2012–13 Liga Mx Season
The 2012–13 Liga MX season was the 66th professional top-flight football league season in Mexico, and the first under the league's current identity as Liga MX.
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (May 2013) |
The season was split into two competitions: the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura—each of identical format and contested by the same eighteen teams.
| Season | 2012–13 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Apertura: Tijuana (1st title) Clausura: América (11th title) |
| Relegated | Querétaro |
| Champions League | Tijuana Toluca Cruz Azul América |
| Copa Libertadores | Toluca Tijuana León |
| Matches played | 326 |
| Goals scored | 804 (2.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: Christian Benítez Esteban Paredes (11 goals) Clausura: Christian Benítez (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Apertura: UANL 5–0 UNAM (October 20, 2012) Clausura: Cruz Azul 5–0 Tijuana (April 13, 2013) |
| Biggest away win | Apertura: Chiapas 0–4 UANL (July 20, 2012) Querétaro 0–4 América (August 18, 2012) Clausura: Monterrey 1–5 Cruz Azul (May 4, 2013) |
| Highest scoring | Apertura: América 4–2 Chiapas (July 28, 2012) Morelia 3–3 San Luis (August 3, 2012) Clausura: Atlante 4–3 Chiapas (January 27, 2013) |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → | |
Clubs
Eighteen teams participated in the season. Estudiantes Tecos was relegated to the Liga de Ascenso after accumulating the lowest coefficient over the past three consecutive seasons, ending its 36-year stay in the league. León was promoted, and as the winner of the 2011–12 Liga de Ascenso season, León returned to the top flight after being relegated 10 years earlier.
| Club | Home City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| América | Mexico City | Azteca | 105,000 |
| Atlante | Cancún | Andrés Quintana Roo | 20,000 |
| Atlas | Guadalajara | Jalisco | 63,200 |
| Chiapas | Tuxtla Gutiérrez | Víctor Manuel Reyna | 31,500 |
| Cruz Azul | Mexico City | Estadio Azul | 35,000 |
| Guadalajara | Guadalajara | Omnilife | 49,850 |
| León | León, Guanajuato | León | 33,943 |
| Monterrey | Monterrey | Tecnológico | 38,000 |
| Morelia | Morelia | Morelos | 35,000 |
| Pachuca | Pachuca, Hidalgo | Hidalgo | 30,000 |
| Puebla | Puebla | Cuauhtémoc | 48,650 |
| Querétaro | Querétaro | La Corregidora | 36,500 |
| San Luis | San Luis Potosí | Alfonso Lastras Ramírez | 24,000 |
| Santos Laguna | Torreón | Corona | 30,000 |
| Tijuana | Tijuana | Caliente | 21,000 |
| Toluca | Toluca | Nemesio Díez | 27,000 |
| UANL | San Nicolás | Universitario | 42,000 |
| UNAM | Mexico City | Olímpico Universitario | 63,000 |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Apertura changes | ||||||
| Guadalajara |  Alberto Coyote | End of tenure as caretaker | April 23, 2012 |  John Van't Schip | April 23, 2012 | 15th |
| San Luis | Sergio Bueno | Resigned | April 29, 2012 | José Luis Trejo | May 23, 2012 | 16th |
| UNAM | Guillermo Vázquez | Mutual consent | May 9, 2012 | Joaquín del Olmo | May 25, 2012 | 13th |
| Pachuca | Efraín Flores | Mutual consent | May 9, 2012 | Hugo Sánchez | May 15, 2012 | 6th |
| Morelia | Tomás Boy | Mutual consent | May 15, 2012 |  Rubén Omar Romano | May 21, 2012 | 4th |
| Cruz Azul | Enrique Meza | Mutual consent | May 15, 2012 | Guillermo Vázquez | May 24, 2012 | 9th |
| Atlante | José Luis González China | End of tenure as caretaker | May 16, 2012 | Ricardo La Volpe | May 16, 2012 | 14th |
| Toluca |  Wilson Graniolatti | Sacked | May 17, 2012 | Enrique Meza | May 18, 2012 | 10th |
| Querétaro | Ángel Comizzo | Sacked | May 21, 2012 | Carlos de los Cobos | May 21, 2012 | 17th |
| Apertura changes | ||||||
| Puebla | Daniel Bartolotta | Sacked | August 17, 2012 |  Carlos Muñoz Cobo | August 17, 2012 | 17th |
| Puebla | Carlos Muñoz Cobo | End of tenure as caretaker | August 21, 2012 | Daniel Guzmán | August 22, 2012 | 17th |
| Atlas | Juan Carlos Chávez | Mutual consent | August 27, 2012 | Rubén Duarte | August 27, 2012 | 11th |
| San Luis | José Luis Trejo | Sacked | August 27, 2012 |  Alex Aguinaga | August 27, 2012 | 17th |
| UNAM | Joaquín del Olmo | Sacked | August 28, 2012 | Juan Antonio Torres | August 28, 2012 | 12th |
| Atlas | Rubén Duarte | End of tenure as caretaker | August 30, 2012 | Tomás Boy | August 30, 2012 | 11th |
| UNAM | Juan Antonio Torres | End of tenure as caretaker | August 31, 2012 | Mario Carrillo | September 1, 2012 | 9th |
| Querétaro | Carlos de los Cobos | Sacked | September 4, 2012 | Sergio Bueno | September 4, 2012 | 18th |
| UNAM | Mario Carrillo | Sacked | October 28, 2012 | Juan Antonio Torres | October 30, 2012 | 11th |
| Puebla | Daniel Guzmán | Resigned | October 30, 2012 |  Carlos Poblete | October 30, 2012 | 16th |
| Pre-Clausura changes | ||||||
| Pachuca | Hugo Sánchez | Sacked | November 15, 2012 | Gabriel Caballero | November 15, 2012 | 13th |
| Santos Laguna | Benjamín Galindo | Sacked | November 15, 2012 |  Pedro Caixinha | November 20, 2012 | 9th |
| San Luis | Alex Aguinaga | Sacked | November 15, 2012 | Eduardo Fentanes | November 20, 2012 | 15th |
| Puebla | Carlos Poblete | End of tenure as caretaker | December 7, 2012 | Manuel Lapuente | December 7, 2012 | 16th |
| Guadalajara | John Van't Schip | Sacked | January 2, 2013 | Benjamín Galindo | January 2, 2013 | 9th |
| Clausura changes | ||||||
| Atlante | Ricardo La Volpe | Left due to health issues | January 28, 2013 | Daniel Guzmán | January 29, 2013 | 15th |
| Querétaro | Sergio Bueno | Sacked | February 4, 2013 | Ignacio Ambriz | February 4, 2013 | 14th |
| Morelia | Rubén Omar Romano | Sacked | February 18, 2013 | Carlos Bustos | February 18, 2013 | 11th |
| San Luis | Eduardo Fentanes | Sacked | February 18, 2013 | Carlos María Morales | February 18, 2013 | 18th |
| San Luis | Carlos María Morales | Resigned | March 12, 2013 | Gerardo Silva | March 12, 2013 | 18th |
Torneo Apertura
The 2012 Apertura was the opening competition of the season. The regular season began on July 20, 2012 and ended on November 11, 2012. The Liguilla tournament began on November 14, 2012 and ended on December 2, 2012. Santos Laguna had been successful in defending their title since 2009.
Regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 34 | 2013 Copa Libertadores Second Stage |
| 2 | Tijuana | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 23 | 15 | +8 | 34 | |
| 3 | León | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 33 | 2013 Copa Libertadores First Stage |
| 4 | América | 17 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 31 | Advance to the Liguilla |
| 5 | Morelia | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 25 | 16 | +9 | 27 | |
| 6 | Cruz Azul | 17 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 22 | 15 | +7 | 26 | |
| 7 | Monterrey | 17 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 23 | Advance to the Liguilla and cannot qualify for South American competitions |
| 8 | Guadalajara | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 23 | |
| 9 | Santos Laguna | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 23 | Cannot qualify for South American competitions |
| 10 | UNAM | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 23 | |
| 11 | Chiapas | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 22 | |
| 12 | UANL | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 21 | Cannot qualify for South American competitions |
| 13 | Pachuca | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 20 | −7 | 21 | |
| 14 | Atlante | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 20 | |
| 15 | San Luis | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 15 | |
| 16 | Puebla | 17 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 26 | −10 | 13 | |
| 17 | Atlas | 17 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 27 | −11 | 12 | |
| 18 | Querétaro | 17 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 30 | −19 | 7 |
Updated to match(es) played on 7 November 2012. Source: MedioTiempo
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Results
Liguilla – Apertura
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Guadalajara | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | América | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | América | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Morelia | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Toluca | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tijuana | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tijuana | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Monterrey | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tijuana | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | León | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | León | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Cruz Azul | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
- If the two teams are tied after both legs, the higher seeded team advances.
- Both finalists qualify to the 2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League (champion in Pot A, runner-up in Pot B).
| Apertura 2012 winners: |
|---|
| Tijuana 1st title |
Top goalscorers
Players ranked by goals scored, then alphabetically by last name.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Benítez | América | 11 |
| Esteban Paredes | Atlante | 11 | |
| 3 | Nelson Sebastián Maz | León | 8 |
 Luis Gabriel Rey | Chiapas | 8 | |
| Duvier Riascos | Tijuana | 8 | |
| Miguel Sabah | Morelia | 8 | |
| 7 | Mariano Pavone | Cruz Azul | 7 |
| Carlos Quintero | Santos Laguna | 7 | |
| 9 | Matías Britos | León | 6 |
| Alfredo Moreno | Tijuana | 6 | |
| Héctor Mancilla | Atlas | 6 | |
| Rafael Marquez Lugo | Guadalajara | 6 | |
| Carlos Peña | León | 6 | |
| Humberto Suazo | Monterrey | 6 | |
 Luis Tejada | Toluca | 6 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberto Acosta | UANL | UNAM | 5–0 | October 20, 2012 |
| Christian Benítez | América | Pachuca | 4–0 | November 3, 2012 |
Torneo Clausura
The 2013 Clausura is the second and final competition of the season. The regular season began on January 4, 2013. Tijuana were defending their inaugural champion title.
Regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UANL | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 30 | 14 | +16 | 35 | Advance to the Liguilla |
| 2 | América | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 32 | |
| 3 | Atlas | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 32 | |
| 4 | Morelia | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 30 | |
| 5 | Cruz Azul | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 29 | |
| 6 | Santos Laguna | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 29 | |
| 7 | UNAM | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 29 | |
| 8 | Querétaro1 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 24 | Disqualified from postseason competition |
| 9 | Monterrey | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 23 | Advance to the Liguilla |
| 10 | Tijuana | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 21 | −2 | 21 | |
| 11 | Pachuca | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 20 | |
| 12 | Puebla | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 27 | −7 | 19 | |
| 13 | Toluca | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 18 | |
| 14 | Chiapas | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 17 | |
| 15 | León | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 16 | |
| 16 | San Luis | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 16 | |
| 17 | Guadalajara | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 16 | |
| 18 | Atlante | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 16 | 33 | −17 | 13 |
Updated to match(es) played on May 4, 2013. Source: www.ligamx.net
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes: