Cocca's Tigres running rampant, "Chapito" Montes bids farewell

The second week of the Liga MX Clausura 2023 season had plenty of compelling on-field action following a first week marred by off-field distractions.

Club Atlas finally got on the field after having turf issues in Week 1, pulling off a 2-1 victory over Mazatlan.

The Estadio Jalisco pitch miraculously recovered, with the help of some green paint. Atlas was favored thanks to the attacking duo of Julián Quiñones and Julio Furch, who each came through. Furch delivered the lead off a rebound in the 61st and Quiñones converted on a penalty in the 74th minute.

Nicolás Benedetti cut the deficit off a rebound in the 85th for Mazatlan, which was also making its season debut after violence in Sinaloa pushed back its Week 1 match.

Atletico San Luis was only able to manage a 0-0 home draw with Chivas of Guadalajara on Friday night despite a sold-out Alfonso Lastras Stadium.

The biggest news came down to who left the field.

The Potosinos were down to 10 men after Atletico de Madrid loanee Juan Sanabria was sent off in the 16th minute. And for Chivas, Mexico national team forward Alexis Vega departed in the 54th to injury.

 A ligament injury was ruled out after Vega was evaluated Monday. An exploratory arthroscopy is set for Wednesday to determine the extent of the damage and the recovery time.

Puebla scored both their goals on headers in a 2-0 win over 10-man Queretaro to close the Friday slate after Kevin Balanta saw red in the eighth minute.

Twin brothers Rogelio and Ramiro Funes Mori faced off for the first time in Liga MX in Monterrey's lively 3-2 win at 10-man Cruz Azul on Saturday.

German Berterarme stole the show from the brothers with a brace for the winners, then scored an own-goal on the other end trying to defend a late corner kick. 

Rayado's Funes Mori, Rogelio, also scored to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage in the 51st minute, two minutes before Cruz Azul were reduced to 10 men.

Toluca hosted America in a lively 2022 Apertura semifinal rematch that finished 2-2 in a contest where the energy on the pitch and in the stands made for a strong game-of-the-week contender.

The Red Devils of Toluca took the lead in the 8th minute thanks to Carlos Gonzalez. America tied it on the other end, eight minutes later, with a goal from former LAFC man Brian Rodriguez. Carlos Orrantia extended for the home side in the 23rd but Henry Martin, via the penalty spot, tied the game in the 79th minute, and both teams had chances to win it late.

Elsewhere on Saturday, FC Juarez won the meeting of the border clubs with a 3-0 victory over Tijuana. Santos Laguna ended the night with a 3-0 victory against Pumas UNAM.

Sunday night featured a packed house at the Estadio Universitario, where Tigres UANL did not disappoint their fans in a 4-1 thumping of defending champions Pachuca.

Former San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Javier "La Chofis" López gave the visitors a brief lead before manager Diego. Cocca's Tigres imposed themselves with four unanswered goals in one of those dominant nights that fans have grown accustomed to at "El Volcan" during the Andre-Pierre Gignac era.

The weekend ended with Leon defeating visiting Nexaca 2-1 in what also served as a farewell for Leon club legend Luis "Chapo" Montes, who didn't play Sunday but has been a part of three Liga MX titles.

Leon trailed before honoring the 36-year-old at halftime, then fought back on his behalf. Victor Davila leveled in the 64th minute after being denied an earlier goal by a video review, and Angel Mena bagged the game-winner three minutes later, which he dedicated to Montes.

The standings

1. Tigres UANL - 6 pts
2. San Luis - 4 pts
3. Guadalajara - 4 pts
4. Juarez - 3 pts
5. Pachuca - 3 pts
6. Atlas - 3 pts
7. Leon - 3 pts
8. Monterrey - 3 pts
9. Santos Laguna - 3 pts
10. Puebla - 3 pts
11. Pumas UNAM - 3 pts
12. America - 2 pts
13. Toluca - 1 pts
14. Cruz Azul - 1 pt
15. Queretaro - 1 pt
16. Tijuana - 1 pt
17. Mazatlan - 0 pts
18. Necaxa - 0 pts

Coefficient Table

Juarez had a big victory at home to jump out of the bottom three in the coefficient table, which measures the winning percentage of the past six seasons to determine the three clubs that will pay a fine for poor results at the end of the season. Here is the updated bottom three:

• 16 - Mazatlán FC
• 17 - Tijuana
• 18 - Queretaro

Surprise(s) of the Week

Tigres UANL winning at home is not a surprise. The manner in which they humbled the champs is. Of course, it's important to provide the context that the Pachuca attack was neutered before kickoff when reports surfaced of a deal between the two clubs (for a cool $11 million) that will send defending Liga MX top scorer Nicolas Ibañez to Tigres. So Ibañez did not play Sunday and will now be added to a talented squad already considered among the title favorites.

This is starting to look like a scary Tigres team with two prolific goalscorers in Ibañez and Gignac.

Goal of the week

Another Monday night stunner gets the goal of the week. This time it was Angel Mena who struck to give Leon the game-winner and its first three points of the season. The Ecuadorian celebrated by holding up a 10 jersey to pay homage to club legend Luis "Chapo" Montes.

Quote of the week

"I will always carry you all in my heart. Thank you very much fans, I love you. Being Fierce is a Pride."

Those were the words of Leon legend Luis "Chapito" Montes. After coming up through the youth system of sister club Pachuca, Montes made his professional debut with now-defunct Indios of his hometown Cuidad Juarez in 2006. Montes returned to the second tier in 2011 and helped lead the legendary club back to the top flight in 2012. 

Following promotion, Montes remained a focal piece of the team that would go on to conquer Liga MX twice. Leon returned to the pinnacle of Mexican football by collecting its sixth and seventh first-division titles during the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014 seasons. Montes was injured in a friendly in Texas later that summer in what has to be the most heartbreaking moment of his career, given he was expected to be a top contributor for the Mexico national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He helped Leon to its eighth Liga MX title in the Guardianes 2020 season and also formed part of the 2021 squad that won the inaugural Leagues Cup.

Fans filled the Nou Camp to bid farewell to its club legend on Monday night. Montes has been loaned out to Chilean side Everton de Viña del Mar.

Number of the Week: 9

This week's number comes from Opta. Monterrey striker Rogelio Funes Mori has scored at least one goal in each of the past nine years for Rayados while bringing his total to 113 league goals.

What we’re looking forward to this week

After postponements in the first two weekends, Week 3 brings the first feeling of a truly full weekend of Liga MX action. Mazatlan will have its home opener two weeks removed from violent scenes in the state of Sinaloa. Club America hosts Puebla as it searches for its first victory of the season. Chivas against Toluca and Necaxa-Cruz Azul headline Saturday night's action in what should be well-contested games.

The feline battle between Pumas and Leon kicks off Sunday's action. Pachuca will hope to regain its winning ways against Juarez.

Here are the matches and TV listing for Jornada 3:

Friday, January 20

• 9 p.m. CT - Mazatlan vs. Santos Laguna (TUDN)
• 9 p.m. CT - Tijuana vs. Tigres UANL (ESPN+, ESPN Deportes)

Saturday, January 21

• 5 p.m. CT - Monterrey vs. Atletico San Luis (ESPN+, ESPN Deportes)
• 7 p.m. CT - Club America vs. Puebla (Univision & TUDN)
• 9 p.m. CT - Chivas vs. Toluca (Telemundo)
• 9 p.m. CT - Necaxa vs. Cruz Azul (Univision & TUDN)

Sunday, January 22

• 12 p.m. CT - Pumas UNAM vs. Leon (ViX+)
• 5 p.m. CT - Queretaro vs. Atlas (TUDN)
• 7 p.m. CT - Pachuca vs. FC Juarez (TUDN)