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Jornada 17? Absolute chaos in the best way. América put on a light-show at the Azteca, thumping Mazatlán 5-zip thanks to twin braces from Víctor Dávila and Álvaro Fidalgo, while Toluca—already comfy in first—played out a wild 2-2 with Cruz Azul. Tigres slipped past Pumas 2-1, Necaxa swiped three points in Puebla, and Atlas-Chivas gave us a sleepy 1-1 clásico that officially booted the Goats from the party. Toss in Xolos’ 4-0 ambush of Santos plus statement wins by Monterrey, San Luis and Juárez, and the regular season signed off with fireworks.
Here’s how the board shook out: Toluca (37 pts) grabs the No. 1 seed, América (34) settles for second, Cruz Azul and Tigres finish neck-and-neck at 33, and Necaxa (31) plus León (30) complete the six fast-track tickets to the quarters. Rayados and Pachuca are your 7-8 duo on 28 points, Juárez lands ninth (24) and Pumas cling to tenth (21). Everyone below that? Break out the remote and snacks—your season’s done.
Play-in crash course: The new mini-gauntlet is a straight shoot-out. Monterrey hosts Pachuca; winner stamps the 7-seed, loser gets a second life versus the Juárez-Pumas victor for the last golden ticket. After that, it’s the usual two-leg, seeded-advances-if-tied rules until the final, where extra time and pens can break hearts. América chasing a four-peat, Toluca trying to cash regular-season swag, dark-horse Cruz Azul lurking—grab your late-night tacos, this postseason’s gonna be insane.
As always, the CABRA boys have your best bets lined up for the weekend below!
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LOCK OF THE WEEK
Monterrey vs Pachuca
Why Rayados should get it done:
Home fortress: Monterrey are averaging a tidy 2.0 points per game in Guadalupe, while the Tuzos stumble on the road at just 0.88 PPG.
Head-to-head edge: In 36 previous clashes Monterrey own a 17-11-8 record, and they’ve taken three of the last four at the BBVA.
Balanced attack: Sergio Canales pulls strings between the lines, Germán Berterame and Brandon Vázquez finish the chances, and the league’s second-best xG at home suggests the goals will come.
Game script: Pachuca’s young press can be fun, but it leaves gaps; with these sides averaging 2.81 goals per meeting and BTTS hitting half the time, expect opportunities both ways—just more for the hosts.
Prediction: Monterrey 3-1 Pachuca. Rayados punch their quarter-final ticket without needing the second-chance game.
Juárez vs Pumas
Why Pumas hold the edge:
Road goals guaranteed: Pumas have scored in eight straight away matches and bagged seven goals in their last five outings overall.
Front-line form: Eduardo Salvio is heating up, and Guillermo Martínez’s hold-up play should torment a Bravos back line that’s kept just one clean sheet in five.
Juárez wobble: The hosts have only one win in that span, blanked twice, and rely heavily on Avilés Hurtado magic. With BTTS landing in just two of their last five, if they concede first they rarely claw back.
Big-game DNA: Pumas have playoff experience and a knack for turning chaos into results, even if their defense is leaky (BTTS in 50 % of their matches). Juárez simply doesn’t create enough high-quality looks to exploit that weakness for 90 minutes.
Prediction: Juárez 1-2 Pumas!
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