Liga MX: What is going on in Mexican pro soccer?

The flurry of negative off-the-pitch stories in Liga MX are concerning to say the least.

The last two weeks have been tumultuous for Liga MX clubs. Santos, Veracruz have had very public manager resignations. While the Santos situation was due to a player-coach dispute, the Guillermo Vazquez versus Veracruz tilt highlights the uglier side of Liga MX.
ESPN’s Tom Marshall highlights the Veracruz issues well in one of his recent ESPNFC articles.

"“This is the essence of what has become known in Mexico as a “double contract” — an official contract registered (often for a much lower amount) with the federation and then the non-official one with a private entity. In Vazquez’s case, that second contract didn’t arrive, and with allegations of unpaid wages within the squad running rife and Kuri not answering the manager’s calls or messages, as Vazquez claims, he handed in his resignation.”"

In addition to the whole double contract issue, Veracruz owner Fidel Kuri highlights a club that is fraught with problems, anyway. Herculez Gomez, also with ESPN, broke a story identifying a lack of wage payments to some of the players and Kuri has used the club as a means of political success in the past as well. This all places a spotlight on Liga MX’s insistence that clubs obtain a certificate stating their ownership and infrastructure is solid enough to join Mexico’s first division and remain a positive contributor.

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We also have former Tijuana coach Eduardo Coudet suing the league for lack of dismissal payments and Toluca full-back Rodrigo Salinas accusing his former club Atlas of lowering his salary for no reason and forcing him to play under that lowered amount. This is all along with the myriad of issues surrounding Chivas, one of the biggest clubs in Mexico.
While the strength of some of the clubs seems high, Liga MX is still dealing with a lower half in the table that is only at risk for relegation if one of the nine certified teams (Mineros, Dorados, Leones Negros, Zacatepec, Alebrijes, Tampico Madero, Atletico San Luis, FC Juarez and Cimarrones) in the second-division earns promotion. Lobos BUAP paid just north of $6 million to remain in the first-division since Cafetaleros de Tapachula didn’t meet Liga MX requirements.
The league is juggling all of this while trying to promote more young exciting prospect for playing time, instituting the minor rule that requires a certain amount of minutes for young players. We also can’t forget the seemingly weekly lamenting of the state of pitches for matches, marking another non-play issue the league faces.
There are so many distractions going on around the league now that it is difficult to see Liga MX maintaining its place as the top league in North America much longer, on the current trajectory. MLS is slowly gaining ground as a well-attended and broadly viewed league. With 26 teams scheduled to be in play by 2020, MLS has as many clubs in the US-first-division as Liga MX has eligible for first-division play.

As an establish promotion-relegation league in an establish soccer culture, Liga MX has a major advantage in terms of attendance numbers, but for how long? Consider the fact that Univision Deportes broke into the Club America-Monterrey match in week 4 to show a goal from the San Jose Earthquakes versus Colorado Rapids match in MLS. These are two of the worst teams in MLS, getting “breaking news status” on the broadcast of the biggest Liga MX match of the week. Something doesn’t seem right.
I can broadcast my conspiracy theories about all of this MLS – Liga MX stuff, but perhaps that is best left for another post. More to the point, Liga MX is being battered left and right by distraction after distraction that threaten to reduce the standing of the league in the eyes of many observers. Can it withstand the rising popularity of MLS, the shaky ethics of club owners like Veracruz’ Kuri, and struggling club finances? After the past couple weeks, it’s worth asking the question and being a bit concerned as a fan.

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