Liga MX: Tigres and Juarez Struggle as Atlas Rises

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From LatiNation Futbol Club

Juárez and Tigres Face Uncertainty While Atlas Builds New Momentum

Juárez has assembled a strong squad with talented players over the past several seasons, but the team no longer appears connected. Something needs to change among the players because they are not performing the way they should.

The club wants to be relevant in Liga MX, bringing in big names and investing significant money, but it has not found the right formula. Two tournaments ago, Juárez reached the Liguilla and made La Frontera a difficult place for visiting teams. Pedro Caixinha arrived at the beginning of the previous tournament with a championship résumé, but he never seemed able to get the players to buy into his approach.

Juárez can also be a challenging destination. Winters are cold, and the team has shared images of training in snowy conditions. Despite the men’s struggles, Las Bravas de Juárez are performing at the highest level and sit in first place, showing that there are no excuses for failing to work and compete.

Tigres is another team facing uncertainty. The club lost players and an iconic coach in a sudden manner, while failing to prepare for the post-Gignac era. Several important figures have departed without the recognition expected after their contributions, and that treatment now feels like karma for the club.

Brunetta continues to put everything into keeping Tigres relevant. Nahuel is aging and no longer appears to have the same spark, particularly since Guido left. New coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich, known as “El Rey Midas,” has won everything, and the team is beginning to look better under his leadership.

However, Tigres still needs to define Vucetich’s role beyond coaching. He needs the authority to bring in the players he wants and move on from those he does not need, similar to the control that helped Ricardo Ferretti succeed with the club.

Tigres often starts tournaments slowly before finishing strongly. In Liga MX, four or five good matches near the end of the season can be enough to reach the Liguilla and compete for the championship.

Atlas, meanwhile, has experienced a turnaround under Hernán Crespo. A former elite player and a legend in Italy and with Argentina’s national team during the 1990s and early 2000s, Crespo has introduced a new brand of football.

Atlas has long helped push Mexican football forward, producing notable players and goalkeepers, including several who later became important figures for Chivas. The club has also been inconsistent, following strong seasons with long stretches outside the spotlight.

This season’s improvement also comes amid a change in ownership. There is now discussion of building a new stadium specifically for Atlas in Jalisco, a development that could make the rivalry with Chivas even bigger.