Liga MX Clausura 2023: Season guide, team previews, players to watch

After a two-month break due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, league play is back in Liga MX on Friday as the Clausura 2023 season kicks off.

Eighteen teams will vie for the title. Each team will play each other once, followed with 12 teams advancing to the postseason. The top four in the standings advance directly to the quarterfinals. Teams ranked five through twelve play in a one-game playoff hosted by the highest seed. The quarterfinals through finals are two-leg series with the top seed hosting last.

Pachuca is the defending champion after winning the Apertura 2022 season. Los Tuzos will also be one of four sides along with Atlas, Leon and Tigres UANL to represent Mexico in the Concacaf Champions League. 

Three teams will end the season paying a fine as a substitute for promotion and relegation. The fees for finishing at the bottom of the coefficient table (in USD) are about $1.7 million (third to last), $2.4 million (second to last) and $4.1 million (last) and are based on the winning percentage of the previous three years.

Liga MX matches are televised in the United States on the Univision family of networks, Telemundo and FOX Deportes (with select matches in English on FS1 and FS2). World Soccer Talk is the best resource for weekly TV listings.

Thinking of attending a Liga MX match in person? New for 2023, every fan must register for a Fan ID to attend matches.

Looking to know more about each team? Here is our season guide with a quick preview: 

Club América

• Founded: 1916
• Stadium: Estadio Azteca
• Head Coach: Fernando "Tano" Ortiz 
• Key Players: Álvaro Fidalgo, Jonathan Rodríguez, Henry Martín
• League Championships (13): 1965–66, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1983–84, 1984–85, Prode '85, 1987–88, 1988–89, Verano 2002, Clausura 2005, Clausura 2013, Apertura 2014, Apertura 2018

After a rough start to the season, at least for America's "every game is a must win" expectations, the first full season under Ortiz saw a 1W-1D-3L start turn into a 12-match unbeaten run for the rest of the season. It's important to note that part of that rocky start was due to four friendlies in the United States. with a July back-to-back stretch against Premier League powers Chelsea and Manchester City. Las Águilas also tested themselves against Spanish giant Real Madrid and headlined the Leagues Cup showcase doubleheader against LAFC.

Once that early season travel was over, the Liga MX powerhouse rode a run of 11 wins out of 12 to the top of the table. Henry Martin was the team's top scorer and finished second in the league Golden Boot race. The goals ran dry when America ran into Toluca in the playoff semifinals, and any season that doesn't end in a title for America is labeled a disappointment. Over the course of the Apertura, the team did find more stability under Ortiz and will be expected to finish among the top four spots and challenge for the title.

One big change comes in goal as Guillermo Ochoa left on a free transfer to Italian Serie A side U.S. Salernitana 1919 following his performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. America acquired goalkeeper Luis Malagón, who had a standout season at Necaxa, to supplement Óscar Jiménez, who ideally moves up from backup to starter. FOX Sports Mexico reports Keylor Navas could be an incoming transfer so perhaps the goalkeeper debate is not yet settled but, at least for the first match of the year, it looks Jimenez's job to lose.

Club Atlas

• Founded: 1916
• Stadium: Estadio Jalisco
• Head Coach: Benjamín Mora
• Key Players: Camilo Vargas, Julio Furch, Julián Quiñones
• League Championships (3): 1950–51, Apertura 2021, Clausura 2022

After a storybook 2021-2022 season that featured back-to-back championships, ending a 70-year drought in the process, Atlas is back down in the dumps. The team spent the majority of the Apertura 2022 season among the last places in the standings. Despite having a few of the key pieces of that championship team, the formula that led them to the heights of Liga MX didn't produce the same results and now coach Diego Cocca has moved on to coach Tigres UANL.

New manager Benjamín Mora will get his chance to figure out how to make this squad win again after leaving Mexico in 2015 to work in Malaysia. After leading Johor Darul Ta'zim to the 2021 Malaysia Super League title, Mora has earned his first head coaching gig in Liga MX. Atlas fans will want to see their club back in the postseason but a congested schedule may lie ahead with Los Zorros taking part in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League.

Atlético de San Luis

• Founded: 2013
• Stadium: Estadio Alfonso Lastras
• Head Coach: André Jardine
• Key Players: Marcelo Barovero, Unai Bilbao, Jhon Murillo
• League Championships: None

The André Jardine era was off to a promising start as San Luis made the playoffs in the Clausura 2022 season. The team lost former Liga MX top scorer German Berterame over the summer and struggled to get many goals in the Apertura tournament. Now, the likes of midfielder Rubens Sambueza and forward Abel Hernandez are out as well. One major piece, however, is defender Unai Bibao, who will return regularly to the lineup after an ACL injury that sidelined him for months. 

Goalkeeper David Ochoa has jumped from MLS to compete and learn from the aging but still dependable Marcelo Barovero, a former Copa Libertadores winner with River Plate. German midfielder Mateo Klimowicz has joined on loan from VfB Stuttgart and forward Angel Zaldivar was also acquired on loan from Guadalajara. A lot more is still expected from the Olympics-winning coach who led Brazil to gold at Tokyo 2020. Reaching the playoffs would be a success for San Luis.

Cruz Azul

• Founded: 1927
• Stadium: Estadio Azteca
• Head Coach: Raúl Gutiérrez (nickname: El Potro)
• Key Players: José de Jesús Corona, Julio César Domínguez, Christian Tabó
• League Championships (9): 1968–69, Mexico '70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, Invierno 1997, Guardianes 2021

La Maquina fans are used to dealing with hardship. They endured various heartbreaks, including losses in finals, over a 24-year title drought. Glory finally arrived in 2021 but little by little that historic team has been dismantled with the departures of Orbelín Pineda, Luis Romo, Roberto Alvarado and Jonathan Rodríguez among the notables. Even the front office situation has been a mess with two presidential changes. It all came to a head when championship-winning coach Juan Reynoso left in May 2022.

Uruguayan manager Diego Aguirre led the club to the SuperCopa MX title over the summer but could not keep the team from losing six out of its first ten matches in the Apertura. The worst part of this stretch, a four-match losing streak in August, ended with a 7-0 loss to Club America — Aguirre was fired that night. Raúl Gutiérrez was promoted from coaching the U-20 squad and won five of the remaining seven matches. The team won in the playoff reclassification stage against Leon but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Monterrey.

Gutiérrez had the interim tag removed and will be expected to make the playoffs again in his first full season. El Potro led the team through an undefeated preseason stretch to win the 2022 Copa por Mexico.

FC Juárez

• Founded: 2015
• Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez
• Head Coach: Hernán Cristante
• Key Players: Alfredo Talavera, Alan Medina, Gabriel Fernandez
• League Championships: None

FC Juarez were finally successful in qualifying to its first postseason after jumping to the top flight in 2019. Reinforcements by way of Liga MX veterans Alfredo Talavera, Carlos Salcedo, Jesús Dueñas and Club America loanee Alan Medina helped deliver the club's most successful season to date. Hernán Cristante's squad ran into his old club and eventual finalist Toluca in the playoffs reclassification phase. Juarez will want to take a step forward and get to at least the quarterfinals of the Liguilla this coming season.

Guadalajara

• Founded: 1906
• Stadium: Estadio Akron
• Head Coach: Veljko Paunović
• Key Players: Alan Mozo, Alexis Vega, Cristian Calderón
• League Championships (12): 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1969–70, 1986–87, Verano 1997, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2017

The situation at Chivas is always a pressure cooker for whoever is in charge. Owner Amaury Vergara changed the sporting director role by hiring Fernando Hierro in the offseason. The former Real Madrid defender and Spain national team manager has installed Veljko Paunović, who formerly managed MLS's Chicago Fire, as the club's head coach. The Serbian will be looked to not only win but develop from within the historically fruitful Guadalajara academy system. He will be, of course, limited to players of Mexican nationality as is the club's trademark policy.

One of the biggest questions is the future of star Alexis Vega. Will the 25-year-old attacker move on to a European club and, if so, how would the club adjust? The resurgence of forward Jose Juan Macias is also a storyline as the formerly rising star has not regained his old luster since a loan spell to Getafe. Based on its history, fans want to see the club challenge for the title and those will be the expectations this and every year.

Léon

• Founded: 1944
• Stadium: Estadio Nou Camp
• Head Coach: Nicolás Larcamón
• Key Players: Rodolfo Cota, Angel Mena, Lucas Di Yorio
• League Championships (8): 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1991–92, Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014, Guardianes 2020

A new era begins at Léon as Nicolás Larcamón will serve as the head coach in his first season with the club. The Argentine worked wonders at Puebla and will have a bit more to work with in Guanajuato. There are still elements of that 2020 championship team and 2021 runner-up, namely goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota and midfielder Angel Mena. Top scorers Lucas Di Yorio and Víctor Dávila are back to help in the front line.

This proud and historic club can always prove to be one of the top teams in any given season and the expectations will be high with the addition of the 38-year-old Larcamón on the sidelines. Léon will also have CCL on its plate and they'll be expected to challenge for that trophy as well.

Mazatlán

• Founded: 2020
• Stadium: Estadio de Mazatlán
• Head Coach: Gabriel Caballero
• Key Players: Yoel Bárcenas, Nicolás Benedetti, Eduard Bello
• League Championships (0): 

The newest club in the league continues to search for an impactful season in Liga MX. That task will continue to be difficult with one of the least impressive squads in the league. There's a handful of guys on this roster left much to be desired during their MLS stints in the likes of Josué Colmán, Marco Fabián and Oswaldo Alanís and now former Nashville SC striker Aké Loba joins that bunch. It was even revealed this past season that Giovani dos Santos decided to stay without a club rather than ponder an offer from Mazatlán. Looks to be another tough campaign for the purple and black faithful.

The recent surge in violence in the state of Sinaloa has only thrown more uncertainty into Mazatlán's season. The club's season opener against Léon on Jan. 6 has been postponed, and it's still uncertain when things will return to normal for fans and club alike.

Monterrey

• Founded: 1945
• Stadium: Estadio BBVA
• Head Coach: Víctor Manuel Vucetich
• Key Players: Rogelio Funes Mori, Alfonso González, Rodrigo Aguirre
• League Championships (5): Mexico '86, Clausura 2003, Apertura 2009, Apertura 2010, Apertura 2019

King Midas returned as the coach of Rayados in 2022 and the expectation will be to win a league title. Such is the expectation for one of the most expensive squads in the league. There is plenty of attacking power with Rogelio Funes Mori, German Berterame and Rodrigo Aguirre plus the support of Mexican national team players in Hector Moreno, Jesus Gallardo and Luis Romo make this a plentiful squad. The team was eliminated in the playoff semifinals against eventual champions Pachuca.

Necaxa

• Founded: 1923
• Stadium: Estadio Victoria
• Head Coach: Andrés Lillini
• Key Players: Alexis Peña, Milton Giménez, Facundo Batista
• League Championships (3): 1994–95, 1995–96, Invierno 1998

Long are the days from the legendary Necaxa team of the 1990s but the club will be happy if it get can get back to contending. The plug was pulled on young coach Jaime Lozano; Andrés Lillini was then hired to get the most out of these Rayos. The Argentine led Pumas UNAM to the CCL final in 2022 and a few playoff appearances. Facundo Batista led the team in goals in the Apertura and was a top-ten striker in the Golden Boot race. He will likely be the focal point of the attack as the Aguascalientes side hopes to make the leap back into the top of Mexican football.

Pachuca

• Founded: 1901
• Stadium: Estadio Hidalgo
• Head Coach: Guillermo Almada
• Key Players: Kevin Álvarez, Nicolás Ibáñez, Luis Chávez
• League Championships (7): Invierno 1999, Invierno 2001, Apertura 2003, Clausura 2006, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2016, Apertura 2022

One of the model clubs and defending champions, Pachuca will no doubt look to repeat if the current team can be kept intact. Luis Chavez was the shining diamond in a rough Mexico World Cup campaign for his free-kick goal against Saudi Arabia. The future of the midfielder is in question if the right European suitor comes along, as Chavez has already denied an intra-league move to Monterrey. Kevin Alvarez is another young player that could be on the radar of other teams and even the manager could bolt. Almada has been mentioned among the candidates to be the Mexico men's national team job but the Uruguayan himself has mentioned his dream job would be to lead his home country.

Repeating is a tough job anywhere and, while Pachuca should make the playoffs, going back-to-back may be too much to ask. Los Tuzos are back in the Concacaf Champions League also so maybe that could be a motivating factor in keeping this squad together for the near future.

Puebla

• Founded: 1944
• Stadium: Estadio Cuauhtémoc
• Head Coach: Eduardo Arce
• Key Players: Antony Silva, Federico Mancuello, Martín Barragán
• League Championships (2): 1982–83, 1989–90

The Larcamón era is over at Puebla after four playoff seasons. The unfortunate end came in an 11-2 aggregate scoreline to Club America in the quarterfinals. Eduardo Arce has been given the reins, going from assistant to head coach, but it will be tough to match the success from the past few seasons with only a few additions made to the squad. This could be a tough rebuild but maybe La Franja will surprise.

Querétaro

• Founded: 1950
• Stadium: Estadio La Corregidora
• Head Coach: Mauro Gerk
• Key Players: Ángel Sepúlveda, Pablo Barrera, Gabriel Rojas
• League Championships: None

Querétaro finished the Apertura as the last placed team in Liga MX. The club has announced 11 incoming players but none that really stand out as a big bona fide signing. Head coach Mauro Gerk will have to make the most out of a thin roster but it will be far from easy. Anything outside ending in the bottom six has to be considered a good year but there's also the matter of the coefficient table. If Querétaro end among the final three places, it will be required to pay a fine in place of no relegation. Ending last overall in the coefficient, despite finishing in the top 12 of the Clausura, could also keep them from participating in the postseason. 

In summary, Gallos Blancos really need a turnaround season.

Santos Laguna

• Founded: 1983
• Stadium: Estadio Corona
• Head Coach: Eduardo Fentanes
• Key Players: Carlos Acevedo, Javier Correa, Harold Preciado 
• League Championships (6): Invierno 1996, Verano 2001, Clausura 2008, Clausura 2012, Clausura 2015, Clausura 2018

Part of the Orlegi Group, Santos has lost a bit of its priority to win as its owners have focused more on sister club Atlas. It is not a completely forgotten squad but it does lack the type of punch of past contending teams. The shining star of the group is, of course, its rock-star goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo. Though snubbed for Mexico team selection at the FIFA World Cup, Acevedo is still regarded by many pundits and fans as currently the best at his position. Santos did finish third in the Apertura but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Toluca. A return to the playoffs would be a nice start on the road back to being a consistent contender.

Tigres UANL

• Founded: 1960
• Stadium: Estadio Universitario
• Head Coach: Diego Cocca
• Key Players: Nahuel Guzmán, Guido Pizarro, André-Pierre Gignac
• League Championships (7): 1977–78, 1981–82, Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2019

André-Pierre Gignac is still generating goals in Liga MX at age 37, but the window to win with the Frenchman may be closing. Tigres has one of the most expensive squads and the results just weren't there under Miguel Herrera. Cue the managerial change and Diego Cocca has been brought in to win now. 

The Monterrey area club will also contest the CCL, a tournament it has only won once, and will be pressured by fans to win it. A Liga MX title is the most important trophy of the two but both would be nice to have, especially to rub in the faces of its crosstown rivals. There's plenty of talent to get it done which is why expectations are high for Cocca.

Toluca

• Founded: 1917
• Stadium: Estadio Nemesio Díez
• Head Coach: Ignacio Ambríz (nickname: Nacho)
• Key Players: Leonardo Fernández, Camilo Sanvezzo, Jean Meneses
• League Championships (10): 1966–67, 1967–68, 1974–75, Verano 1998, Verano 1999, Verano 2000, Apertura 2002, Apertura 2005, Apertura 2008, Bicentenario 2010

A run to the final may not be what anyone expected but Toluca was there this past season. Ambríz put together an exciting squad that showed plenty of character and personality, perhaps not better illustrated than by its goalkeeper Tiago Volpi. But why would anyone expect anything of Toluca? The club is famously joked about for not being one of the better known teams in Liga MX despite its 10 titles, third-most all-time, behind only America and Guadalajara. Ridiculed, at least, until they win.

This team plays an entertaining style of soccer and has one of the better atmospheres in the country. That was shown emphatically Toluca's last home game; despite losing 5-1 in the 1st leg of the final, fans cheered on at the top of their lungs. 

Tijuana

• Founded: 2007
• Stadium: Estadio Caliente
• Head Coach: Ricardo Valiño
• Key Players: Alexis Canelo, Joaquín Montecinos, Lucas Rodríguez
• League Championships (1): Apertura 2012

The lack of goals is the root of the problem in Tijuana. Twelve teams were better in that department, though one of those did not make the final phase, and it really doesn't help the cause when your top scorer only scored four. Allowing 30 goals is also not ideal so it's safe to say Xolos will need help all around the field. It's not as if the club, owned by sports betting company and league sponsor Grupo Caliente, is hurting for money. One has to think there are plenty of resources for the right manager to succeed as the likes of Antonio Mohamed and Miguel Herrera have done here in the past.

UNAM Pumas

• Founded: 1954
• Stadium: Estadio Olímpico Universitario
• Head Coach: Rafael Puente Jr.
• Key Players: Eduardo Salvio, Juan Dinenno, Dani Alves
• League Championships (7): 1976–77, 1980–81, 1990–91, Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2009, Clausura 2011

Rafael Puente Jr. is back on the Liga MX sidelines as a head coach as Pumas parted way with Andrés Lillini. With a major name like Dani Alves on the team, UNAM has to at least make the playoffs. The team has a good goalscorer to play around in Juan Dinenno. Can the CCL runners-up find the formula to get back into the top pecking order in Liga MX? That may take a while but a good playoff run would certainly restore hope for the Universitarios.