Apertura 2018 Copa MX

Apertura 2018 Copa MX
Tournament details
CountryMexico
Teams27
Final positions
ChampionsCruz Azul (4th title)
Runner-upMonterrey
Tournament statistics
Matches played69
Goals scored190 (2.75 per match)
Attendance902,828 (13,084 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Martín Cauteruccio
(6 goals)

The Apertura 2018 Copa MX was the 80th staging of the Copa MX, the 52nd staging in the professional era and is the thirteenth tournament played since the 1996–97 edition.

The tournament started on 24 July 2018 and ended on 31 October 2018.

The final was held at Estadio BBVA Bancomer in the Monterrey suburb of Guadalupe with the visiting team Cruz Azul defeating Monterrey 2–0 to win their fourth title.

As winners, Cruz Azul earned a spot to face the winners of the Clausura 2019 edition, in the 2019 Supercopa MX.

Participants

The tournament will feature all Liga MX clubs (excluding Lobos BUAP) as well as the first ten Ascenso MX clubs of the 2017–18 Ascenso MX aggregate table.

Due to the new format of the CONCACAF Champions League, Mexican clubs do not begin their participation until February, thus the teams qualified to 2018–19 CONCACAF Champions League (Monterrey, Santos Laguna, Toluca, UANL) will participate in this season's Copa MX.

Location of the participating teams.
Red: Liga MX clubs; Blue: Ascenso MX clubs

Teams

The following 27 teams qualified for the tournament.

In the following table, the number of appearances, last appearance, and previous best result count only those in the Copa MX era starting from Apertura 2012 (not counting those in the eras from 1907 to 1996).

Team Aggregate table ranking Appearance Last appearance Previous best Ref.
Liga MX (17 teams)
Monterrey 1st 10th Clausura 2018 Champions
(Ap. 2017)
[1]
Necaxa 9th 12th Champions
(Cl. 2018)
[2]
Toluca 2nd 9th Runners-up
(Cl. 2018)
[3]
UANL 3rd 5th Apertura 2017 Champions
(Cl. 2014)
[4]
América 4th 6th Clausura 2018 Semifinals
(3 times)
[5]
Morelia 5th 11th Champions
(Ap. 2013)
[6]
Cruz Azul 6th 9th Champions
(Cl. 2013)
[7]
León 7th 9th Runners-up
(Ap. 2015)
[8]
Santos Laguna 8th 8th Champions
(Ap. 2014)
[9]
Tijuana 10th 9th Apertura 2017 Quarterfinals
(6 times)
[10]
Atlas 11th 11th Clausura 2018 Runners-up
(Ap. 2013)
[11]
Pachuca 12th 9th Runners-up
(Ap. 2017)
[12]
Puebla 13th 13th Champions
(Cl. 2015)
UNAM 14th 10th Quarterfinals
(2 times)
[13]
Querétaro 15th 11th Champions
(Ap. 2015)
[14]
Guadalajara 16th 10th Apertura 2017 Champions
(2 times)
[15]
Veracruz 18th 13th Clausura 2018 Champions
(Cl. 2016)
[16]
Ascenso MX (10 teams)
Zacatecas 1st 10th Clausura 2018 Round of 16
(2 times)
[17]
Celaya 2nd 12th Round of 16
(Cl. 2018)
[18]
Zacatepec 3rd 8th Semifinals
(Cl. 2018)
[19]
Oaxaca 4th 11th Runners-up
(Cl. 2014)
[20]
Tampico Madero 5th 2nd Round of 16
(Cl. 2018)
[21]
Sinaloa 6th 13th Champions
(Ap. 2012)
[22]
Tapachula 7th 5th Quarterfinals
(Cl. 2018)
Venados 8th 6th Group stage
(8 times)
[23][24]
Juárez 9th 6th Quarterfinals
(2 times)
[25]
Atlético San Luis 10th 8th Semifinals
(Cl. 2016)
[26][27]

Draw

The draw for the tournament took place on 5 June 2018 at the Iberostar Hotel in Cancún, Mexico.[28] 27 teams were drawn into nine groups of three with each group, except group 9, containing two teams from Liga MX and one team from Ascenso MX.[29]

Clubs in Pot 1 were drawn to be the seed of each group according to the order of their drawing. That is, the first club that was drawn is seed of Group 1, the second drawn is seed of Group 2 and so on and so on.[29] The Liga MX teams in Pot 1 are teams who ended 1–4 in the 2017–18 Liga MX Aggregate table.[28] The champions of the last two editions, Monterrey (who is also first in Aggregate table) and Necaxa are also in Pot 1.[28] The Ascenso MX teams in Pot 1 are teams who ended 1–4 in the 2017–18 Ascenso MX Aggregate table.[28]

Pot 2 contained Liga MX clubs who ended 5–8 in the Aggregate table and Ascenso MX clubs who ended 5–9 in the Aggregate table.[28]

Pot 3 contained Liga MX clubs who ended 10–18 (excluding Lobos BUAP) in the Aggregate table.[28] Atlético San Luis, who ended tenth in the Ascenso MX Aggregate table, is the lone Ascenso MX club in Pot 3.[28]

Pot 1
Monterrey (LMX) Necaxa (LMX) Oaxaca (AMX)
Toluca (LMX) Zacatecas (AMX) Zacatepec (AMX)
UANL (LMX) Celaya (AMX) América (LMX)
Pot 2
Morelia (LMX) Sinaloa (AMX) Santos Laguna (LMX)
Cruz Azul (LMX) Tapachula (AMX) Juárez (AMX)
Tampico Madero (AMX) León (LMX) Venados (AMX)
Pot 3
Tijuana (LMX) Guadalajara (LMX) Puebla (LMX)
Veracruz (LMX) Pachuca (LMX) Atlas (LMX)
Querétaro (LMX) UNAM (LMX) Atlético San Luis (AMX)

Tiebreakers

If two or more clubs are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:

  1. scores of the group matches played among the clubs in question;
  2. superior goal difference;
  3. higher number of goals scored;
  4. higher number of goals scored away in the group matches played among the clubs in question;
  5. fair play ranking;
  6. drawing of lots.

[30]

Group stage

Every group is composed of three clubs, each group has at least one club from Liga MX and Ascenso MX.

All match times listed are CDT (UTC–6), except for matches in Culiacán, Ciudad Juárez (both UTC–7) and Tijuana (UTC–8).

Group 1

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Monterrey 4 3 1 0 9 4 +5 10 Advance to knockout stage
2 Puebla 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 7
3 Venados 4 0 0 4 2 8 −6 0
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Puebla1–0Venados
  • Acuña 44'
Report
Attendance: 3,451
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Monterrey2–1Puebla
Report
Attendance: 26,040
Referee: Alejandro Funk

Venados0–3Monterrey
Report
Attendance: 7,278
Referee: Alan Enrique Martínez

Puebla1–1Monterrey
Report
Attendance: 4,538
Referee: Jorge Isaac Rojas

Monterrey3–2Venados
Report
Attendance: 16,681
Referee: Roberto Ríos Jácome

Venados0–1Puebla
Report
Attendance: 3,006
Referee: Luis Daniel Chávez

Group 2

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Tijuana 4 2 1 1 5 2 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 Juárez 4 1 2 1 6 7 −1 5
3 Toluca 4 1 1 2 5 7 −2 4
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Juárez0–0Tijuana
Report
Attendance: 6,428
Referee: Edgar Espadas Vallejo

Toluca2–3Juárez
Report
Attendance: 17,272
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Tijuana2–0Toluca
Report
Attendance: 27,333
Referee: Eduardo Galván Basulto

Tijuana3–1Juárez
Report
Attendance: 23,333
Referee: Alejandro Funk

Juárez2–2Toluca
Report
Attendance: 10,032
Referee: Juan Esquivel González

Toluca1–0Tijuana
Report
Attendance: 7,845
Referee: Oscar Mejía

Group 3

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Querétaro 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9 Advance to knockout stage
2 León 4 2 0 2 7 7 0 6
3 Zacatecas 4 1 0 3 7 9 −2 3
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Zacatecas4–3León
Report
Attendance: 6,655
Referee: Louis Adrián Vielmas

León2–1Querétaro
Report
Attendance: 12,251
Referee: Eduardo Galván Basulto

Querétaro2–1Zacatecas
Report
Attendance: 10,738
Referee: Alejandro Funk

León2–1Zacatecas
Report
Attendance: 10,649
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Querétaro1–0León
Report
Attendance: 9,192
Referee: Mario Humberto Vargas

Zacatecas1–2Querétaro
Report
Attendance: 4,418
Referee: Alfonso Cáceres

Group 4

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Necaxa 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9 Advance to knockout stage
2 UNAM 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6
3 Tampico Madero 4 1 0 3 5 7 −2 3
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Tampico Madero1–2UNAM
Report
Attendance: 11,297
Referee: Ricardo Ulises Norman

Necaxa1–0Tampico Madero
Report
Attendance: 5,350
Referee: Juan Andrés Esquivel

UNAM1–3Necaxa
Report
Attendance: 9,021
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Tampico Madero3–1Necaxa
Report
Attendance: 6,732
Referee: Oscar Mejía

Necaxa1–0UNAM
Report
Attendance: 16,917
Referee: Eduardo Galván

UNAM3–1Tampico Madero
Report
Attendance: 5,345
Referee: Adonai Escobedo

Group 5

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Pachuca 4 3 1 0 6 0 +6 10 Advance to knockout stage
2 Celaya 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 4
3 Santos Laguna 4 0 2 2 1 5 −4 2
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Celaya0–2Pachuca
Report
Attendance: 3,132
Referee: Eduardo Alberto Vázquez

Pachuca2–0Santos Laguna
Report
Attendance: 14,792
Referee: Edgar Ulises Rangel

Santos Laguna1–1Celaya
Report
Attendance: 10,879
Referee: Roberto Ríos Jacome

Celaya2–0Santos Laguna
Report
Attendance: 4,360
Referee: Mario Humberto Vargas

Santos Laguna0–0Pachuca
Report

Pachuca2–0Celaya
Report
Attendance: 4,733
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Group 6

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Cruz Azul 4 2 1 1 7 5 +2 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 Zacatepec 4 2 0 2 7 8 −1 6
3 Atlas 4 1 1 2 6 7 −1 4
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Atlas1–2Zacatepec
Report
Attendance: 11,568
Referee: Alejandro Funk

Zacatepec2–3Cruz Azul
Report
Attendance: 15,652
Referee: Luis Daniel Chávez

Cruz Azul2–2Atlas
Report
Attendance: 16,225
Referee: Jorge Isaac Rojas

Cruz Azul2–0Zacatepec
Report
Attendance: 7,895
Referee: Adonai Escobedo

Atlas1–0Cruz Azul
Report
Attendance: 24,670
Referee: Oscar Mejía

Zacatepec3–2Atlas
Report
Attendance: 4,380
Referee: Iván Asael Martínez

Group 7

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 América 4 3 1 0 9 1 +8 10 Advance to knockout stage
2 Sinaloa 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7
3 Veracruz 4 0 0 4 1 9 −8 0
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Veracruz1–2Sinaloa
Report
Attendance: 2,809
Referee: Eduardo Galván Basulto

América3–0Veracruz
Report

Sinaloa0–0América
Report
Attendance: 19,333
Referee: Jesús Bisguerra Mendiola

Veracruz0–3América
Report
Attendance: 10,721
Referee: Diego Montaño

América3–1Sinaloa
Report
Attendance: 10,253
Referee: Edgar Ulises Rangel

Sinaloa1–0Veracruz
Report
Attendance: 3,823
Referee: Abraham de Jesús Quirarte

Group 8

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Guadalajara 4 3 1 0 6 3 +3 10 Advance to knockout stage
2 Morelia 4 1 1 2 6 6 0 4
3 Oaxaca 4 0 2 2 1 4 −3 2
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Morelia2–0Oaxaca
Report

Guadalajara3–2Morelia
Report
Attendance: 13,493
Referee: Diego Montaño

Oaxaca0–0Guadalajara
Report
Attendance: 8,129
Referee: Brian Omar González

Guadalajara1–0Oaxaca
Report
Attendance: 9,326
Referee: Roberto Ríos Jácome

Morelia1–2Guadalajara
Report
Attendance: 18,824
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

Oaxaca1–1Morelia
Report
Attendance: 1,026
Referee: Edgar Morales

Group 9

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 UANL 4 2 1 1 7 3 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 Tapachula 4 1 2 1 4 2 +2 5
3 Atlético San Luis 4 1 1 2 4 10 −6 4
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Atlético San Luis2–1UANL
Report
Attendance: 17,854
Referee: Guillermo Pacheco Larios

Tapachula1–1Atlético San Luis
Report
Attendance: 5,826
Referee: Jesús Ruiz

UANL0–0Tapachula
Report
Attendance: 15,178
Referee: Mario Humberto Vargas

UANL5–1Atlético San Luis
Report
Attendance: 34,705
Referee: Eduardo Galván Basulto

Tapachula0–1UANL
Report
Attendance: 7,581
Referee: Víctor Cáceres Hernández.

Atlético San Luis0–3Tapachula
Report
Attendance: 6,024
Referee: José Luis Baez

Ranking of second-placed teams

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 1 Puebla 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 7 Advance to knockout stage
2 7 Sinaloa 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7
3 3 León 4 2 0 2 7 7 0 6
4 4 UNAM 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6
5 6 Zacatepec 4 2 0 2 7 8 −1 6
6 9 Tapachula 4 1 2 1 4 2 +2 5
7 2 Juárez 4 1 2 1 6 7 −1 5
8 8 Morelia 4 1 1 2 6 6 0 4
9 5 Celaya 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 4
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Knockout stage

  • The clubs that advance to this stage will be ranked and seeded 1 to 16 based on performance in the group stage. In case of ties, the same tiebreakers used to rank the runners-up will be used.[30]
  • All rounds are played in a single game. If a game ends in a draw, it will proceed directly to a penalty shoot-out. The highest seeded club will host each match, regardless of which division each club belongs.[30]
  • The winners of the groups and the seven best second place teams of each group will advance to the Knockout stage.

Qualified teams

The nine group winners and the seven best runners-up from the group stage qualify for the final stage.

Group Winners Runners-up
1 Monterrey Puebla
2 Tijuana Juárez
3 Querétaro León
4 Necaxa UNAM
5 Pachuca
6 Cruz Azul Zacatepec
7 América Sinaloa
8 Guadalajara
9 UANL Tapachula

Seeding

Seed Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 7 América 4 3 1 0 9 1 +8 10
2 5 Pachuca 4 3 1 0 6 0 +6 10
3 1 Monterrey 4 3 1 0 9 4 +5 10
4 8 Guadalajara 4 3 1 0 6 3 +3 10
5 4 Necaxa 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9[a]
6 3 Querétaro 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9[a]
7 9 UANL 4 2 1 1 7 3 +4 7
8 2 Tijuana 4 2 1 1 5 2 +3 7
9 6 Cruz Azul 4 2 1 1 7 5 +2 7
10 1 Puebla 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 7
11 7 Sinaloa 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7
12 3 León 4 2 0 2 7 7 0 6
13 4 UNAM 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6
14 6 Zacatepec 4 2 0 2 7 8 −1 6
15 9 Tapachula 4 1 2 1 4 2 +2 5
16 2 Juárez 4 1 2 1 6 7 −1 5
Source: Copa MX
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Necaxa is ahead of Querétaro on away goals scored (Necaxa 4, Querétaro 3)

Bracket

Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
            
2 Pachuca 3
15 Tapachula 0
2 Pachuca (pen.) 3 (6)
7 UANL 3 (5)
7 UANL 4
10 Puebla 0
2 Pachuca 3 (3)
3 Monterrey (pen.) 3 (4)
3 Monterrey 4
14 Zacatepec 2
3 Monterrey 1
6 Querétaro 0
6 Querétaro 2
11 Sinaloa 1
3 Monterrey 0
9 Cruz Azul 2
8 Tijuana 1
9 Cruz Azul 2
9 Cruz Azul 2
16 Juárez 0
1 América 2 (8)
16 Juárez (pen.) 2 (9)
9 Cruz Azul (pen.) 1 (5)
12 León 1 (4)
5 Necaxa 0
12 León 2
12 León (pen.) 1 (5)
13 UNAM 1 (4)
4 Guadalajara 1
13 UNAM 3

Round of 16

All match times listed are CDT (UTC–6), except for matches in Tijuana (UTC–8).

Pachuca3–0Tapachula
Report
Attendance: 8,373
Referee: Alejandro Funk

Necaxa0–2León
Report
Attendance: 6,398
Referee: Roberto Ríos Jácome


Tijuana1–2Cruz Azul
Report
Attendance: 23,333
Referee: Adonaí Escobedo

Querétaro2–1Sinaloa
Report
Attendance: 11,925
Referee: Jonathan Hernández

UANL4–0Puebla
Report
Attendance: 24,648
Referee: Edgar Ulises Rangel

Guadalajara1–3UNAM
Report
Attendance: 19,869
Referee: Jorge Isaac Rojas

Monterrey4–2Zacatepec
Report

Quarterfinals

Cruz Azul2–0Juárez
Report
Attendance: 13,580
Referee: Ulises Rangel

Pachuca3–3UANL
Report
Penalties
6–5
Attendance: 20,998
Referee: Mario Humberto Vargas


Monterrey1–0Querétaro
Report
Attendance: 26,361
Referee: Jorge Pérez Durán

Semifinals


Final

Monterrey0–2Cruz Azul
Report
Attendance: 49,764
Referee: Fernando Guerrero

Top goalscorers

Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name.

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Uruguay Martín Cauteruccio Cruz Azul 6
2 Argentina Franco Jara Pachuca 5
3 Argentina Matías Alustiza UNAM 4
Paraguay Cecilio Domínguez América
Mexico Daniel Lajud Monterrey
Mexico Josué Mercado Zacatecas
Argentina Leonardo Ulloa Pachuca
Chile Eduardo Vargas UANL

Source: Copa MX

Notes

  1. ^ The Monterrey v Zacatepec was originally scheduled for 26 September but was postponed due to torrential rain.

References

  1. ^ "Monterrey History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Necaxa History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Toluca History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  4. ^ "UANL History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  5. ^ "América History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Morelia History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Cruz Azul History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  8. ^ "León History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Santos Laguna History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Tijuana History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Atlas History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Pachuca History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  13. ^ "UNAM History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Querétaro History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Guadalajara History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Veracruz History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Zacatecas History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Celaya History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Zacatepec History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Oaxaca History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Tampico Madero History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  22. ^ "Sinaloa History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Venados History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Venados History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Venados History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Atlético San Luis History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Atlético San Luis History". 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g "COPA MX - Página Oficial de la Liga Mexicana del Fútbol Profesional".
  29. ^ a b "Se Definieron Grupos de la COPA MX". 5 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  30. ^ a b c "COPA MX - Página Oficial de la Liga Mexicana del Fútbol Profesional".