5️⃣ Five questions ahead of a Liga MX season in which the best players WON’T decide the champion
Liga MX offseasons are always short, but this year the league is back sooner than ever. There’s a lot of soccer to pack in before the World Cup.
Well, mostly before the World Cup.
Here are five questions ahead of Friday’s kickoff!
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It seems counter-intuitive, but sporting directors are trying to find players who are good – but not too good – this winter.
With the 2026 World Cup taking place on North American soil this summer, Liga MX owners have agreed to release their players to El Tri on April 30. The Liguilla starts May 2.
It remains to be seen which foreign national team players may also leave early, but there will be big absences for teams to overcome. Club América will try to win a title without goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon or defender Israel Reyes. Toluca will hope to repeat without Alexis Vega. Chivas might lose goalkeeper Tala Rangel, forward Armando Gonzaelz, attacker Roberto Alvarado and midfielder Luis Romo.
How many players in this image won’t be available in May? (Photo by Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
So, managers may be working on alternate lineups early in the season, but things also will get rolling quickly and dropping points early will hurt even more. After this weekend’s kickoff, Jornada 2 begins Tuesday – since Concacaf Champions Cup and the March FIFA window also are being avoided, teams will play more midweek league games than usual.
The support from Liga MX for El Tri’s summer goals can be seen in other ways, too. The January friendlies will be treated like an international break, with Jornada 3 taking place Jan. 16-18 and Jornada 4 kicking off Jan 30. The play-in has been eliminated in a quest to make the season as tidy as possible.
It all makes for a strange Liguilla, and likely a champion who lifts the trophy without at least a few of its best players.
Toluca’s ability to defend its title took a huge hit when Alexis Vega went down late in the regular season with a hamstring issue. Vega returned to play in the second leg of the final and converted twice in the penalty shootout to push Toluca to the bicampeonato.
This year, Toluca likely will lose Vega late once again. This time, though, it seems the Diablos Rojos are planning for that circumstance.
