First Division. 20 teams as usual, divided in 4 groups in the first stage. The top 2 in every group went to the next stage, but the team with least points in ‘combined’ table was relegated. Second phase was also played in groups and the both group winners went to the final. The old problem remained: since in the first phase every team played twice against all others, everything depended on luck: a team could be in ‘strong’ group and fail to qualify to the next stage even when having more points than teams in weaker groups. But the formula was established long time ago and Mexicans were well used to it.
First phase:
Group 1.
Monterrey (Monterrey) – last with 29 points.
Irapuato(Irapuato) – 4th with 32 points. Standing from left: Jorge Tapia, José Luis Miranda, Alvaro Rodríguez, Gino Valentini (Chilean), Alejandro Sabella (Argentine), José Ledesma. First row: Juan Morales, Francisco Macedo, Horacio Rocha, Teodoro Orozco, César Sosa (Paraguayan).
Toluca (Toluca) – 3rd with 32 points. Second row from left: Juan ‘Venado’ Gutiérrez, Sergio Lagunas, Washington Olivera, Octavio ‘Picas’ Becerril, José A. Alcántara, Ricardo Ferretti. Crouching: Pedro Munguía, Álvaro Torres, Mauricio Gomez, Jesús Mendizabal, Roberto Masciarelli.
Cruz Azul – 2nd with 43 points and qualified to the next phase.
America – 1st with 43 points and qualified to the next phase.
Group 2.
Santos Laguna (Torreon) – 5th with 29 points.
UANL (Monterrey) – 4th with 33 points. Second row from left: Pantoja, Aarón Gamal, Francisco Calderón, Juan C. Paz (Uruguayan), Ignacio Rodríguez. Front: Daniel Corral, Jorge D. Cabrera (Uruguayan), Rodríguez, Martín Ponce, Gutiérrez, Félix Torres (Paraguayan).
Universidad de Guadalajara (Guadalajara) – 3rd with 41 points.
Atlante – 2nd with 49 points and qualified to the next phase.
Puebla – 1st with 53 points and qualified to the next stage.
Group 3.
Atletico Potosino (San Luis Potosi) – last with 22 points. But they were also the team with least points in the whole division, so were relegated.
Morelia (Morelia) – 4th with 41 point.
Necaxa (Mexico City) – 3rd with 45 points. Here is a team which did not go ahead because they were in strong group… were they in Group 1, they would have been group winners.
CD Guadalajara – 2nd with 47 points and qualified to the next stage.
Tampico Madero -1st with 47 points and going to the next stage.
Group 4.
Atlas (Guadalajara) – last with 26 points.
UAT Correcaminos (Ciudad Victoria) – 4th with 34 points.
Cobras (Ciudad Juarez) – 3rd with 35 points. Not bad for newcomers.
UAG (Guadalajara) – also listed under their popular name Tecos, following the usual confusion with Mexican tables: some teams listed under their official names, others under popular nicknames. 2nd with 38 points and going to the next phase. UAG benefited from the rules: 3 teams in the other groups earned more points than them and did not qualify to the next stage, but UAG had weak clubs in their group and went ahead.
UNAM – 1st with 41 points and qualified to the next phase.
Semifinal playoffs:
Group 1. Groups winners going to the final.
UAG (Guadalajara) – last with 3 points.
Puebla (Puebla) – 3rd with 5 points.
CD Guadalajara (Guadalajara) – 2nd with 8 points. ‘Chivas’ were unlucky – goal-difference finished the season for them: +5.
America clinched top position with 8 points and +6 goal-difference – and went to the championship final.
Group 2.
Atlante (Mexico City) – 4th with 3 points. The only team in this stage without winning even one match.
UNAM (Mexico City) – 3rd with 6 points.
Tampico Madero (Tampico Madero) – 2nd with 7 points.
Cruz Azul won the group with 8 points and moved to the final.
The final was played in two legs and was tough enough – America prevailed 3-2 in the first leg and the second ended 2-2. Carlos Hermosillo scored 2 goals – one in each leg – for America and the star must be mentioned, for during the 1990s he was the leading forward for Cruz Azul. For the moment, though, he was ‘robbing’ his future club from a title.
Cruz Azul (Mexico City) finished with silver medals, losing the battle for the title by one goal. Unfortunate.
America (Mexico City) prevailed in the final and triumphed with the title. Which was their 9th. Hermosillo was perhaps the greatest star of this team, but America were traditionally strong club with plenty of money to build and keep solid squads.