Liga MX Femenil viewing guide: 2023 Apertura Quarterfinals

We’ve got four very exciting series up on tap for the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Apertura. While you’ll be able to (legally!) watch most of the games in both México and the United States, as of publishing this it’s still unclear whether some of the matches are going to be broadcast at all. That said, the matches themselves should be entertaining and we should be in for a treat.

Tigres vs. Pumas: Tigres come in as superlíder and always have expectations of winning the title. With Golden Boot co-winner Maricarmen Reyes and a squad chock full of national team players, Tigres really should be winning this series easily.

Pumas meanwhile have never won a game in the Liguilla, and had to squeak in on the final day with a win against Juárez. While they have several good players including Liga MX Femenil all-time leading scorer Desirée Monsiváis and goalkeeper Melany Villeda, they are up against a juggernaut.

América vs. Pachuca: This should be a very intriguing matchup. América have been very business-like this season, coming within a Week 17 dud against Rayadas of being superlíder. It’ll be interesting to see how they bounce back from that and if their star players can hit that next level required for playoff success.

Pachuca meanwhile is one of the best teams in the league when they’re on. The problem is that they have only been on in fits and starts this season, with key players like Marta Cox and Jenni Hermoso missing time for the World Cup. Even with Cox and Hermoso back in the lineup they’ve been wildly inconsistent, and that sort of inconsistency can prove fatal in a playoff series.

Guadalajara vs. Toluca: Chivas have been very good this season, kind of flying under the radar a bit while always being a threat to take the superlíder position. Licha Cervantes tied Maricarmen Reyes for the Golden Boot and is always dangerous, but for me their true strength is the supporting cast of Caro Jaramillo, Rubí Soto, and Dr. Adriana “Boyi” Iturbide, whose partnership with Cervantes means that Licha no longer has to carry the full load of goal scoring.

Toluca meanwhile comes in having put together a really competent squad. They picked up Cinthya Peraza and Natalia Gómez Junco during the offseason to give their midfield dynamism on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Brenda Woch has also been a menace in the midfield, and getting goalkeeper Kayla Thompson back down the stretch has been massive. They’ve come together at the right time and should not be overlooked by Chivas.

Rayadas vs. Tijuana: Rayadas come in having been much less dominant than they have been in seasons past. While the squad is solid, they’ve been shaky at times and just haven’t seem to be able to put it all together consistently. They did however put up a masterful performance to beat América in the final week of the season, and if they can maintain that form and rally around long time manager Eva Espejo’s impending departure, there’s no telling how far they can go.

Tijuana meanwhile comes in with something to prove. Largely overlooked by a lot of us in the media (or maybe just me), they’ve put together a solid squad that has mostly gone about their business and finished just four points behind Rayadas. They may also have a bit of revenge on their mind, remembering the feeling of being hard done during last season’s quarterfinal round.

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Liga MX Femenil Quarterfinal Round (all times as listed):

Thursday, November 9:

#6 Toluca vs. #3 Guadalajara - 5:00 PM - ViX+ (Mexico), ViX (United States)

#7 Pachuca vs. #2 América - 9:06 PM

Friday, November 10:

#5 Tijuana vs. #4 Rayadas - 6:06 PM

#8 Pumas vs. #1 Tigres - 8:00 PM - ViX+ (Mexico), ViX (United States)

Sunday, November 12:

#2 América vs. #7 Pachuca - 12:00 PM - ViX+ (Mexico), ViX (United States), América Femenil’s YouTube

#3 Guadalajara vs. #6 Toluca - 9:06 PM

Monday, November 13:

#1 Tigres vs. #8 Pumas - 7:00 PM - ViX+ (Mexico), ViX (United States), Tigres Femenil Facebook

#4 Rayadas vs. #5 Tijuana - 9:05 PM - ViX+ (Mexico), ViX (United States)