MEXICO CITY – Five weeks are already in the books in the Mexican football season and a particular trend has emerged prominent.
In the 2013 Apertura, 42 matches have been contested thus far and 18 have ended in a stalemate. Of note was the third weekend of play, when six of the nine matches ended without a victor. In total, a third of the teams in Liga MX have at least three draws.
Two sides in particular have demonstrated a tendency to accrue ties -- Chiapas and Puebla.
Seventh-place Chiapas is undefeated in league play, but has only one win in five outings. In three of their four draws, the Jaguares took a lead before the game ultimately ended on level terms.
Midfielder David Toledo has emphasized that there is a need to achieve victory, especially at home, a feat it hopes to achieve this Saturday against Toluca.
“The team has done good things as the season has gone along, we deserved more points but that’s football,” the former Tigres player, 31, told the club’s website. “We’ve worked hard to continue improving step by step and match by match and against Toluca it’s a good opportunity to grab all three points at home.”
Unlike Chiapas, Puebla is winless after five encounters. Similar to the Jaguares, though, it also has four draws. The Camoteros, who are sitting in 14th place, rallied from behind twice to secure a point. All of that has produced a change at the club, as Rubén Omar Romano replaced Manuel Lapuente as head coach two days ago. Romano stated that his first objective is to install a new way of playing that will result in more victories.
“The team is definitely going to be playing a different way, we are looking to have the team possess the ball more, and be in search of scoring,’ said Romano on the club’s website. “To get away from problems in the relegation table, you have to go for all three points and in each match we will be looking to come away with all the points.”
Puebla looks to pick up its first win of the Apertura on Sunday, when it visits Guadalajara.
NOTES: Chiapas defeated Puebla 4-2 in their Liga MX meeting on August 3. Carlos Ochoa scored two goals in a winning effort.
