After America's title victory, Goal names its Best XI of the season, with the Tigres star and the America prospect both finding a spot
Pedro PardoJesus Corona | GK | Cruz Azul
While the season didn't end well for him, Corona had an excellent Apertura overall. The 37-year-old goalkeeper was the anchor of a defense that allowed just 13 goals in the regular season and led the league in clean sheets with 10 between the regular season and the Liguilla.
Honorable mention goes to Queretaro's Tiago Volpi and Santos Laguna's Jonathan Orozco.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRodrigo Salinas | RB | TolucaSalinas is the best player at a position that's very thin throughout the league. This campaign he chipped in with a pair of goals and several chances created for the Toluca attack. He also was difficult to get by for attackers, with Opta numbers showing he wasn't responsible for a single error that led to a shot, much less a goal.
America's Paul Aguilar also was in the mix.Bruno Valdez | CB | Club America
Valdez's defensive contributions might have been enough to get him on the list. The Paraguayan is a solid player at the back, averaging just under four clearances a game and more than three interceptions each match.
His contributions going forward really shore up his place in the team, though. Valdez somehow led America in scoring with seven goals. Five of those came from headers. He also chipped in an assist.
Manuel VelasquezPablo Aguilar | CB | Cruz Azul
One of the more influential players in the tournament, Aguilar arrived in the summer and showed no drop-off from previous Liga MX tournaments with Tijuana or America.
The 31-year-old made 4.4 clearances per match, won five duels a game and overall took a unit that was average last season and helped turn it into the best in the league.