Mexican League

[StPaulSpur]

Hey @Javi and anyone else who might watch Mexican League soccer: So I work at a middle school that has a ton of Mexican kids and they're constantly playing footy during recess. Eventually I decided I had to start watching the Mexican League so I'd have something to talk with them about and, possibly, a better way to understand their background as footballers (I'm hoping to eventually start working as a soccer coach part time at the middle school and maybe at the high school that we feed into). Well, I've watched a couple games: I saw America/Monterrey a few weeks ago and part of the Tigres game last week. From that experience, a few questions:

a) Where the hell does a player like Hernandez come from in that league? The games I've seen have had minimal pressing, players with tons of time on the ball, and, as a result, lots of fancy dribbling, lovely goals, and high degrees of creativity. I don't enjoy it as much as the Prem b/c I think it's a lot easier to do those things when you have all the time that they seem to have, but it's still fun. But it doesn't seem like the kind of league that would produce a player like Hernandez. Did he come out of nowhere or do they occasionally produce players like him and I just haven't seen it yet? (That said, a player like GDS makes a TON of sense to me after watching the Mexican League a few times. He'd tear that league apart.)

b) What are your favorite clubs to watch? Of America, Monterrey, and Tigres I've most enjoyed America, but I still haven't watched Cruz, Pumas, or Chivas.

c) Who are the top players in the league currently?

d) Anything else I should know? I'm an American fan whose mostly watched MLS, internationals, the Prem, and the Champions League in the three years I've been following the game. So from that background, what things will be most surprising to me with the Mexican League?

[Javi]

1. The Mexican league is highly underestimated I know it may seem boring at times but other teams from other countries sometimes get frustrated because they can't get through. It's a slower paced football with lots of touches sometimes I like to think of it as a more"patient" type. Players like Chicharito are occasionally produced its not a rare thing lots of great players come out constantly like Jorge Campos and Luis Hernandez . I can tell you right now GDS WOULD NOT tear that league apart mainly because he never played as a starter in Monterrey Rayados"the team that originally was bringing him up",so he knows very little of the league football outside of the national team. You could actually put an EPL team against an equivalent in the Mexican league and it would not be an easy match for either.

2.Tigres "my team" is like Spurs at times alot of their games they have everything to win and they just piss it away. But I like watching Pumas, Cruz Azul, Santos, Queretaro, and Puebla. Used to like watching Pachuca but they have really dropped in the last 2 years.

3. Here is just a short list on my opinion. Lucas Lobos, Darwin Quintero, Neri Cardozo, Suazo "El Chupete" altho he has been off lately, Walter Ayovi, Zhina "he is a veteran player but still quality",Christian Benitez, Oribe Peralta, Angel Reyna,Héctor Reynoso, Enrique Palos, Jorge Torres Nilo, Jesus Corona"despite the recent bullshit", Jeronimo Amione"watch him I think he will be going places if he keeps his form" just to name a few.

4.What will probably surprise you the most is how sometimes the teams at the bottom just slaughter and I do mean slaughter the very top teams, beauty to watch when it happens.

@StPaulSpur

[BlueCrew LA]

Well Playa Del Carmen is my favorite Mexican city, been there a bunch of times. It's within driving distance of Belize where my dads side of the family is from. I'm saving to buy a house in the area. They don't have top flight football, a little second division side Inter Playa del Carmen. The closest FMF side is in Cancun which is Atlante those are the fans you see most besides the obligatory Club America, Chivas and Cruz Azul fans you see everywhere in Mexico. I have seen some people with Jaguares gear on, but not many. Atlante aren't from Cancun, they moved there a few years back from Mexico City and Jaguares are relatively new, neither have a huge fan base.

I watch FMF all the time, the haphazard defending and/or goalkeeping always makes it entertaining. The quality is actually higher then you would think though. It's reminiscent to me at least of Holland or Spain, even what you would consider "lower" quality players have skill and flair which makes it very entertaining.

One of my good friends I've known for years which now lives out here is a massive Santos Laguna fan, so when he's over we watch those matches. So I guess if I had to choose I would pick Santos Laguna, but Torreon is a good distance from where I plan to retire so, hopefully Inter can get up to the top division.

[Irish Yid Pavlyuchenko]

Santos Laguna are the team I like, players like big Chema are so good to watch

[StPaulSpur]

@Javi - I should clarify what I meant by the Chicharito comment: I can see how a player like GDS comes from Mexico - high skill level, struggles with the physicality of European football, etc. But Chicharito's strengths aren't in his skill - it's his incredible positional sense, top class movement, excellent heading and quality finishing. Those aren't the skill sets you expect a slower, less physical league to produce. You expect players like GDS from a league like that.

Thanks for replying, that was really helpful. Blue Crew's comment about a second division team also made me wonder about the promotion/relegation system. I know they do apertura and clausura as in Argentina, so does their promotion/relegation system work the same way as Argentina's?

[Javi]

@Javi - I should clarify what I meant by the Chicharito comment: I can see how a player like GDS comes from Mexico - high skill level, struggles with the physicality of European football, etc. But Chicharito's strengths aren't in his skill - it's his incredible positional sense, top class movement, excellent heading and quality finishing. Those aren't the skill sets you expect a slower, less physical league to produce. You expect players like GDS from a league like that.

Thanks for replying, that was really helpful. Blue Crew's comment about a second division team also made me wonder about the promotion/relegation system. I know they do apertura and clausura as in Argentina, so does their promotion/relegation system work the same way as Argentina's?

Yeah pretty much it's almost like a replica of Argentina's system.

Well Chicharito wouldn't be the first of his kind coming from Mexico, Hugo Sanchez was also the poaching type for most of the time and Jared Borgetti had poaching skills but was stronger with his headers. What I have noticed over the years of watching the league, is that alot of teams like to have their wing-men center the ball most of the time and thus possibly creating such type of player.

[Javi]

LOL I AM LAUGHING some of the top clubs including Chivas have been eliminated.

[BlueCrew LA]

That first goal from Morelia was ridiculous....

[Javi]

That first goal from Morelia was ridiculous....

I had to work today what happened with that first goal?

[BlueCrew LA]

I had to work today what happened with that first goal?

Nothing weird, it was just ridiculously far out. The keeper even got a hand to it and it still went in.

[Javi]

Nothing weird, it was just ridiculously far out. The keeper even got a hand to it and it still went in.

Too bad I missed such a wonderful goal, far out question Blue man but tell me is there a team you like or even sort of support in the FMF?

Just saw the goal it was sick! Hope Chepo is watching!

[BlueCrew LA]

Too bad I missed such a wonderful goal, far out question Blue man but tell me is there a team you like or even sort of support in the FMF?

Just saw the goal it was sick! Hope Chepo is watching!

One of my good friends I've known for years which now lives out here is a massive Santos Laguna fan, so when he's over we watch those matches. So I guess if I had to choose I would pick Santos Laguna, but Torreon is a good distance from where I plan to retire so, hopefully Inter can get up to the top division.

Don't really have a "team", but I do watch them a lot. I don't call them my team because I don't put the same effort into supporting them as other teams.

[Javi]

Don't really have a "team", but I do watch them a lot. I don't call them my team because I don't put the same effort into supporting them as other teams.

Oh yeah forgot you mentioned that:P, I wish I would put more effort into watching Serie A.

[Javi]

Long shot but is anyone watching the final?:P

[BlueCrew LA]

Long shot but is anyone watching the final?:P

I was back in fourth with the Broncos game now I'm fully switched over.

I thought about going to the bar where the guys were watching the game but I have a ton of work to do.

Edit: As I type this Santos score, woot.