The Apertura 2026 has represented a growth process for Chivas under Gabriel Milito. After 7 Matchdays, Guadalajara currently sits in second place in Liga MX with 14 points, thanks to a haul of 4 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss.
However, beyond the position it currently holds, that second-place standing is the result of a series of performances that have shown the evolution of a team that is increasingly finding more ways to play its matches and keep adding points in the tournament.
If we go back to the start of the championship, El Rebaño went from less to more, as it opened with a loss to Toluca at the AKRON Stadium, in a match that ended 0-2. Despite the defeat, the team reacted quickly and on Matchday 2 earned its first win of the tournament by beating Juárez 1-0. Then, the visit to Puebla brought the first draw for Chiverío, a 1-1 result that would become the turning point of a run that has shaped the course of the tournament.
By Matchday 4, finishing and a more clearly defined playing identity began to appear, and with that, Gabriel Milito‘s side claimed its first away win by defeating Santos 1-0. After that came one of the most emphatic performances of the tournament so far: the 5-2 victory over Tijuana at the Rojiblanca Fortress.
Matchday 6 once again tested Guadalajara away from home. At Hidalgo Stadium, Chivas took the lead as early as the 4th minute, but Pachuca managed to equalize in the closing stages.
Then on Matchday 7, played this past weekend, Chivas came out determined to impose itself against Atlético de San Luis in the capital of San Luis Potosí and all but made the match its own in the opening minutes. In that game, efficiency was one of the great hallmarks of the win: Guadalajara had three shots on the opponent’s goal and converted all three, while also completing 564 passes during the match.
An attack that found its finishing touch
One of the aspects that has evolved the most for Guadalajara is precisely its ability to convert the chances it creates. El Rebaño did not start the tournament with sharp finishing, but its most recent performances have left increasingly encouraging and interesting impressions, with a team that has found different ways to hurt opponents.
The best example came in the last few matchdays. The 5-2 win over Tijuana and the 0-3 result against Atlético de San Luis confirmed that the Rojiblanca attack is on the rise and that efficiency is beginning to become one of its main strengths.
That evolution is already directly reflected in the numbers: with 12 goals scored after 7 Matchdays, Guadalajara currently has the second-best attack in the Apertura 2026. On the other side of the ball, it has also found balance. Chivas ranks as the third-best defense in the competition, with only 6 goals conceded, a combination that explains a large part of the 14 points that currently have it in second place.
The key names for El Rebaño
On the individual side, there are also important standouts. Ricardo Marín and RobertoAlvarado have contributed 4 goals each and currently sit third and fourth, respectively, in the Liga MX scoring table.
In addition, Marín is enjoying a particularly outstanding run: with 4 goals and 2 assists in just 7 Matchdays, he is the Mexican player who has produced the most goals in all of Liga MX, with 6 direct goal contributions.
Between the posts, a Rojiblanca wall has also been built through the work of Raúl Rangel. Against Atlético de San Luis, the goalkeeper made 4 saves, one of them a goal-saving stop, and earned his third clean sheet of the tournament. Now, with 14 points, second place, and half the tournament still to play, Guadalajara will face what lies ahead with a team that has been finding its best version as the tournament progresses.
Chivas by the numbers
- Second place in the overall standings
- 14 points
- 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in 7 matches, with a 66.7% success rate
- 12 goals scored and only 6 conceded
- Second-best attack in the Apertura 2026
- Third-best defense in the Apertura 2026
- 8 goals between Ricardo Marín and Roberto Alvarado
- Ricardo Marín: 4 goals and 2 assists in 7 Matchdays
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
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