Mexico. Second Division. Was it a strait-forward championship, the champion was going to be the best team of the season. As it was organized, the best did not even reach the final.
Leon was the best team in the regular season by far – 21 wins, 9 ties, 8 losses, 82-46, 67 points. In the combined ‘final’ table they were 4 points ahead of the 2nd, Santos Laguna, and 13 points ahead of the 3rd – Cobras Ciudad Juarez. Unfortunately, the regular season was only the first phase of the championship -Leon won its Group 4, of course, and qualified to the next stage. Cobras was 2nd in the same group.
Santos Laguna suffered more – they were 2nd overall, much stronger than Cobras in the regular season and won their Group 1. And that pretty much the end of them…
The top 2 teams of the 4 initial groups plus the the 2 teams with best records finishing 3rd qualified to the next stage. The team with the worst record in the regular season was directly relegated and the 4 teams above them went to relegation tournament – 2 were relegated, 2 survived. Thus, Oaxaca was directly relegated and Texcoco and Aguila Progreso Industrial were relegated after the mini-tournament. Salina Cruz and F.E.G. Escaped relegation.
For 5 teams the season ended with the regular season – Zacatepec, Chetumal, Tepic, S.U.O.O., and La Piedad. La Piedad had the 8th best record after the regular season, but were in stronger group and thus unable to qualify to the next stage.
The 10 teams qualifying to the second stage were divided into 2 groups and the group winners went to play the championship final, the winner declared champion of Second Division and promoted to top flight.
Cobras won Group 1 on better goal-difference, followed by Tapatito, Santos Laguna, Orizaba, and Pioneros Cancun. Leon once again was best, winning Group 2 6 points ahead of Tecoman. Apatzingan was 3rd, followed by Jalisco and U.A.Q.
At the final Leon maintained a scoreless tie away in Ciudad Juarez, but was also unable to win at home – the second leg ended 1-1. A third match was played at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City and this time Cobras won 1-0.
Unfortunate Leon – they were best the whole long season, but lost by a single goal at the end.
Cobras Ciudad Juarez were champions of Second Division and promoted back to First Division, from which they were relegated in the previous season. They won the match which mattered most, what could you say… as for their return, it was the return of the franchise – Cobras played in the top league before they were Cobras, then the franchise was sold and renamed, then moved to Ciudad Juarez. A typical journey of a Mexican club from name to name and from city to city. Just for that one may not care much for the winners – but they had cute kit.
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