USMNT players in the 2024 Liga MX Apertura
The 2024 Liga MX Apertura begins on Friday with five USMNT players involved in Mexico’s Fall championship. That list starts with Alex Zendejas and the defending champions Club America, winners of last season’s Apertura and the 2024 Clausura while finishing first in the standings in both competitions. That’s plenty of expectation for another title as the Apertura begins, with Zendejas a regular in the squad.
Brandon Vazquez’s Monterrey finished 4th in the 2024 Clausura and advanced to the semifinals in the playoffs. They were 2nd in the 2023 Apertura but exited the playoffs in the quarterfinals. Monterrey brought in attacking midfielder Sergio Canales from Real Betis, a player with 11 appearances for Spain’s senior squad.
Cade Cowell became a super sub in his first season with Chivas after joining them from the San Jose Earthquakes in mid-January. Cowell had one goal in 18 appearances, with Chivas finishing 6th in the regular season and exiting the playoffs in the semifinals to eventual champions Club America.
Ventura Alvarado’s Mazatlan finished 14th in the Clausura after a 10th-place finish in the 2023 Apertura. 10th-place meant the last spot in the playoff qualifying round, where they lost to Santos Laguna. This is where we look at how close the standings can be in the Liga MX seasons, with teams playing 17 games. In the Apertura, Mazatlan was a point behind the three teams in front of them that also made the playoff qualification round. They were three points from finishing 6th and making the playoffs without needing to qualify. That 14th-place finish in the 2024 Clausura also needs context, with Mazatlan tied on points with the two teams ahead of them.
Joe Corona played in seven games and scored a goal for Club Tijuana during the 2024 Clausura, subbing on in all of those games and taking various roles in the midfield. That included three games in March where he was a halftime sub. Tijuana finished 13th in the 2023 Apertura, two points out of the final playoff qualification round spot, and 16th in the 2024 Clausura. Liga MX is currently not using promotion and relegation, instead using its coefficient table to fine clubs for playing poorly over the course of multiple seasons. Teams in the bottom three places pay fines, used to support lower divisions clubs, with Mazatlan in 16th-place and Tijuana in 18th in the coefficient table.
