams on your way to Global dominance. 

 

Due to their dominance in the zone, the officials of both Football Federations, have created a new Tournament called The Leagues Cup, where 8 teams (4 Mexican and 4 American) play each other in a Knockout format tournament. Next year, with views to keep promoting and improving Mexican and American football, the Leagues Cup will be expanded to 16 teams.

 

Conclussions

 

The addition of Liga Mx will definitely bring much more attention to the game itself. It will boost the sales over here in North America. 

Gameplay wise, It will give players a chance to experience this interesting relationship between Mexican and American football. It will embrace and enhance the MLS experience which with this addition will make it more attractive for players around the world. 

So, in general, the addition of Liga Mx would be a very neat addition if SEGA mean to keep targeting the North American market.

 

That's all for today. If you enjoy please leave a comment and a like. See you in some days time. 

 

Gracias y Adios.

Edited November 1, 2020 by S4NCH0

[S4NCH0]

Since Mexico's Independence Day is celebrated tomorrow, I will be posting the remaining 3 articles in the following week. I hope by then this thread has gotten some attention cause I'm putting a lot of effort into it. 

 

Thanks and have a nice weekend! 

[S4NCH0]

It seems like this hasn't been a popular article despite my efforts. Any way, I'll be posting the 4th. point today and the 5th and 6th points along the week. 

[Mr Tree]

it's excellent mate - i must confess i didn't read it all, but only because it's soooo detailed and complicated. it sounds bloody crazy and i wonder if it might be beyond FMM's capabilities, but we shall see!

[mattydisc]

Frankly, it would be almost as much benefit to FMM 2020 as Brazil or Argentina to have Liga MX. It provides a great deal of interesting story lines, and gives a good look into the fascinating world of Mexican futbol. Also makes MLS more interesting to play, which I selfishly support. Cool articles for sure, though. Thanks for your diligent work, and I look forward to the rest!

[S4NCH0]

12 hours ago, Mr Tree said:

it's excellent mate - i must confess i didn't read it all, but only because it's soooo detailed and complicated. it sounds bloody crazy and i wonder if it might be beyond FMM's capabilities, but we shall see!

Thanks for the response, I understand reading all of it would be exhausting hahaha, I thought maybe it could be useful as a background article to come back to if you ever want to play with a Liga MX team. 

I also agree that the implementation of Liga Mx to the game would be a headache, but leagues like the Belgian and Australian ones already play a "liguilla" format. The problem lies in the relegation system, which in essence is the opposite to the European Coeficients we already have. 

[S4NCH0]

11 hours ago, mattydisc said:

Frankly, it would be almost as much benefit to FMM 2020 as Brazil or Argentina to have Liga MX. It provides a great deal of interesting story lines, and gives a good look into the fascinating world of Mexican futbol. Also makes MLS more interesting to play, which I selfishly support. Cool articles for sure, though. Thanks for your diligent work, and I look forward to the rest!

Well, let's not compare Liga MX to the almighty Brazilian and Argentinian leagues hahaha, but I do agree it would have some big impact on the game. It would definitely enhance the experience. Problem is we can't get the three of them, so we will have to see what SEGA decides to add. MLS is already very interesting (my favorite league to watch after the Prem and Liga MX atm) , and I agree Liga Mx would boost the experience. But I guess SEGA will continue down its european bias (which is fully understandable and enjoyable) and add maybe Ukraine and Switzerland. Hope I'm wrong tho. 

Thanks for your comments, I really do appreciate them.

[S4NCH0]

Big, Historic, Rich and other Liga Mx Teams

 

As the title says, in this new topic I will be going over the 19 teams of Liga Mx. Some in more detail than others, and for some of them I’ll even add a challenge you the user could take on if the League were ever to be added. I’ll divide the teams into some categories, let’s start: 

 

The “Fantastic” 4 

 

Known as the Big Four (Los cuatro grandes) they have been, except for Club America, everything but fantastic in recent years. However, their history, fanbase, traditions, and players give them a “Big” team status. 

 

Spoiler

 

Pumas UNAM

Context: The team I support, the fourth most popular in Mexico, the first team I’ll talk about. UNAM is the National University’s team. They were originally an all-student team, were the different programs around campus each provided their best talent. Their “Cantera” or youth academy is among the best in Mexico and has produced the likes of Hugo Sanchez and Luis García (former Real and Atletico Madrid players). They have currently become a mid-table team, with sparks of success every now and then. Interesting fact: they are the only team with no formal badge on their shirt, they have their emblem printed on to the shirt instead. 

 

Foundation: 1954

Mascot: Puma (or Cougar) 

Colors: Blue and Yellow

Stadium: Ciudad Universitaria (52,000)

City: Mexico City

League Titles: 7 (Last in 2011)

Biggest Rivalries: Club America and Tigres UANL

Best Player: Carlos Gonzalez 

Biggest Prospect: Alan Mozo

 

Club América

Context: Arguably the biggest club in Mexico, and “my” biggest rivals, Club America are among the richest teams in Mexico both in titles and economically. Owned by the biggest TV and Radio company in Mexico (Televisa), they have been characterized historically for signing big players. In recent year however, they have also focused on exporting young talent to Europe, this project has seen Diego Lainez (Betis), Edson Alvarez (Ajax) and Raul Jimenez (Woves) migrate to european football. They have one of the biggest fanbases, and play Mexico’s most important “Clasico” against chivas

 

Foundation: 1916

Mascot: Eagle 

Colors: Yellow (with stints of red and blue)

City: Mexico City

Stadium: Estadio Azteca (87,000)

League Titles: 13 (Last in 2018) record holders

Biggest Rivalries: Chivas Guadalajara, UNAM and Cruz Azul

Best Player: Guillermo Ochoa

Biggest Prospect: Sebastián Córdova

 

Cruz Azul

Context: The third biggest fanbase in Mexico, and I would say one of the most loyal. Why? Well their last league title was won in1997 and there’s been 22 short tournaments since. They’re a synonym of unluckiness in Mexico, the Mexican Language Academy even recognizes the verb “cruz-azulear” (Roughly translated as Cruz-Azuling) as the action of loosing something when it seemed a sure victory. Their luck is so bad that they’ve lost 11 finals in the lifespan of short tournaments. Nevertheless, they are a great historical team and among the most decorated in Mexican football history. They aren’t a team used to exporting. 

 

Foundation: 1927

Mascot: Bunny (not so common, so they go by Maquina or Machine) 

Colors: Blue and White

City: Mexico City

Stadium: Estadio Azteca (87,000) temporarily

League Titles: 8 (Last in 1997)

Biggest Rivalries: Club America 

Best Player: Orbelin Pineda 

Biggest Prospect: Roberto Alvarado

 

 

Chivas Guadalajara

Context: The oldest First Division team, and the “most Mexican”. Chivas Guadalajara have been playing with an only Mexicans policy (something as Athletic Bilbao’s only basque policy) and they are the team with the most fans in Mexico, therefore, they’ve been associated with Mexican identity and along with America are the most popular team also in USA. They have currently gone through horrible spells and are in danger of getting relegated if they don’t straighten their way. They are famous for the exports of players like Carlos Vela and Chicharito. However in recent years due to mismanagement and poor directive choices they’ve ruined some bright talents as Carlos Fierro (who @Ashez loved) and Julio Gomez. 

 

Foundation: 1906

Mascot: Goat 

Colors: Red and White

City: Guadalajara

Stadium: Estadio Akron (49,000)

League Titles: 12 (Last in 2017)

Biggest Rivalries: Club America and Club Atlas

Best Player: Isaac Brizuela

Biggest Prospect: Alexis Vega

 

 

 

The North $uper Power$

 

Although the capital is Mexico City and its located in the center of the country, the real industrial development and economic capital is up-north, precisely in Monterrey. This richness translates to football as well, and in recent years both of Monterrey’s teams have seen an economic boom which has brought value to their squad. 

 

Spoiler

 

Tigres UANL

Context: Another university team with another feline as mascot, Tigres has received huge investment in recent years which have turned them to arguably the most dominant side in Mexican football in the past few years. With 5 league titles and 2 runner-up finishes in the last 8 years Tigres is knocking at the Big Four’s door. However, their poor history with two relegations, their lack of Mexican talents and their lack of homegrown players, has prevented them from earning the so desired “5th big team” title. In recent years they’ve brought several players from europe. This players have come here in their prime and have turned them into a continental giant, they include: Andre-Pierre Gignac, Enner Valencia, Eduardo Vargas, Guido Pizarro, Carlos Salcedo, and Javier Aquino. 

 

Foundation: 1960

Mascot: Tiger 

Colors: Blue and Yellow

City: Monterrey

Stadium: Estadio Universitario (42,000)

League Titles: 7 (Last in 2019)

Biggest Rivalries: Monterrey and Pumas UNAM

Best Player: Andre-Pierre Gignac

Biggest Prospect: Poor young talents with few opportunities, but ¿Julian Quiñones?

 

Monterrey FC

Context: Across the city of Monterrey we have the other rich super power in Mexico: Monterrey Futbol Club, or los Rayados (the Streaked). Owned by the biggest Soda and Convenience Store company in Mexico (FEMSA) Monterrey have always been among the richest teams not only in Mexico but in America as a whole. Their recent expansion project saw them build world class facilites, one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, and achieve continental success. They have brought players like Funer Mori, Dorlan Pabón, José Basalta, Miguel Layún, Leonel Vangioni and their most recent marquee signing, Vincent Jansen, all from european clubs. 

 

Foundation: 1945

Mascot: Bulldog  

Colors: Blue and White

City: Monterrey

Stadium: Estadio BBVA (53,000)

League Titles: 4 (Last in 2010)

Biggest Rivalries: Tigres UANL

Best Player: Vincent Jansen

Biggest Prospect: Cesar Montes and Jonathan Gonzalez 

 

 

The remaining 13 

 

Ahead, I will quickly go over the remaining 13 teams, I won’t go into detail and just mention a few aspects and players to look out for. 

Spoiler

 

Morelia

 

Mid-table team from Morelia, Monarcas has always been constant. They were about to fall into the Second Division a few years ago, but managed to bounce back stronger and qualify to Liguilla next season, just to give you an idea of what their team is.

 

Best Player: Fernando Aristeguieta 

Biggest Prospect: Paolo Medina (former Real Madrid and Benfica youngster) 

 

Club Pachuca

 

The biggest youth talent Academy of recent times, they have invested deeply into restructuring their facilities and have since promoted very good youth talent. The likes of Chucky Lozano (Napoli), Erick Gutierrez (PSV) and Hector Herrera (Atletico Madrid) all emerged from their youth ranks. They are a mid table team as well. 

 

Best Player: Franco Jara

Biggest Prospect: Victor Guzmán and Erick Aguirre

 

Club Santos Laguna 

 

As well as Pachuca, they are a mid-table team that occasionally fight for the top spots and even challenge for titles every other season. They are also well known for producing young talent and their youth ranks have seen a recent boom which has produced a very promising batch. 

 

Best Player: Julio Furch

Biggest Prospect: Gerardo Arteaga

 

Necaxa

 

A wonderful team in the late 70s and early 80s, Necaxa are now a good club used to playing exciting football. They sometimes go through long lasting slumps, but usually come back strongly. They are the league’s “bargain hunters” and every season their scouting team brings unknown talent which then turns into huge profits for them. 

 

Best Player: Maxi Salas

Biggest Prospect: Maxi Salas

 

Club Toluca

 

Considered by many to be the 5th biggest team after “Los cuatro grandes”, Toluca saw huge success in the early 2000s. They are the biggest winners of short tournaments and currently are going through a slump. They are the “friendly” team with nobody really hating on them. 

 

Best Player: Emmanuel Giglioti

Biggest Prospect: Victor Jaramillo

 

Club Tijuana

 

One of the youngest clubs in the First Division, Tijuan is only 12 years old. They were a very exciting team some seasons ago, winning their first ever title around that time (2012), but didn’t manage to avoid the drop to mediocrity. They now linger around the mid-table. 

 

Best Player: Camilo Sanvezzo

Biggest Prospect: Gibran Lajud

 

Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz 

 

A very sad team to say the least. They have spent the last 33 games without a win and they are on the verge of breaking the world record of consecutive games without victory. They have a despicable owner who hasn’t payed their player’s contracts for some months now. They have been relegated twice in recent years, and are favorites to be relegated again this year. 

 

Best Player: Sebastian Jurado

Biggest Prospect: Sebastian Jurado (Their only good player, the best Mexican gk I have seen in ages)

 

Futbol Club Atlas

 

City rivals to Chivas, this team from Guadalajara hasn't won a league title in over 69 years now. They have a fantastic youth academy and have produced talents like Rafael Marquez (ex-barca) and Andres Guardado (Betis). 

 

Best Player: Osvaldo Martínez

Biggest Prospect: Jesus Angulo 

 

Club Puebla

 

Not much can be said about them, they are a lower table side which year after year fights against relegation and year after year barely manages to stay afloat. They have a beautiful stadium, but their bad performances and bad management have them suffering. 

 

Best Player: Lucas Cavallini 

Biggest Prospect: Daniel Lajud

 

Club Queretaro 

 

Currently the league’s leaders, they are a mid table team which every other year has a fantastic season and surprises everyone getting all the way to the final or semifinals. They were the team were Ronaldinho had it’s shot Mexican adventure. 

 

Best Player: George Corral

Biggest Prospect: Marcel Ruiz

 

Club León

 

Runner-ups last season and playing a beautiful attacking football this one, Leon are a historic team that just recently returned to First Division after many years in Asenso MX. They are also known for hunting bargains and selling them on a high. They are owned by the same owners of Pachuca. 

 

Best Player: Angel Mena and Joel Campbell

Biggest Prospect: Jose Juan Macias

 

Atletico San Luis

 

This recently promoted club is owned by no less than Atletico Madrid itself. This has allowed them to invest in good youngsters, improve their facilities and coaching staff and even get some loanees from their Spanish brothers. They are a very promising team and have hired in Gustavo Matosas a very exciting head coach. 

 

Best Player: Ricardo Centurión

Biggest Prospect: Diego Hernandez 

 

Futbol Club Juarez

 

This team has been a surprise this last two seasons. First, they went all the way to the Title match in Copa Mx last season which they lost, the they bought a franchise (Lobos Buap’s to be exact) in the First Division, and while no-one expected anything from them, they have had a good start to the season. 

 

Best Player: Diego Rolan

Biggest Prospect: Jorge Jorhid Lima Uranga

 

 

 

That’s all for today, tomorrow I’ll post a mini-article where I talk through some interesting challenges the Liga Mx offers to its users. As for today, I’m out.

 

Thanks for reading, a comment would be really appreciated. 

 

Till next time. 

Edited November 13, 2020 by S4NCH0

[Kanegan]

Some great insight into Liga MX there mate but it's quite complicated to properly implement.

[S4NCH0]

6 minutes ago, Kanegan said:

Some great insight into Liga MX there mate but it's quite complicated to properly implement.

Yeah, it is almost imposible to implement and maybe the article now has no point hahaha, but still I think it is cool to read about other leagues and get to know other cultures. An article on indian football would be delightful to say the least. 

Thanks for your comments.

[Kanegan]

13 minutes ago, S4NCH0 said:

Yeah, it is almost imposible to implement and maybe the article now has no point hahaha, but still I think it is cool to read about other leagues and get to know other cultures. An article on indian football would be delightful to say the least. 

Thanks for your comments.

Yup it is very informative and India is quite low in the football landscape so i don't think anybody will care or it will ever be added in FMM.

[S4NCH0]

Mini articles: Some challenge to tackle if the league is added

 

You Can't Win Anything with Niños

As mentioned before Atlas and Pumas UNAM are both famous in Mexico due to their ability to produce youngsters, but recently they haven't lived up to that reputation. So a good challenge could be to revitalize the Academy of these teams. Maybe you could try to play using only players promoted through your ranks, or try an easier challenge and play with purely U-23s giving some priority to your youth.

 

Bring Back their Glory

Can you take Atlas and Cruz Azul back to their glory days? Atlas has forgotten what lifting a title feels and with 69 years without a league teaching them how to win and channeling their efforts towards a title could be a tough, fun challenge. As for Cruz Azul, their last title win is more recent (22 years ago) so the memory of glory is still there, however, more than 20 head-coaches have come and go and haven't been able to take Cruz Azul to the top. Their "Big Team" status, their economic strength and their recent investment in youngsters are all good foundations upon which you could build a project. 

 

Save the Drowning Shark

The Tiburones (sharks) of Veracruz have gone through 33 games without winning and are on the verge of breaking a world record. Have you got what's needed to save them from that horrid record and revert their current situation? Their very bad players and precarious economic situation won't make your job easier.

 

Club World Campeones

As a more general one, can you get Mexican football its first ever Club World Championship? 

 

 

Thanks for reading. Till next time.