Football
Nayib Moran 6y

Liga MX Power Rankings: Leon surges to No. 1, America slips to No. 2

Pumas and Leon's great starts to the Clausura are great for the spectacle in Liga MX, but there's more than one team still searching for its best form. Many clubs are still integrating new faces to their rosters, which means that the best part of the league won't start until somewhere around Week 7. Among the new faces, of course, is Landon Donovan.

Here are Week 2's Power Rankings:

1. LEON (+5)
Leon has started the season on a positive note, beating Toluca 3-1 this weekend. Manager Gustavo Diaz has kept a consistent XI, in which the stars like Elias Hernandez and Mauro Boselli can thrive but players like Luis "Chapito" Montes, Andres Andrade and Alexander Mejia also are able to show their worth.

2. CLUB AMERICA (-1)
When America agreed to send Pablo Aguilar to Xolos for Joe Corona, Emanuel Aguilera and Henry Martin, there was reason to believe that America's defense would go through a reboot and that it would take time to build a strong, consistent defensive line. Against Pachuca, America's defensive line looked unstable in a 2-2 draw.

3. TIGRES UANL  (-1)
Santos came to El Volcan with a different attitude. It turned out to be a difficult match for Tigres, but they got an important 2-1 win thanks to Ismael Sosa, who scored a goal and got an assist. The game served as confirmation of how deep Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's squad is.

4. CRUZ AZUL (no change)
Pedro Caixinha extended his impeccable record against Chivas. It already has been nine matches in which Caixinha's team has played against Chivas and Caixinha hasn't suffered a loss. Rafael Baca scored a golazo, while Felipe Mora got a brace in the 3-1 victory.

5. MONTERREY (-2)
Alfonso "Poncho" Gonzalez scored his first goal with Rayados. His goal for Monterrey became the first goal scored by a Mexican footballer since April 22, 2017, when Cesar Montes scored in a Clasico Regio.

6. MORELIA (-1)
Raul Ruidiaz scored his first goal of the Clausura to lead Morelia to a 1-0 win over Puebla, but right back Carlos Guzman had a top performance. According to SofaScore, he had five interceptions, four tackles and won eight of 11 attempted duels. Guzman is one of several Mexican right backs to have raised their level in recent months.

7. PUMAS UNAM (+6)
Pumas hadn't started a season with back-to-back wins since the 2011 Apertura. Next weekend, Pumas hosts America in another edition of the Clasico Capitalino, and this match couldn't have come at a better time. Nicolas Castillo has already scored four goals this season, and Mexican winger Jesus Gallardo looks determined to win a place in next summer's World Cup.

8. CLUB TIJUANA (-1)
It's commendable that Xolos have started the season with two clean sheets, but it remains to be seen if it will be a common theme. After the 1-0 win against a poor Necaxa side, striker Gustavo Bou has to start scoring in order to make them a more dangerous team.

9. SANTOS LAGUNA (-1)
Djaniny Tavares scored in Santos' 2-1 loss to Tigres, taking the Cape Verde forward's tally to four goals already in the Clausura. Just to put numbers into perspective, last season he scored six goals. It looks like he's en route to posting his best scoring numbers since landing in Liga MX in 2014.

10. PACHUCA (no change)
Getting a point from Estadio Azteca was crucial for Pachuca, because it is still struggling to find consistency. What is positive, though, is Keisuke Honda's current form. On Saturday, he completed six key passes and got an assist. The job moving forward is to get forwards such as Franco Jara and Angelo Sagal firing too.

 11. CHIVAS (-2)
Chivas has only won once in their its 10 home games, which shows its continued instability. In the 3-1 loss to Cruz Azul, there were periods where Chivas created interesting offensive plays, mainly set forth by Eduardo "Lalo" Lopez, Rodolfo Pizarro and Carlos Cisneros; but overall, the team doesn't look like a coherent unit.

12. TOLUCA (-1)
After falling 3-1 to Leon, Toluca visits Puebla on Friday in a game that will put Hernan Cristante's influence on the squad to the test. If Los Diablos Rojos lose to Puebla on Friday, his tenure at the club will be hanging by a thread.

13. PUEBLA  (-1)
Defeating Tigres in Week 1 was huge for Los Camoteros, but in Week 2, the happiness ended after a 1-0 loss to Morelia.

14. QUERETARO  (+3)
On Saturday, Queretaro celebrated its 2-0 win over Lobos with a lot of enthusiasm. The players see it as an opportunity to start over again with a positive streak.

15. LOBOS BUAP (-1)
Lobos are still seeking to build their attack by integrating new signings into the fold; it usually takes time to achieve it. So although they've lost two games to start off the Clausura, manager Rafael Puente Jr. still hopes to turn things around once their new signings adapt to the team's style.

16. ATLAS (-1)
Jose Guadalupe Cruz's side doesn't look like the club that reached the last two Liguillas. It's a team that is struggling at the moment, but Cruz feels strongly that he can get the team going again, just like he did last season.

17. NECAXA (-1)
Will Necaxa keep Ignacio Ambriz as coach if the team continues to display uninspiring football? It wouldn't be surprising to see Ambriz as the first manager sacked in this Clausura.

18. VERACRUZ (no change)
The last time Veracruz got a league win was on Sept. 26, 2017 against Morelia. Since then, Veracruz hasn't achieved a single win. Over that time, Los Tiburones Rojos have conceded 16 goals and only scored four.

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