Stop it if you’ve heard this before: FC Juárez is on a roll.
It’s hard not to write about FC Juárez during every weekly recap in the Clausura campaign of Liga MX Femenil this season. Juárez is a team that started to slowly climb up the table last season after spending year after year. This year, they made a massive jump and are not just competing for a Liguilla spot, but the first-place seed.
FC Juárez helped their case to win the league after handing a massive loss to Tigres. On their home field, Juárez put up a 3-1 scoreline on Tigres to stun the five-time Liga MX Femenil champions.
Radford University alum and California native Jasmine Casarez scored the opening goal just nine minutes in. Casarez found herself wide open in the box and picked up a bouncing cross inside the box, slotting it to the far end of the net.
Maricarmen Reyes, of UCLA, scored in the 44th minute to equalize before the half. Tigres earned a free kick and lofted it in the box. The initial attempt slowly made it over to the post where it bounced off and in front of Reyes.
In the second half, though, it was all Juárez. Myra Delgadillo picked up a rebound and smacked it with force past goalkeeper Aurora Santiago. Jermaine Seoposenwe took the initial shot that Santiago blocked, and she was rewarded with her own tally in the 63rd minute. Seoposenwe, the South African international, chipped a header over Santiago on the far end of the post.
FC Juárez now sits in fifth place with 15 points after the victory. They have a tilt after the international break with Club Tijuana, one of their regional rivals, on Feb. 24.
Other Clausura Week 6 Scores
- Necaxa 0-1 Querétaro
- Santos Laguna 1-1 Club América
- Toluca 3-4 Atlas
- Chivas de Guadalajara 2-1 Puebla
- Cruz Azul 0-3 C.F. Monterrey
- Atlético San Luis 4-1 Mazatlán
- Club León 0-3 Pachuca
- UNAM Pumas 0-1 Club Tijuana
Previewing the 2023 Revelations Cup
Last month, the Mexican Federation announced a tournament called the “Revelations Cup.” The tournament is in similar fashion to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s SheBelieves Cup. There are four teams, and each team plays each other once. The winner will earn the title. For this tournament, Mexico is hosting three nations going to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in five months: Colombia, Costa Rica and Nigeria.
Costa Rica, a fellow Concacaf nation, booked their ticket to the World Cup in Mexico last summer during the Concacaf W Championship. Mexico infamously fell flat in the tournament and failed to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup. What made it egregious was the failure to qualify on home soil after years of building up Liga MX Femenil.
However, give Mexico credit for hosting a tournament with three World Cup bound teams. Not only that, but the fact that teams want to come to play in Mexico still shows the sort-of reverence people have to Mexico and Mexican soccer.
The competition will be a great test for the three teams going to the World Cup. Take a look at the four teams competing in Mexico.
Costa Rica: The Ticas earned qualification to the World Cup with a position in the semifinals. The team has primarily stuck with the same identical roster. Shirley Cruz has announced that this season will be her last professionally, and she gets to go out captaining Costa Rica at the World Cup. However, one of the most interesting spotlights on Costa Rica is a midfielder who plays in Israel: Emilie Valenciano (Ramat HaSharon).
With the tournament in León, Costa Rican defender Lixy Rodríguez will feel right at home, since she plays her club soccer there. In fact, there is some Mexican influence. Atlas has two players on the roster: Daniela Cruz and Carolina Venegas. Without a doubt, they will be playing against players they’re used to seeing in Liga MX Femenil.
Colombia: Nicknamed Las Chicas Superpoderosas, Colombia sees a majority of their players featuring in Colombia, Brazil and Spain. Leicy Santos, the 26-year-old midfielder from Atlético Madrid, is the leader of the attack and squad. However, young players like Mayra Ramírez (Levante) and Daniela Caracas (Espanyol) are up and coming talents. Colombia is looking to build off the second-place finish at last year’s Copa América Tournament, which was held in their nation.
Nigeria: Led by former Houston Dash manager Randy Waldrum, the Nigerian women’s national team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, have a stacked squad heading to Mexico. Usually, when talking about Nigeria, the focus is on Asisat Oshoala, but this time the focus is on Uchenna Kanu. The former Tigres striker recently made a big-time transfer to Racing Louisville of the NWSL. Kanu scored 24 goals in 30 games across all competitions. She has the experience in Mexico and has become a lethal threat in front of goal. This is a great chance for Kanu to potentially earn a World Cup starting spot next to Oshoala.
Nigeria qualified for the World Cup with a top-four finish in the Women’s African Cup of Nations last summer. Nigeria fell in the semifinals to Morocco and lost the third-place game to Zambia. They’ll want a win in the Revelations Cup to boost confidence ahead of the World Cup.
Liga MX Femenil Clausura 2023 Table | Week 6
NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.
| Team | W | D | L | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.F. Monterrey | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 18 |
| Chivas de Guadalajara | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Pachuca | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 15 |
| UANL Tigres | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 15 |
| FC Juárez | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 15 |
| Club América | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 14 |
| Club Tijuana | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -1 | 10 |
| Atlético San Luis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| Cruz Azul | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Atlas | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | -5 | 9 |
| Querétaro | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 7 |
| Santos Laguna | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | -6 | 5 |
| UNAM Pumas | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | -5 | 4 |
| Club León | 1 | 0 | 5 | 12 | -9 | 3 |
| Puebla | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17 | -13 | 3 |
| Mazatlán | 1 | 0 | 5 | 25 | -22 | 3 |
| Toluca | 0 | 1 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 1 |
| Necaxa | 0 | 0 | 6 | 19 | -17 | 0 |
Looking Ahead: Clausura 2023 | The Revelations Cup and Week 7
*All Times in Eastern Time. All matches on ViX streaming for free.
**Matches will happen after the international break. The Revelations Cup will be able to be viewed on ViX.
The Revelations Cup
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2 PM ET: Costa Rica vs. Colombia
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 5 PM ET: Mexico vs. Nigeria
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 PM ET: Colombia vs. Nigeria
Saturday, Feb. 18, 5 PM ET: Mexico vs. Costa Rica
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6 PM ET: Nigeria vs. Costa Rica
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 9 PM ET: Mexico vs. Colombia
Week 7 Clausura | Liga MX Femenil
Thursday, Feb. 23: Club América vs. Atlético San Luis at 4:45 PM
Friday, Feb. 24: Querétaro vs. Club León at 6:05 PM
Friday, Feb. 24: Club Tijuana vs. FC Juárez at 10:06 PM
Saturday, Feb. 25: UNAM Pumas vs. Santos Laguna at 1 PM
Sunday, Feb. 26: Puebla vs. Toluca at 1 PM
Sunday, Feb. 26: Atlas vs. Cruz Azul at 6 PM
Monday, Feb. 27: C.F. Monterrey vs. Necaxa at 6:05 PM
Monday, Feb. 27: Pachuca vs. UANL Tigres at 8:06 PM
Monday, Feb. 27: Mazatlán vs. Chivas de Guadalajara at 10 PM
