Club America vs. Chivas, Monterrey Derby will decide finalists

Four clubs remain in the race to be crowned champion of the Clausura 2023 season in Liga MX. Monterrey, Club America and Tigres UANL were expected to be among the top four in preseason predictions with Guadalajara the pleasant surprise in Velko Paunovich's first season in charge.

Despite finishing third in the standings, Pauno's Chivas still looks far from a finished product as they advanced past crosstown rival Atlas on a tiebreaker. In Mexico, a playoff series that ends even on aggregate is decided in favor of the team that is higher in the table, thus rewarding the results in the regular season. The only exception to the rule is the final.

Atlas' sister club Santos Laguna also went crashing out after falling to top seed Monterrey. Fourth-placed Toluca, the Apertura 2022 runners-up, was eliminated by Tigres who have regained their strength under manager Robert Siboldi.

Club America was nearly upset by Atletico San Luis in what was almost the upset of the postseason. All in all, it appears the four best teams with the best bodies of work are left to decide this semester's champion.

Here's a deeper look at what went down in the quarterfinals:

Quarterfinals results

Monterrey vs. Santos Laguna (2-0 agg.)

Santos Laguna did not make much of hosting the first leg on Wednesday night. The match ended in a scoreless draw but Rayados would be favored at home. Three minutes into the second leg, Rogelio Funes Mori scored the opening goal of the series. Minutes later, however, the visitors looked to have evened the scoreline only to have the goal called off by video review. Maxi Meza put an end to worries by extending the lead for Monterrey in the 68th minute.

Club America vs. Atletico San Luis (4-3 agg.)

Club America and San Luis played an intense first leg on Wednesday but it was the Mexico City side that left with a 3-1 victory. Jonathan Rodriguez scored the opening goal in the 10th minute and, following a Jhon Murillo miss on the other end, doubled the lead in the 20th thanks to Diego Valdés. Leo Bonatini took one back for the visitors four minutes later but Leo Suarez would extend the lead in the 35th minute. Liga MX Golden Boot winner Henry Martin was taken off in the 73rd minute and later taken to a local hospital to be examined for a head injury.

With Martin on the bench in the second leg, it was San Luis who looked the more motivated side to advance. Unai Bilbao scored from a corner kick in the 18th minute at the Azteca and Bonatini leveled the series in the 31st with an uncontested header inside the box. At that point, America was still advancing because of its place in the standings but San Luis was playing the better soccer and threatened to provide an upset. In the end, it was the talented roster that prevailed over tired legs as Brian Rodriguez provided the goal of relief in the 88th minute, in part thanks to Martin's presence on the field late in the second half.

Toluca vs. Tigres UANL (4-5 agg.)

Tigres UANL was due for a breakout game and provided just that with a 4-1 victory in the first leg. Despite Toluca taking the lead in the 8th minute from Leo Fernandez, goals from Sebastián Córdova, André-Pierre Gignac (pen.), Juan Pablo Vigón and Nicolas Lopez provided a convincing win in El Volcan. Diego Lainez had the assist on the first goal as Siboldi's squad looks to be clicking at the right time.

Toluca would respond with three unanswered goals in the second leg and tie on aggregate. Ivan Lopez provided a double with Marcel Ruiz scoring in between to put the pressure back on the lower-seeded Tigres, who faced elimination with the tiebreaker. Cordova scored again in the series, with an assist from Gignac, to give Tigres the goal that sealed its ticket to the semifinals.

Nahuel Guzmán also stood out in the return leg after taking a hit from teammate Diego Reyes during a Toluca attack. The goalkeeper was busted open but treated on the ground and continued the match with a bandage on around his head.

Chivas vs. Atlas (1-1 agg.)

The two Guadalajara clubs each got a 1-0 home win in their respective home games. Julián Quiñones scored 42 minutes into the first leg but that's as much damage as Atlas did at the Jalisco. Over at Akron Stadium, a 60th minute goal from Gilberto Sepúlveda was good enough to even the aggregate and give Chivas the ticket to the semifinals on the tiebreaker.

Goal of the Week

Sebastián Córdova finished off an effective combination that led to Tigres' series winning goal.

Number of the Week: 1

This is the first time that the Monterrey Derby and the National Clasico will be disputed in the semifinals of short tournaments. Tigres UANL and Rayados last faced off in the semis during the Clausura 2019 playoffs. That semifinal series ended 1-1 and was decided on the tiebreaker of the higher seed moving on. Tigres won the final to collect their seventh league title.

The last time that America-Chivas faced off in the playoffs was during the quarterfinals of the Guardianes 2020 season – won by Chivas. The previous semifinal bout was back in the Clausura 2007 when America advanced to the final.

What we’re looking forward to this week

Two rivalries. Two spots available for the final. This week will be epic with high drama and two sets of teams that need to advance for the sake of pride, on top of challenging for a title. On one side there is a city that will be engulfed in a rivalry for the entire week. On the other side will be the attention of the entire nation as the two most historic clubs in Mexico play one of the most important versions of the National Clásico.

Every game this week is must watch.

Wednesday, May 17

• 10 p.m. CT - Tigres UANL vs. Monterrey (TUDN)

Thursday, May 18

• 9 p.m. CT - Guadalajara vs. Club America (Telemundo)

Saturday, May 20

• 8 p.m. CT - Monterrey vs. Tigres UANL (FS1, FOX Deportes)

Sunday, May 21

• 9 p.m. CT - Club America vs. Chivas (Univision, TUDN)