<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=442><TBODY><TR><TD height=20 ="tt2">1st, player changes:</TD></TR></T></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=442 bgColor=#b6b3b3><T><TBODY><TR><TD ="m">Teams</TD><TD ="m">(Incoming) </TD><TD ="m">(Outgoing) </TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">América</TD><TD ="tb1">Salvador Cabañas (Jaguares)</TD><TD ="tb1">Kléber (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Matías Vuoso (Santos)</TD><TD ="tb2">Aarón Padilla (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Raúl Salinas (Pumas)</TD><TD ="tb1">Cristián Giménez (PAchuca)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Ignacio Torres (Necaxa)</TD><TD ="tb2">Irenio Soares (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Nelson Cuevas (Pachuca)</TD><TD ="tb1">Francisco Torres (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Fabián Peña (Necaxa)</TD><TD ="tb2">Miguel Zepeda (San Luis)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Pável Pardo (Stuttgart)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Atlante</TD><TD ="tb1">Gustavo Biscayzacú (Veracruz)</TD><TD ="tb1">Diego Ramírez (Rayados)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Rodolfo Espinoza (Necaxa)</TD><TD ="tb2">Oswaldo Lucas (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Eduardo Rergis (Pachuca)</TD><TD ="tb1">Diego Garay ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Jesús Mendoza (San Luis)</TD><TD ="tb2">José Cárdenas (Pachuca)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Juan Hernández Jr. ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Hugo Sánchez ()</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Atlas</TD><TD ="tb2">Denis Caniza (Cruz Azul)</TD><TD ="tb2">Danilo Vergne (Cruz Azul)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">César Pereyra (Independiente)</TD><TD ="tb1">Marcelo Macedo ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Hugo Rodallega (Rayados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Rafael García (Cruz Azul)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Mario Rodríguez (Tecos)</TD><TD ="tb1">Ulises Méndivil (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Sergio Orteman ()</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Cruz Azul</TD><TD ="tb2">Richard Núñez (Pachuca)</TD><TD ="tb2">Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Salvador Carmona (Suspendido)</TD><TD ="tb1">John Restrepo (Tigres)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Danilo Vergne (Atlas)</TD><TD ="tb2">Alejandro Corona (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Israel López (Toluca)</TD><TD ="tb1">Emanuel González (Tigres)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Rafael García (Atlas)</TD><TD ="tb2">Denis Caniza (Atlas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">José Alberto Hernández (Necaxa)</TD><TD ="tb1">Tomás Campos (Tigres)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Héctor López (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Aarón Galindo (Hércules)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Guadalajara</TD><TD ="tb1">Juan Pablo Rodríguez (Tecos)</TD><TD ="tb1">Johnny García (Querétaro)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Alejandro Vela (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Marco Parra</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Jorge Barrera (Querétaro)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Cristián Armas (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Armando Bejines (Querétaro)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos Salcido (PSV)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Jaguares</TD><TD ="tb1">Alejandro Corona (Cruz Azul)</TD><TD ="tb1">Salvador Cabañas (América)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Alejandro Vela (Chivas)</TD><TD ="tb2">Walter Jiménez (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Oscar Rojas (Veracruz)</TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos Ochoa (Rayados)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Javier Saavedra (Tigres)</TD><TD ="tb2">Alonso Sandoval (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Cristián Armas (Chivas)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Monterrey</TD><TD ="tb1">Sebastián Abreu (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb1">Oribe Peralta (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Carlos Ochoa (Jaguares)</TD><TD ="tb2">Reinaldo Navia (San Luis)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Diego Ramírez (Atlante)</TD><TD ="tb1">Hugo Rodallega (Atlas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Leandro Gracián (Vélez Sarsfield)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Morelia</TD><TD ="tb2">Héctor Altamirano (San Luis)</TD><TD ="tb2">Damián Alvarez (Pachuca)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Andrés Orozco (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb1">Crisitán Nasuti ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Walter Montillo (San Lorenzo de Almagro)</TD><TD ="tb2">Johan Rodríguez ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">José Luis Villanueva (Racing)</TD><TD ="tb1">Gerardo Torres ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Mauricio Romero ()</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Necaxa</TD><TD ="tb2">Kléber (América)</TD><TD ="tb2">Rodolfo Espinoza (Atlante)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Nicolás Olivera (Defensor Sporting)</TD><TD ="tb1">Tressor Moreno (Veracruz)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Aarón Padilla (América)</TD><TD ="tb2">Miguel Acosta ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Gerardo Galindo (Pumas)</TD><TD ="tb1">Ariel López (Pumas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Oswaldo Lucas (Atlante)</TD><TD ="tb2">Sandro Sotilli ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Joaquín Beltrán (Pumas)</TD><TD ="tb1">José Alberto Hernández (Cruz Azul)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Fabián Peña (Querétaro)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos González (Querétaro)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Pachuca</TD><TD ="tb1">Crisitián Giménez (América)</TD><TD ="tb1">Nelson Cuevas (América)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Damián Alvarez (Morelia)</TD><TD ="tb2">Richard Núñez (Cruz Azul)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Eduardo Rergis (Atlante)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Marinho Ledesma (Veracruz)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Pumas</TD><TD ="tb2">Ariel López (Necaxa)</TD><TD ="tb2">Joaquín Beltrán (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Antonio Sancho (Pumas)</TD><TD ="tb1">Gerardo Galindo (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Ariel González (San Luis)</TD><TD ="tb2">Bruno Marioni (Toluca)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Rogelio Rodríguez (Tigres)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Ignacio Scocco (Newell´s)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Reinaldo (Gremio)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Querétaro</TD><TD ="tb1">Jorge Collazo (Atlante)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Jhonny García (Chivas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Armando Bejines (Chivas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Fabián Peña (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos González (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Jorge Almirón (León)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">San Luis</TD><TD ="tb2">Isrenio Soares (América)</TD><TD ="tb2">Ariel González (Pumas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Reinaldo Navia (Monterrey)</TD><TD ="tb1">Héctora Altamirano (Morelia)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Miguel Zepeda (América)</TD><TD ="tb2">Jesús Mendoza (Atlante)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Oscar Mascorro (Puebla)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb1">Santos</TD><TD ="tb1">Oribe Peralta (Monterrey)</TD><TD ="tb1">Matías Vuoso (América)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Francisco Torres (América)</TD><TD ="tb2">Juan Diego González ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Walter Jiménez (Jaguares)</TD><TD ="tb1">Rafael Medina (Tecos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Eliomar Marcon (Tecos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Joaquín Reyes (Veracruz)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Tecos</TD><TD ="tb2">Rafael Medina (Santos)</TD><TD ="tb2">Juan Pablo Rodríguez (Chivas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Francisco Bravo (Veracruz)</TD><TD ="tb1">Eliomar Marcón (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Hugo Droget (Universidad de Chile)</TD><TD ="tb2">Mario Rodríguez (Atlas)</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Tigres</TD><TD ="tb2">Mario Méndez (Rayados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Antonio Sancho (Pumas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">John Restrepo (Cruz Azul)</TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos Morales (Toluca)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Tomás Campos (Cruz Azul)</TD><TD ="tb2">Javier Saavedra (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Emmanuel González (Cruz Azul)</TD><TD ="tb1">Rogelio Rodríguez (Pumas)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Rolando Zárate (Vélez Sarsfielfd)</TD><TD ="tb2">Julio César Santos ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Luis Fernando Saritama (Deportivo Quito)</TD><TD ="tb1">Andrés Silvera ()</TD></TR><TR></TR><TR></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Toluca</TD><TD ="tb2">Bruno Marioni (Pumas)</TD><TD ="tb2">Israel López (Cruz Azul)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Carlos Adrián Morales (Tigres)</TD><TD ="tb1">Rodrigo Díaz ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Adalberto Palma (Puebla)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1"></TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2">Veracruz</TD><TD ="tb2">Cirilo Saucedo (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Pablo Granoche ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Jaime Ruiz (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb1">Gustavo Biscayzacú (Atlante)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Hugo García (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Oscar Rojas (Jaguares)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">David Mendoza (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb1">Pablo Quatrochi ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Iván Estrada (Dorados)</TD><TD ="tb2">Rodrigo Valenzuela ()</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Mauricio Victorino (Defensor Sporting)</TD><TD ="tb1">Joaquín Reyes (Santos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Tressor Moreno (Necaxa)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Hugo Chávez (Puebla)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Mario Rosales (Tecos)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Marinho Ledesma (Ciudad Juárez)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb2"></TD><TD ="tb2">Héctor Mancilla (Colo Colo)</TD></TR><TR><TD ="tb1"></TD><TD ="tb1">Israel Damonte (Gimnasia Jujuy)</TD></TR></T></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=442><T><TBODY><TR><TD ="lipie"></TD></TR></T></TBODY></TABLE>
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Mexico starts up this weekend. I rarely attempt to rate these teams like I do for Brazil and MLS because this is one of the more volatile leagues in the world. I will go team by team to discuss players that have left the club or joined for this tourney
America
- losing Pardo, Soares, Gimenez, and Kleber is significant but adding Cuevas, Cabanas, and Vuoso gives them tremendous offense. This looks to be a leading title contender and one that will play a lot of high scoring matches. They also brought in Tena to coach and he is one of the best, most experienced coaches in Mexico.
Atlante
- Garay and Cardenas are key losses but grabbing Biscayzacu is tremendous. Overall, this is real good club and I'd expect a bunch of unders, similar to last year. Their coach believes they will be much more explosive this tourney but their strength is goalie and defense. Gotta love the duo of Biscayzacu and Galaz up front but midfield is an issue. Still when you have excellent gk, defense, and attack you should be pretty competitive. Cardenas was the only field player to start every match last year but his 1 goal is replaced.
Atlas
- Pereyra and Osorno give Atlas a nice attack but losing 3 midfielders (Orteman, Vergne, and Garcia) that were not replaced does not make much sense. Looks like a long tourney for Atlas
Cruz Azul
- Losing Kikin, Restrepo, and Campos is significant especially because they've not replaced Kikin up front. Israel Lopez is one of the best outside midfielders in Mexico and should send plenty of crosses in to Chelito. Richard Nunez is also an excellent midfielder so even without Restrepo and Campos it looks like an upgrade in MF for Cruz Azul. Overall, this is a very good team if Sabah can adequately replace Fonseca. Perhaps the best midfield, goalie, and striker in the league with solid defenders and depth added means a title contender
Chivas
- Salcido is a huge loss in defense and irreplaceable IMO. Not much else changed in the starting lineup. They'll be without el Bofo for the 1st 3 matches of the season but this team should not lack for attack. Half of their starters were on Mexico's WC team so fatigue may be a big factor come October/November. They are a perennial underachiever but normally should be top 5 in this league. Most likely they'll fail again
Jaguares
- THIRTY of this team's 33 goals are gone from last tournament! Their attack is now pitiful without a single striker that would start for another team in this league. Saveedra, Corona, and Rojas are nice additions in midfield but they lost an excellent coach and are significantly weaker than last year.
Monterrey
- normally losing Navia in attack would be big news but upgrading with Loco Abreu is a positive. Abreu's size makes him almost unstoppable as evidenced by back-to-back 11 goal tournaments with awful Dorados. He will pair up nicely with Ochoa and they have quality midfielders like Erviti, Gracian, and Arellano to get them the ball. defense is a bit suspect but this should be a top team especially if Gracian can adapt to Mexican football quickly. Really nice team
Morelia
- not sure what to make of Morelia. They did not lose much and bolstered their defense with Altamirano and Orozco. Montillo is just 22 years old but looks to be a top notch midfielder and jury will be out on Villanueva to see if he can pair up front with Luis Gabriel Rey. This team under performed under Sergio Bueno, played a bit better under Dario Franco, and now must adjust to a new coach Hugo Hernandez. They have an excellent nucleus and perhaps the best all-around team in Mexico. Still when teams under perform as badly as they did last year it makes me skeptical they will perform well now. Still, the talent is there and they normally have a great home field advantage.
Necaxa
- this team absolutely has the best depth of attack in Mexico with 4 quality strikers including newcomer Kleber. They are thin, but talented, in midfield and now add two excellent defenders in Beltran and Lucas. They're losses are really insignificant IMO. Tressor Moreno was a striker that couldn't score and Ariel Lopez only chipped in 3 all season. Hernandez and Espinoza are both replaced by newcomers so this is a club that upgraded talent in all sectors. They won only 3 home games last tourney so much improve there if they are to make the playoffs in this one. Also, defensively they must improve their system as they allowed 15 goals in the final 6 matches last March/April. Nice quality for Necaxa and they should be value early in the season as bookies price them against last years team.
Pachuca
- Almost every champion in Mexico takes a nosedive is the following tourney and there's a good chance Pachuca will do just that. Their excellent coach, José Luis Trejo, is gone to Tigres and replaced by former National coach, Enrique Meza who won titles with Toluca in the late 90's and I believe is past his prime. They also lost their top striker and midfielder who combined for 18 goals and Rergis, a solid defender. Neither Christian Gimenez nor Damian Alvarez excite me much in Midfield and they may even play Gimenez up front to start the season. Calero is, of course, a world class keeper so very solid there. Pachuca is severely downgraded from last tourney's version.
Pumas
- big names coming and going which is probably a good thing with this underachieving group. Marioni, Galindo, and Beltran were probably their best players but Reinaldo, Ariel Gonzalez, Sancho, and Ariel Lopez are excellent signings. Tuca Ferretti takes over as coach and his teams are always well disciplined on defense and really one of the best coaches in Mexico. Ignacio Scocco may become one of the best midfielders in Mexico provided he catches up to the league quickly enough. Right now Pumas are in relegation trouble but by the end of this tourney they'll be plenty safe. This is a quality club and Ferretti will not them underachieve like previous coaches have done.
Querétaro
- the sole newcomer to top flight and top candidate to go back down...again. They look horribly weak in midfield and attack and will score few goals. Almiron is an experienced MF and Mora has had good years as a Mexican league striker but the quality is just not there. Defense is the cornerstone of the squad with experience in goal and in the backline but it's not enough for this club to be competitive. Barring some serious upgrade in the attacking 1/3 this team will be ugly to watch unless you bet unders. Gallos Blancos are also one of the oldest teams in the league with an avg age approaching 29 years old.
San Luis
- San Luis had a wild run at the end of the year, needing a stoppage time goal in final match to both avoid relegation and make the playoffs. They advanced all the way to the finals and lost to a better Pachuca team. But now this team is back to earth and should revert to the same squad that struggled for two tourneys. While not worse than Jaguares and Queretaro they are not strong, especially after losing their leading scorer and top defender. Navia may turn out to be an excellent reinforcement but he's been troubled for the last several years so jury is out on him. Soares is a nice pickup in midfield but Zepeda was a reserve last year and has not been a real strong player since his Toluca days, but should do a nice job off the bench. They are average, at best, in defense and midfield and very poor up front unless Navia comes through. Didi is a good 2nd attacker but they lack a true top attacking force like Ariel Gonzalez was for them last tourney.
Santos
- the famous Pony/Vuoso attacking partnership is gone, replaced by what should be an effective Pony/Marcon attack with upgraded depth in Peralta. Midfield looks upgraded as well with Jimenez, Torres, and Reyes on board though defense may again be a problem. This team did not win much last year but they were competitive in every match and, with an upgraded midfield, have a shot at making the playoffs
Tecos
- I think these guys need a facelift but they've pretty much stuck to the same core of players over the last few year. They are really void of a star player as Luduena's production has declined each tournament, as has his minutes. Perhaps the young american, Samuel Ochoa, will get some more time in attack otherwise it will be Lillingston and Casartelli again up front with Luduena in attacking mid. When Reinoso took over last tourney, Tecos went 1-4-0 so perhaps they can keep in most matches but goals will not come easy.
Tigres
- after last year's pathetic display it's no surprise to see a big change in the lineup but if friendlies are an indication, it will be a while before they are competitive. In the last few weeks they've lost to FC Dallas 2-0, Boca Jrs 6-1, and Barca 3-0 with the Boca and Barca matches played at home. The lineup should be explosive though with Chamagol, Zarate, Gaitan, and de Nigris along with solid Lozano, Campos, and Restrepo in midfield. They also grabbed Pachuca's coach though defense is a huge question mark. Last tourney's team produced 14 unders in 17 games so could be some nice line value on betting overs early in the tourney as this team will not be as strong in the back and look to be more potent up front.
Toluca
- not many changes for the red devils. If Bruno Marioni's head is on straight they've finally replaced Cardozo up front though the loss of Israel Lopez is key. Personally, I'm not a huge Lopez fan...terrible at free kicks but can cross the ball well and led Toluca in goals. So, I think he can be replaced without much trouble but probably not a feeling widely held. Zinha will command midfield and defense looks fine. Much depends on Marioni to become the true #1 striker Toluca has missed since Cardozo left. If he performs they will make the playoffs otherwise they will struggle to find the net and need to win with defense.
Veracruz
- or should I say Dorados? Veracruz will always be strong at home with a big advantage there but I can't say they've upgraded their club much. Gone are their attacking tandem of Biscayzacu/Granoche who combined for 9 goals and 4 assists along with 2 starting midfielders and a starting defender. They bring in exciting Tressor Moreno who always has the ball and never scores and also projected star, Israel Damonte, from Argentina. If Hector Mancilla can produce up front like he did in Chile the loss of Biscayzacu will be negated, but you never know how these foreign players will perform in the Mexican league. About the only thing that stays the same with Tiburones is their coach, Vucetich, who took over midway through the Clausura and helped them to a 4-4-2 record and avoiding relegation. It's tough to judge this team with so many changes but I'll predict an average or below-average performance and relegation worries come May.
a probably feeble attempt to group these 18 teams into title challengers, midtable, and strugglers
Title?
America
Atlante
Cruz Azul
Monterrey
Pumas
Morelia
Average?
Chivas
Pachuca
Toluca
Tigres
Necaxa
Santos
Strugglers?
Gallos Blancos
Veracruz
Tecos
San Luis
Atlas
Jaguares
Predicted 1-3 per group:
Group 1 - Cruz Azul, Necaxa, Chivas
Group 2 - Monterrey, Atlante, Pachuca
Group 3 - Pumas, Morelia, America (brutal group!)
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Mexico starts up this weekend. I rarely attempt to rate these teams like I do for Brazil and MLS because this is one of the more volatile leagues in the world. I will go team by team to discuss players that have left the club or joined for this tourney
America
- losing Pardo, Soares, Gimenez, and Kleber is significant but adding Cuevas, Cabanas, and Vuoso gives them tremendous offense. This looks to be a leading title contender and one that will play a lot of high scoring matches. They also brought in Tena to coach and he is one of the best, most experienced coaches in Mexico.
Atlante
- Garay and Cardenas are key losses but grabbing Biscayzacu is tremendous. Overall, this is real good club and I'd expect a bunch of unders, similar to last year. Their coach believes they will be much more explosive this tourney but their strength is goalie and defense. Gotta love the duo of Biscayzacu and Galaz up front but midfield is an issue. Still when you have excellent gk, defense, and attack you should be pretty competitive. Cardenas was the only field player to start every match last year but his 1 goal is replaced.
Atlas
- Pereyra and Osorno give Atlas a nice attack but losing 3 midfielders (Orteman, Vergne, and Garcia) that were not replaced does not make much sense. Looks like a long tourney for Atlas
Cruz Azul
- Losing Kikin, Restrepo, and Campos is significant especially because they've not replaced Kikin up front. Israel Lopez is one of the best outside midfielders in Mexico and should send plenty of crosses in to Chelito. Richard Nunez is also an excellent midfielder so even without Restrepo and Campos it looks like an upgrade in MF for Cruz Azul. Overall, this is a very good team if Sabah can adequately replace Fonseca. Perhaps the best midfield, goalie, and striker in the league with solid defenders and depth added means a title contender
Chivas
- Salcido is a huge loss in defense and irreplaceable IMO. Not much else changed in the starting lineup. They'll be without el Bofo for the 1st 3 matches of the season but this team should not lack for attack. Half of their starters were on Mexico's WC team so fatigue may be a big factor come October/November. They are a perennial underachiever but normally should be top 5 in this league. Most likely they'll fail again
Jaguares
- THIRTY of this team's 33 goals are gone from last tournament! Their attack is now pitiful without a single striker that would start for another team in this league. Saveedra, Corona, and Rojas are nice additions in midfield but they lost an excellent coach and are significantly weaker than last year.
Monterrey
- normally losing Navia in attack would be big news but upgrading with Loco Abreu is a positive. Abreu's size makes him almost unstoppable as evidenced by back-to-back 11 goal tournaments with awful Dorados. He will pair up nicely with Ochoa and they have quality midfielders like Erviti, Gracian, and Arellano to get them the ball. defense is a bit suspect but this should be a top team especially if Gracian can adapt to Mexican football quickly. Really nice team
Morelia
- not sure what to make of Morelia. They did not lose much and bolstered their defense with Altamirano and Orozco. Montillo is just 22 years old but looks to be a top notch midfielder and jury will be out on Villanueva to see if he can pair up front with Luis Gabriel Rey. This team under performed under Sergio Bueno, played a bit better under Dario Franco, and now must adjust to a new coach Hugo Hernandez. They have an excellent nucleus and perhaps the best all-around team in Mexico. Still when teams under perform as badly as they did last year it makes me skeptical they will perform well now. Still, the talent is there and they normally have a great home field advantage.
Necaxa
- this team absolutely has the best depth of attack in Mexico with 4 quality strikers including newcomer Kleber. They are thin, but talented, in midfield and now add two excellent defenders in Beltran and Lucas. They're losses are really insignificant IMO. Tressor Moreno was a striker that couldn't score and Ariel Lopez only chipped in 3 all season. Hernandez and Espinoza are both replaced by newcomers so this is a club that upgraded talent in all sectors. They won only 3 home games last tourney so much improve there if they are to make the playoffs in this one. Also, defensively they must improve their system as they allowed 15 goals in the final 6 matches last March/April. Nice quality for Necaxa and they should be value early in the season as bookies price them against last years team.
Pachuca
- Almost every champion in Mexico takes a nosedive is the following tourney and there's a good chance Pachuca will do just that. Their excellent coach, José Luis Trejo, is gone to Tigres and replaced by former National coach, Enrique Meza who won titles with Toluca in the late 90's and I believe is past his prime. They also lost their top striker and midfielder who combined for 18 goals and Rergis, a solid defender. Neither Christian Gimenez nor Damian Alvarez excite me much in Midfield and they may even play Gimenez up front to start the season. Calero is, of course, a world class keeper so very solid there. Pachuca is severely downgraded from last tourney's version.
Pumas
- big names coming and going which is probably a good thing with this underachieving group. Marioni, Galindo, and Beltran were probably their best players but Reinaldo, Ariel Gonzalez, Sancho, and Ariel Lopez are excellent signings. Tuca Ferretti takes over as coach and his teams are always well disciplined on defense and really one of the best coaches in Mexico. Ignacio Scocco may become one of the best midfielders in Mexico provided he catches up to the league quickly enough. Right now Pumas are in relegation trouble but by the end of this tourney they'll be plenty safe. This is a quality club and Ferretti will not them underachieve like previous coaches have done.
Querétaro
- the sole newcomer to top flight and top candidate to go back down...again. They look horribly weak in midfield and attack and will score few goals. Almiron is an experienced MF and Mora has had good years as a Mexican league striker but the quality is just not there. Defense is the cornerstone of the squad with experience in goal and in the backline but it's not enough for this club to be competitive. Barring some serious upgrade in the attacking 1/3 this team will be ugly to watch unless you bet unders. Gallos Blancos are also one of the oldest teams in the league with an avg age approaching 29 years old.
San Luis
- San Luis had a wild run at the end of the year, needing a stoppage time goal in final match to both avoid relegation and make the playoffs. They advanced all the way to the finals and lost to a better Pachuca team. But now this team is back to earth and should revert to the same squad that struggled for two tourneys. While not worse than Jaguares and Queretaro they are not strong, especially after losing their leading scorer and top defender. Navia may turn out to be an excellent reinforcement but he's been troubled for the last several years so jury is out on him. Soares is a nice pickup in midfield but Zepeda was a reserve last year and has not been a real strong player since his Toluca days, but should do a nice job off the bench. They are average, at best, in defense and midfield and very poor up front unless Navia comes through. Didi is a good 2nd attacker but they lack a true top attacking force like Ariel Gonzalez was for them last tourney.
Santos
- the famous Pony/Vuoso attacking partnership is gone, replaced by what should be an effective Pony/Marcon attack with upgraded depth in Peralta. Midfield looks upgraded as well with Jimenez, Torres, and Reyes on board though defense may again be a problem. This team did not win much last year but they were competitive in every match and, with an upgraded midfield, have a shot at making the playoffs
Tecos
- I think these guys need a facelift but they've pretty much stuck to the same core of players over the last few year. They are really void of a star player as Luduena's production has declined each tournament, as has his minutes. Perhaps the young american, Samuel Ochoa, will get some more time in attack otherwise it will be Lillingston and Casartelli again up front with Luduena in attacking mid. When Reinoso took over last tourney, Tecos went 1-4-0 so perhaps they can keep in most matches but goals will not come easy.
Tigres
- after last year's pathetic display it's no surprise to see a big change in the lineup but if friendlies are an indication, it will be a while before they are competitive. In the last few weeks they've lost to FC Dallas 2-0, Boca Jrs 6-1, and Barca 3-0 with the Boca and Barca matches played at home. The lineup should be explosive though with Chamagol, Zarate, Gaitan, and de Nigris along with solid Lozano, Campos, and Restrepo in midfield. They also grabbed Pachuca's coach though defense is a huge question mark. Last tourney's team produced 14 unders in 17 games so could be some nice line value on betting overs early in the tourney as this team will not be as strong in the back and look to be more potent up front.
Toluca
- not many changes for the red devils. If Bruno Marioni's head is on straight they've finally replaced Cardozo up front though the loss of Israel Lopez is key. Personally, I'm not a huge Lopez fan...terrible at free kicks but can cross the ball well and led Toluca in goals. So, I think he can be replaced without much trouble but probably not a feeling widely held. Zinha will command midfield and defense looks fine. Much depends on Marioni to become the true #1 striker Toluca has missed since Cardozo left. If he performs they will make the playoffs otherwise they will struggle to find the net and need to win with defense.
Veracruz
- or should I say Dorados? Veracruz will always be strong at home with a big advantage there but I can't say they've upgraded their club much. Gone are their attacking tandem of Biscayzacu/Granoche who combined for 9 goals and 4 assists along with 2 starting midfielders and a starting defender. They bring in exciting Tressor Moreno who always has the ball and never scores and also projected star, Israel Damonte, from Argentina. If Hector Mancilla can produce up front like he did in Chile the loss of Biscayzacu will be negated, but you never know how these foreign players will perform in the Mexican league. About the only thing that stays the same with Tiburones is their coach, Vucetich, who took over midway through the Clausura and helped them to a 4-4-2 record and avoiding relegation. It's tough to judge this team with so many changes but I'll predict an average or below-average performance and relegation worries come May.
a probably feeble attempt to group these 18 teams into title challengers, midtable, and strugglers
Title?
America
Atlante
Cruz Azul
Monterrey
Pumas
Morelia
Average?
Chivas
Pachuca
Toluca
Tigres
Necaxa
Santos
Strugglers?
Gallos Blancos
Veracruz
Tecos
San Luis
Atlas
Jaguares
Predicted 1-3 per group:
Group 1 - Cruz Azul, Necaxa, Chivas
Group 2 - Monterrey, Atlante, Pachuca
Group 3 - Pumas, Morelia, America (brutal group!)
