Earlier this month, in part 1 we looked at seven clubs: Atlas Guadalajara, Atletico San Luis, Club America, 2024 Apertura Champions CF Monterrey, CF Pachuca, Leon and Necaxa (see: The Week in Women's Football: Liga MX season review - top 7 in focus - TribalFootball.com).
This week we look at the other eleven teams in the league: Tijuana Xolos, Cruz Azul, Deportivo Guadalajara Chivas, Toluca, FC Juarez, Gallos Blancos, Mazatlán, UANL Tigres, Puebla, UNAM Pumas and Santos Laguna. We also look at how the Liga MX Femenil teams did in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup and the NWSL Summer Cup tournament.
Part 2 Mexico Liga MX Femenil 2024-25 Apertura (Opening) Championship
This season, for the 2024-25 Liga MX Femenil campaign, there are 148 imports, up substantially from 91 and 71 in 2023-24 and 2022-23 respectively. Half of the imports come from the U.S. (50%), up from 45% and 49% over the past two seasons. Costa Rica (8), Spain (6) and Colombia (5) have the next highest number of imports this season. Particularly with the Americans, but also with some imports from other nations, we are seeing a number of teenagers come into the league, some starting with U-19 sides for their clubs.
The full list of imports by country for the 2024-25 Apertura is:
U.S. 74
Costa Rica 8
Spain 6
Colombia 5
France 4
Nigeria 4
South Africa 4
Uruguay 4
Venezuela 4
Brazil 3
Canada 3 (also Algeria, Mexico)
Guatemala 3
Argentina 2
Chile 2
El Salvador 2
Jamaica 2
Netherlands 2
Portugal 2
Tanzania 2
Cameroon 1
Congo DR 1
Ecuador 1
England 1
Germany 1
Ghana 1
Honduras 1
Panama 1
Paraguay 1
Puerto Rico 1
Uganda 1
Zambia 1
Notes: Of the 74 Americans, 30 were Americans who have played internationally for Mexico at some level. Also, for the U.S. imports in the Mexican top tier league, one American plays internationally for each of Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Portugal.
Of the three Canadians, one plays internationally for Mexico while one plays for Algeria.
Club Tijuana
Returning imports for Tijuana from last season included:
Goalkeeper Areli Reyes (21) of the U.S; she played at Cal State-Los Angeles and played for Mexico at the U-15 level. Since coming to the side for the 2023-24 Apertura, she has only played in two games.
Defender Monica Alvardo (33) of the U.S.; she grew up in the States and played at Mississippi State and Texas Christian University. She began with Pachuca for the 2019-20 Clausura and moved to Tijuana for the 2022-23 Clausura and has 10 goals in 61 Liga MX Femenil matches for Tijuana. In total, she has 17 goals in 137 regular season and playoff matches in Liga MX Femenil. She has over 20 caps for Mexico’s WNT.
Defender Bianca Mora (28) of the U.S.; she played at Cal State-Dominguez Hills in California. She started with Puebla in the 2022-2023 Apertura before moving to Tijuana—she has played in 64 Liga MX Femenil matches and has scored eight goals, two coming in 15 matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Marta Cox Villarreal (27) of Panama; she was one of the first imports into Liga MX Femenil in 2021-22 with Leon and then moved to Pachuca for the 2022-23 Clausura. She joined Tijuana for the 2023-24 Clausura. She has played 102 matches for Mexican clubs to date, including three games for Tijuana in the Summer Cup with NWSL teams in 2024. In the 2024-25 Apertura, she played in 15 regular season games. Cox has previously played professionally at home and in Colombia. She scored the winner for Panama against Papua New Guinea in a 2-0 semifinal win in the Intercontinental Playoffs in New Zealand in February of 2023 in route to her nation qualifying for the WWC Finals for the first time (see: The Week in Women's Football: Canada Soccer controversy; exciting World Cup playoffs still need reform - Tribal Football).
Midfielder Mayra Pelayo-Bernal (27) of the U.S.; she was born in California, played college ball at the University of Florida and played for Mexico at youth and senior international levels. She first went to Spain to play with C.D. Parquesol in Valladolid and then moved to Club America for the 2020-21 Clausura and joined Xolos for the 2022-23 Clausura. She has scored 19 goals in 107 Liga MX Femenil matches, including three in 16 matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Amanda Marroquin (21) of the U.S., she grew up in San Diego and played one season at Washington State University in Pullman in Eastern Washington. She played for Tigres during the 2022-23 Apertura and then moved to Tijuana. In total she has played in 47 Liga MX Femenil matches, and scored her first goal in the league during the 2024-25 Apertura season (in 16 games).
Midfielder Nativdad Martinez (23) of the U.S.; she played at the College of Southern Nevada. She first joined Atlas for the 2022-23 Apertura and then moved to Tijuana for the 2023-24 Apertura. She has played in 42 regular season and playoff matches in Mexico to date.
Midfielder Paola Villamizar (30) of Venezuela; she has played for clubs at home and in Brazil and Chile. Villamizar is in her fourth season in Tijuana—joining for the 2021-22 Apertura—and has 14 goals in 96 regular season and playoff matches.
Midfielder Andrea Guillen (19) of the U.S.; played at UC-San Diego and played for Tijuana’s U-19 and senior side.
Midfielder Dana Caudillo (17) of the U.S.; she was born in California and is a dual citizen of Mexico and the States. She has played with Tijuana’s U-19 team since the 2023-24 Apertura, making 48 appearances—all but one as a starter—and scored one goal.
Forward Melissa (Daphne) Herrera (28) of Costa Rica; she was on their 2015 and 2023 WWC Finals sides for Costa Rica and first went abroad with FC Indiana in the summer WPSL in 2016. She then played with Santa Fe in Colombia and for five seasons in the French top tier—three years with Reims and the last two seasons with Bordeaux—before moving to the Mexican League in her home federation of CONCACAF for the 2023-24 Apertura. She has scored six goals in 41 regular season and playoff matches for the Xolos.
New imports for 2024-25 included:
Defender Fabiola Villalobos (26) of Costa Rica; she is a Costa Rican international who joined the Xolos from LD Alajelense at home. She scored once in seven games during the 2024 Apertura.
Forward Aisha Solorzano (26) of Guatemala—she joined Xolos for the 2024 Apertura after one full season (2023-24) with Puebla. She is a full international for Guatemala, who played at Southeastern University in Florida; she had a fantastic first season with Puebla, scoring eight goals in 13 matches in the 2023-24 Apertura, six times in 16 matches in the 2023-24 Clausura with Puebla and then moved to Tijuana, scoring 16 goals in 16 games in the 2024-25 Apertura, finishing second in the league in scoring. She scored three goals against the Seattle Reign in a Summer Cup match for Tijuana in a 3-2 win; she scored another goal in the tournament to total four goals in three games. She is key to Guatemala’s hopes in the 2027 WWC Qualifiers from CONCACAF.
Cruz Azul
New imports for 2024-25 included:
Defender Opal Curless (26) of the U.S.; she played at Syracuse University and Florida Gulf Coast University. She joined Cruz Azul from Fatih Vatan Spor of Turkey, where she played 12 games in the first half of 2024. She also spent time with MTK Hungaria of Hungary and Valadares Gaia of Portuguese. She played in eight matches for the Mexico City side during the 2024-25 Apertura.
American defender Opal Curless joined Cruz Azul of Mexico City for the 2024-25 Apertura after playing professionally in Hungary, Portugal and Turkey. Photo courtesy of CFCruzAzul.com.
Defender Sarah Huchet (30) of France. She played college ball at the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima for one season in 2013. She played for a number of teams in France and Italy, including Marseille, Napoli and Sampdoria, and joined Cruz Azul from Racing Power in the Portuguese Liga BPI. She scored two goals in eight matches for Cruz Azul during the 2024 Apertura.
Defender Sofia Ramondegui (23) of Uruguay; she was capped once at the senior level by Uruguay and moved to Mexico from Avai of Brazil, after playing with Penarol at home. She played in five matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Forward Ximena D’Acosta (20) of the U.S.; she started playing in Liga MX Femenil with Necaxa when she was 17, starting with the 2022-23 Apertura, and also played games during her first season with the U-19 side. She moved to Mexico City’s Cruz Azul for the 2024 Apertura and played in seven matches. She is a Mexican-American.
Forward Danielle Fuentes (24) of the U.S. is a full international with El Salvador. She played in her home state with the University of Maryland-Baltimore County before moving to the University of South Alabama. She first played with Necaxa in the Liga MX Femenil during the 2023-24 Apertura and Clausura seasons. She then moved to Cruz Azul over the summer, scoring three times in 17 games. She has 10 goals in 48 league games during her one and one-half years in Mexico.
Deportivo Guadalajara Chivas
The only import (non-Mexican native) on the Guadalajara Chivas roster for 2024-25, according to league registration records, is midfielder Amalia Lopez (19), who was born and raised in Mesquite, Texas; her parents were from Mexican so she counts as a Mexican citizen for the Chivas, who traditionally don’t bring in non-Mexicans. She scored one goal—in a 3-1 win over Necaxa on September 8 at home, scoring the tying goal in the 71st minute after coming on as a substitute to start the second half—while appearing in four games for Chivas in the Liga MX Femenil in the 2024 Apertura. She scored five goals in 12 matches for Chivas’ U-19 side during the 2024 Apertura regular season and playoffs.
She has spent time with the Mexican U-17 and U-20 national teams and turned down a scholarship offer at Colorado State University after participating in a tryout for Mexican teams in Phoenix. She explained how she was able to join Chivas: “After the National Showcase (in Arizona), I was called to the National Team. I’ve been in the U-17 and U-20 teams and played with the Texans in the youth development ECNL (Elite Clubs National League). I kept working hard, doing what I do best—playing and believing in myself. I had the chance to train with Chivas. They offered me a spot, but I was already committed to Colorado State University. I faced the tough choice between college and playing professionally, and I decided to follow my dream and play professionally… I would say it is truly a dream, and I’m very proud to be part of Chivas. Chivas aims to win, and it’s been a really beautiful experience. I want to make the most of it… Everyone has been very kind and welcoming, making me feel part of the team from the start.”
After only two days with the team, Amalia Lopez was on the side that played Spain’s Barcelona, the reigning UEFA WCL champions, at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. She played the last 26 minutes of Chivas’ 4-1 defeat to Barca on June 12. Lopez explained: “Playing against Barcelona, one of the best teams in the world, in my first match was one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me. It was surreal, knowing that I was there doing what I love. I never thought I’d play against such a top team so soon.”
Note: Manager Antonio Spinelli (43) of Argentina won four league titles at home with Racing Club Women but only lasted for one year at Chivas; he was replaced for the 2024 Apertura by Mexican national Joaquin Moreno of Mexico (33).
Deportivo Toluca
Returning imports from last season included:
Goalkeeper Kayla Thompson (26) of the U.S., who joined the club for the 2022-23 Clausura and has played in 47 league and playoff matches to date. She played at West Virginia and Brown Universities.
Midfielder Brenda (26) of Brazil has been a revelation for Toluca with 28 goals in 83 matches since joining the side for the 2022-23 Apertura campaign.
Midfielder Mitsy Nayelli Ramirez (24) of the U.S.; she played collegiately at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Cal State-Monterey Bay. She joined Toluca for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 38 matches with the team, scoring one goal.
Midfielder Celia Chainez Bensalem (20) of France; she joined for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 30 regular season and playoff games, with three goals. She previously played at Olympique Lyon in France in one game in the 2021-22 season and is a youth international. Her move was considered a benchmark acquisition for the club and the league, that they are thought well enough in Europe to draw young talent from a top side such as Lyon.
Forward Michaela Abam (27) is a Cameroonian international (27); she joined from Swedish side Linköping FC for the 2024 Clausura. She has scored eight goals in 29 regular season matches through the 2024-25 Apertura campaign. Abam (26), grew up in Texas, played at U.S. power West Virginia University and then in the NWSL with Sky Blue FC (now NJ/NY Gotham FC) and the Houston Dash. She also played in France with Paris FC, in Spain with Real Betis and then with Linkoping. She played with the U.S. at the U-17 level and then at the senior level with Cameroon, including at the 2019 WWC Finals in France.
New imports for 2024-25 were:
Defender Liliana Fernandez (23) of the U.S.; a native of Florida, she played five years at the University of Tulsa, totaling eight goals and seven assists in 79 games (75 starts). With Toluca, she played in six matches in the 2024 Apertura and is on a two-year contract. Her sister Kayla also played with her at the University of Tulsa and is now at Atlas of Guadalajara.
Midfielder Amandine Henry (35) of France; the World Class player won the Silver Ball at the 2015 WWC in Canada as the second best player behind the U.S.’s WWC title winner Carli Lloyd. She is the second French player with Toluca this season. Henry is with her third North American team this year since the Spring, being traded by Angel FC—after playing back home with Lille during the NWSL offseason—a month into the season to the struggling expansion side Utah Royals. She moved to Toluca in September and had three goals in eight matches during the 2024-25 Apertura. She won 13 league titles with Olympique Lyonnais in France, eight Coupe de France Femenine and seven UEFA Women’s Champions League titles in addition to one NWSL title and one NWSL Shield with the Portland Thorns.
Midfielder Marlyn Campa (30) of the U.S.; she first played in Liga MX Femenil in the 2019-20 Clausura with Club America. She then played with UNAM Pumas, Pachuca and Leon. She joined Toluca for the 2024-25 Apertura, playing in 13 regular season matches and one playoff game. In total in Mexico she has played in 146 regular season and playoff matches, scoring 17 goals. In the States, she played at Texas Southern University.
Toluca’s head coach is Ricardo Belli (38) of Brazil, who previously coached at Palmeiras in Sao Paulo—in two different stints since 2019, around a job with men’s side Ituano U-20 team in 2022.
FC Juarez Bravas
Returning imports from last season included:
Goalkeeper Enya Hernandez (23) of the U.S.; she went to Portland State University in Oregon. She joined Juarez for the 2023-24 Clausura and has played one regular season game in each of her two campaigns in Liga MX Femenil.
Defender Julitha Singaro (23) of Tanzania; she joined for the 2022-23 Apertura and has played in 74 league and playoff matches for the club in the border city, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. She previously played for professional side Simba Queens at home, where she won three league titles. She is a full international for Tanzania’s WNT.
Defender Annia Mejia (28) of the U.S.; she was born and raised in the U.S. and played at the University of California-Berkley and with both the U.S. and Mexican U-20’s. She is a senior international for Mexico. She first played in Spain and then, since the 2019 Apertura in Mexico, with Monterrey, Tijuana, Pachuca and is in her second season with Juarez, who she joined for the 2023-24 Apertura. She has 12 goals in 163 Liga Mex Femenil regular season and playoff matches in total, with five goals in 44 matches with Juarez.
Midfielder Grace Asantewaa (23) of Ghana; she played in Spain since 2019-20 with Logrono and Real Betis, before moving to Puebla for the 2023-24 Apertura. She scored three goals in 18 regular season and playoff games in the Apertura 2024-25 season, with six goals in 48 games in total for Juarez. She is a full international for her country.
Midfielder Miah Zuazua (25) of the U.S.; she was born and raised in the U.S. and is a full Mexican international. She played at Southern Mississippi State University and in Liga MX Femenil since the 2019-20 Apertura for UANL Tigres, Juarez, and Club America, scoring 21 goals in 134 regular season and playoff matches. After a season and one-half with Club America, she has moved back to Juarez for the 2025 Clausura season.
Forward Jasmine Casarez (27) of the U.S.; she played at Radford University in Virginia and with the Puerto Rico Sol in Mayaguez. She came to the club for the 2021-22 Clausura and has scored 38 goals in 95 Liga MX Femenil regular season and playoff matches, including seven goals in 14 matches for the 2024-25 Apertura with Juarez.
Forward Prisca Chilufya (25) of Zambia was a late cut from their 2023 WWC Finals team and has played at home with Red Arrows, then in Kazakhstan with BIIK Kazygurt and earlier this year with Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey. At Juarez, since the 2023-24 Apertura, she scored 13 goals in 44 regular season and playoff matches in her time, including three goals in 14 matches in the Apertura 2024, with one coming in two playoff games.
Forward Alondra Blanco (25) of the U.S.; she joined Juarez from Judson University in Elgin (suburban Chicago), Illinois and scored three goals in six regular season matches during the 2024 Clausura, but was scoreless in six matches during the recent 2024-25 Apertura. She also played at Harper (Community College in Palatine, Illinois and was the first women’s soccer player from Judson University to turn professional when she first signed with Juarez in December of 2023.
Forward Destinney Duron (28) of the U.S.; she played at Cal State University-Northridge and first played in Mexico in early 2020 (2019-20 Clausura) with Club America, after trying out with the team for a month. She then played three and one-half seasons with Toluca through the 2023-24 Apertura, when she joined Juarez for the 2023-24 Clausura. In Juarez she has one goal in 14 regular season and playoff matches and, overall in Liga MX Femenil, she has 26 goals in 112 (regular season and playoffs) matches.
Manager Oscar Fernandez (37) of Spain joined Juarez following two seasons with Atlético de Madrid Femenina, after coaching the two previous seasons with Madrid CFF Femenina.
One import who did not return to the league was midfielder Sayuri Watari (23) of Japan, who scored seven goals in 13 Apertura matches for Bravas de FC Juarez in the 2023-24 season. In Japan she played for Urawa Red Diamonds, Okinawa Deigos, and then with the Nashville Rhythm F.C. in the summer WPSL league. While playing at the University of Tennessee Southern in 2021, she was the team’s Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the NAIA national championship, playing in 23 games and scoring 17 goals and adding 26 assists. She moved to the Tampa Bay Sun of the new USL Super League for 2024-25.
New imports for 2024-25 were:
Defender Janelly Farias (33) of the U.S.; she was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and played at the University of New Mexico and UC Irvine. She has played in Mexico since 2019 with Guadalajara, America and Pachuca before moving to Juarez for the 2024 Clausura. She has scored 22 goals in 156 regular season and playoff matches since the 2019-2020 Apertura. She also played in Cyprus with Apollon in 2017. Farias is a full Mexican international.
Defender Giselle Espinoza (19) of the U.S.; she played for Mexico at this summer’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia, where Mexico lost 1-0 to the Americans (3-2 after extra time in the Round of 16). In the U.S. she played with Southern Soccer Academy in Marietta, Georgia in the amateur W League. She played with Pachuca in the 2023-24 season, splitting time between the Liga MX Femenil and the U-19 side. She played in seven games with Juarez during the 2024-25 Apertura regular season and playoffs.
Midfielder Aurelie Kaci (35) of France; she is a full international for France who moved from Club America during the summer to join Juarez. She played two seasons (since the 2022-23 Apertura) with the Aguilas, scoring nine times in 76 regular season and playoff games. With her new club, she made 10 appearances in the 2024-25 Apertura. She previously had played at Real Madrid, as well as Lyon and PSG at home.
Forward Dayana Milan (24) of the U.S.; she played with Club America in the 2023-24 Clausura, appearing in 13 games (regular season and playoffs). She moved to Juarez this summer for the 2024-25 Apertura and scored four goals in 12 games in the regular season and once in one playoff game. She grew up in Connecticut.
Note: Forward Monica Desiree Monsivais (36) of Mexico joined Juarez for the 2024-25 Apertura. She started playing in the league in the 2018-19 Apertura with Monterrey and was the first Liga MX Femenil player to top 100 goals. She currently has 112 goals in 198 league matches. She played with Monterrey through the 2022-23 Clausura and then spent a year with UNAM Pumas. A full international with Mexico, she also played with the Toronto Lynx of the W League, BIIK Kazygurt of Kazakhstan and Glasgow City of Scotland. After scoring once in eleven regular season and playoff matches with Juarez, one of the true trailblazers for the Mexican league announced her retirement from the game in December.
Gallos Blancos of Queretaro
Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Deisy Ojeda (24) of Paraguay; she has played in Queretaro with Gallos Blancos since the 2022-23 Clausura, appearing in 57 regular season games with three goals scored. Ojeda has played for Paraguay at the 2016 U-17 and 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cups and at the senior level. She played at home with Olimpia in Asuncion earlier this year and in 2020 with Maccabi Kishronot Hadera in Israel.
Defender Eliza Quiroz (19) of the U.S.; she is from Georgia in the Southeastern U.S. and qualifies to play for Mexico. She played five matches with the Liga MX Femenil in the 2023 Apertura as well as seven matches with the club’s U-19 side. She first joined the club for the 2022-23 Clausura, playing in one game, and last season played only with the U-19’s, making 15 appearances in the 2024-25 Apertura and scoring twice.
New import signings for 2024-25 were:
Midfielder Emily Flores (23) of Costa Rica; she had two goals in 15 matches this fall for Queretaro and is a full international for the Ticas.
Midfielder Adriana Ojeda (27) of Colombia played in one match for Queretaro in the 2024 Apertura. She previously played in Argentina with Ferro for a short time after time at home with Millonarios.
Forward Wendis Cabrera (20) of Colombia; she scored four times in 16 matches in her first stint in Liga MX Femenile during the 2024 Apertura after time with La Equidad of Bogota in Colombia, where over the past two seasons she scored 10 times in 28 matches.
Forward Solange Lemos (22) of Uruguay joined the side for the 2023-24 Clausura and has scored four goals in 32 matches. She is a full international with Uruguay who played previously with Nacional at home, winning league championships in 2022 and 2024.
Mazatlán
Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Samantha Lopez Archila (21) of the U.S.; she joined UNAM Pumas for the 2022-23 Apertura and then joined Mazatlán for the 2023-24 Apertura. In two and one-half seasons in Mexico she has five goals in 63 matches. She grew up in California, played internationally for Mexico at the U-20 level, but in 2024 joined Guatemala’s WNT for friendlies against Chile, defeating the South Americans 4-3 in Guatemala City on May 29 and then losing 6-1 on June 1 in the nation’s capital city.
Midfielder Soumaya Bouak (22) of Canada; she played at the University of Ottawa and won the Gold Medal for Canada in 2019 at the FISU University World Cup and another Gold Medal in 2022 at the FISU Americas Championship, defeating a side from Brazil in the final. She is a full international for Algeria. She joined Mazatlán for the 2023-24 Apertura and in a year and one-half has scored four goals in 29 games.
Midfielder Sinoxolo Cesane (24) of South Africa; she is a full international for Banyana Banyana who played in the States for the Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves of the USL’s W League and at East Tennessee State University. She also played at Reims in France. She first came to Mexico with Tigres in the 2022-23 Clausura and joined Mazatlán for the 2023-24 Clausura, where she scored five goals in 10 matches. In the 2024-25 Apertura, she scored once in 15 games for Mazatlán FC.
New imports for 2024/25 include:
Midfielder Chinyelu Asher (31) of the U.S. A Jamaican international who played in the 2019 WWC in France—who TribalFootball.com has interviewed in the past when she played for BIIK-Kazygurt in Kazakhstan—she then moved to Santa Fe in Colombia, Stabaek of Norway, AIK Stockholm in Sweden and Toreense of Portugal before joining Mazatlán this fall. She played in 15 matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Forward Enekia Lunyamila (22) of Tanzania; she had 20 goals in 28 internationals for Tanzania’s WNT and scored 7 goals in 14 games for Eastern Flames in Saudi Arabia in 2023-24—a stellar performance for the overmatched side which totaled 4 points in 14 matches and scored only 12 goals all season as they finished seventh of eight teams in the league. She continued her strong goalscoring form in Mazatlán with six goals in 14 games during the 2024 Apertura. She previously played for Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine, Assotiation Union Sportive Feminine Assa Zag of Morocco and Ruvuma Queens at home.
Forward Olga Massombo (25) of Congo DR; she grew up in Montreal, Quebec in Canada and played at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She scored two goals in nine matches for Mazatlán during the 2024-25 Apertura. She is a full international for DR Congo.
Forward Hildah Magaia of South Africa; she played during the 2024 Clausura for Mazatlán, scoring three goals in 15 games. Magaia was then loaned to the Kansas City Current in August for the last half of the NWSL season. She appeared in six matches for the Current who made the NWSL semifinals in 2024. Her loan agreement was not renewed by Kansas City and she returned to Mazatlán for the 2024-25 Clausura. She has 30 caps for the South African WNT and scored against Sweden in a 2-1 loss in the 2023 WWC.
UANL Tigres
Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Anika Rodriguez (27) of the U.S.; she was born in California, played at UCLA, and spent two years with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands after not seeing any action in 2020 as a National Team Replacement player with the Portland Thorns of the NWSL. She was a U.S. U-17 international and capped by Mexico at the full level in 2021. Since joining Tigres for the 2022-23 Apertura campaign, she played in 84 regular season and playoff games across three seasons.
Defender Athalie Palomo (24) of the U.S.; she was born in Texas, played for the University of Pittsburgh and with Mexico’s U-20 national team. She joined UANL for the 2023 Clausura and has played in only three regular season league matches to date.
Midfielder Chrestinah Kgatlana (28) of South Africa; she joined Tigres for the 2023-24 Clausura for the second largest transfer fee in Liga MX Femenil history at $275,000. She played in the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cups for South Africa and has played in the NWSL (with Racing Louisville and Houston Dash), in Portugal with Benfica, Eibar and Atletico Madrid in Spain and Beijing BG Phoenix in China. She has 13 goals in 39 Liga MX Femenil regular season and playoff matches.
Forward Jenni Hermoso (34) of Spain; the world-class player is still a star for Spain’s WNT, with 114 caps and 57 goals and won the 2023 WWC. She also heroically dealt with the pressure and duress after then Federation President Luis Rubales kissed her on the lips during the celebration after Spain’s 1-0 Final win over England and is now a true global leader for women’s rights. She won seven league titles at home—five with Barcelona and one each Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, along with the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League title with Barcelona—and also played at Paris St. Germain in France.
Her signing with Pachuca for the 2022-23 season made a huge positive statement for Liga MX Femenil around the world and she had 18 goals in 17 2023 Clausura regular season matches. She moved to Tigres for the 2023-24 Clausura and scored three goals in 10 regular season matches during the 2024-25 Apertura, around her busy national team schedule with Olympic Games Finals, UEFA Nations League and friendly matches. In total she has 36 goals in 75 regular season and playoff matches in Liga MX Femenil.
Forward Maricarmen Reyes (24) of the U.S.; she has played internationally for Mexico at the U-17, U-20 and senior levels. She played at UCLA in Southern California and won a UWS league title with Los Angeles Galaxy-OC (Orange County) in the summer of 2019. She scored six goals in 16 regular season matches in her first campaign with Tigres during the 2022-23 Clausura—and then scored 15 goals in 15 regular season matches—tying with Guadalajara’s Alicia Cervantes for the Golden Boot—and one goal in six playoff matches during the 2023 Apertura. She scored two goals in 11 2024-25 Apertura regular season matches and added three goals in four games in the playoffs. In total, she has scored 34 goals in 74 regular season and playoff matches in Mexico.
Forward Tatiana Flores (19) of Canada; the highly touted Mexican youth international has played for Mexico at the U-17 FIFA Finals in 2022 in India and at this summer’s U-20 WWC in Colombia. She was born in Canada and grew up in England. She played for Chelsea at the Academy Level and joined Tigres for the 2023-24 Clausura after a loan spell at Real Oveido (from Chelsea). She has only played a few matches in her one year in Mexico between the U-19 and senior side but is still definitely one to track for the future.
Manager Milagros “Mila’ Martinez (39) of Spain joined the club for the 2023-24 Apertura, winning the league title in her first campaign in Mexico, and has coached for Suzuka Point Getters male side in Japan—a first for a female coach in Japan. She had an immediate effect on Ciudad Juarez when she first came to Mexico for the 2022-23 season by leading the club to the playoffs for the first time in the 2023 Clausura.
Note: Mexican international Alexia Delgado (25) has played with Tigres since the 2023-24 Apertura and has 2 goals in 70 matches. She previously played for Cruz Azul in the 2022-23 Clausura, scoring once in 13 games. She played five seasons at Arizona State University. Before college, she played for Club America in the first season of the league in 2017-18 before moving to ASU, where she joined just after playing in the 2018 U-20 WWC in France for Mexico and left college football as a full international. She now has over 30 WNT caps.
Recent import departures include:
Defender Konya Plummer (27) of Jamaica; she was born in Jamaica and played collegiately in the States at Southeastern University in Florida and at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She played in Sweden with AIK on loan from the Orlando Pride. Plummer captained Jamaica at the 2019 WWC Finals in France and was on the 2023 side that advanced to the Round of 16 in Australia/New Zealand. She has over 30 caps for Jamaica. She scored twice in 16 matches with Tigres and then moved to Fenerbache of Turkey for the 2024-25 season, where she has played in 11 games to date.
Midfielder Alex Chidiac (25) of Australia was on loan from Racing Louisville during the Apertura 2023 season but was released by Racing at the end of the season after Racing’s Swedish head coach Kim Borkegren was dispatched at the end of the 2023 NWSL season. Chidiac played in nine games for Tigres in the fall (including three in the playoffs). At the end of her loan period, on December 30, she signed a permanent contract with Melbourne Victory through the end of the 2025-26 season. She played with Victory during the two previous A-League Women seasons and her stellar performances there helped her make the 2023 WWC Finals squad, after being a late cut for the 2019 WWC Finals in France, when she was playing club ball in Spain with Atletico Madrid.
Forward Evelyn Ijeh (22) of Sweden has been capped at the U-17 and U-20 level and at the full level in 2024. She played in the Damallsvenskan with Kopparbergs/Goteborg/Hacken from 2018 through 2021 before spending the 2022 season in the second tier Elitettan with Vaxjo (scoring 22 goals in 25 games) for the second division title winners. She then scored 10 goals in 17 games in 2023 with promoted Vaxjo in the Damallsvenskan. She played seven matches for Tigres for the 2023-24 Apertura and then was loaned to Milan in Italy in early 2024, where she has since signed a permanent deal. During the 2024-25 Serie A season to date, she has scored four times in 13 regular season matches.
New signings for 2024-25 included:
Defender Ana Da Silva Seica (23) of Portugal; she joined Tigres from Benfica at home and played in 16 regular season and six 2024 Apertura matches. She has played for Portugal at multiple youth and the senior level; she was part of their debut side at the 2023 WWC Finals in Australia-New Zealand.
Defender Bianca Sierra (32) of the U.S.; she was born in California, played collegiately at Auburn University in Alabama and has over 60 caps for Mexico’s WNT. She played in the U-20 WWCs in Germany in 2010 and Japan in 2012. She has played in the NWSL, in Norway, Iceland and been with Tigres since the 2019-20 Clausura, appearing in 107 regular season and playoff matches.
Midfielder Natalia Colin (19) of the U.S.; she grew up in Illinois, and debuted with Toluca at the age of 17. She is the captain of the Mexican U-20 WNT and was with the side in Colombia’s U-20 FIFA Finals this summer. She also played in the U-17 WWC in 2022 in India. Colin played with Toluca since the 2021-22 Apertura and scored seven goals in 77 regular season and playoff games, with one goal in five games with Tigres in the 2024-25 Apertura in her first campaign with the Monterrey powerhouse.
Forward Ana Costa Mendes (27) of Portugal; she joined the Portland Thorns to start the 2024 season and had one goal in 10 regular season matches. She then was transferred to Tigres and scored three goals in 11 regular season matches in the 2024 Apertura, with one goal in five playoff matches. She previously played for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, helping the club win its first league title in 2022. In three seasons with Zenit, she scored 36 goals in 70 matches.
Puebla FC
Defender Bárbara Murillo (29) of Honduras, who was most recently with Lustenau Dornbirn in Austria, is the Honduras WNT captain; she has also played in Colombia, Peru and the States. She signed for Puebla—a colonial city an hour south of Mexico City and a major automotive manufacturing hub for Volkswagen— for the 2024 Clausura season and played in seven games. She then appeared in 13 matches in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Camila Fonseca (26) of the U.S.; the Northern California native played at Las Positas (Community) College in Livermore, California. She joined Puebla for the 2022-23 Apertura and has scored two goals in 58 games for the club. Fonseca made 12 appearances during the 2024 Apertura.
Midfielder Anna Loftus (25) of England; she played at Lamar University and Louisiana Tech University in the States. She joined Puebla during the 2023-24 Clausura campaign and has played in 14 games with the club—eight in the 2024-25 Apertura and scored her first goal in the league.
Note: Defender Lucia Yanez (23) of the U.S., who played collegiately at Cypress College and Cal-State-Dominguez Hills, joined Puebla in January of 2024 but only played in one match during the 2024-25 Apertura and in October left the team, the league and the country after receiving severe harassment and bullying by fans in the city. She endured horrible incidents including threats that she would be harmed, defamation on social media, flyers distributed at a home match attacking her nationality and other personal abuse, and even having her apartment stoned.
Unfortunately, the club was unsupportive of her—they told her to take two days off of training to “clear her mind” and to close her social media accounts. Puebla also requested that she not talk about the issue because it might reflect badly on the team—clearly putting the team’s identity ahead of player safety. Yanez then went to the State Prosecutors office and showed evidence of her harassment but, after they refused to help, she was forced to leave the country. The head coach and sporting director for the team at the time have since left the club.
As a result, Yanez had to give up her dream of playing professional football. These sorts of incidents, including abuse of players from coaches, have happened in the past in Liga MX Femenil, which we discussed last year in an interview with Puebla’s former American player Nikkole Teja (see: The Week in Women Football: Nikkole Teja exclusive - retirement, social media & potential Queens League signing - Tribal Football). The Mexican Federation and league clubs have to put a stop to these incidents of abuse and start protecting their players. The league, which has been a key importer of international talent over the past years and a key source of developing Mexican internationals, will find that—if they don’t stop this abuse—that players will start avoiding the league and particular teams. It also seems that their American diaspora are particular a target of these cases.
New imports at Puebla for 2024-25 included:
Defender Alexandra Aguilar Figueroa (25) of the U.S.; she grew up in Texas and also qualifies to play for Mexico. She played in nine 2024 Apertura games for Puebla. She previously played in the league for Juarez from the 2019 Clausura through the 2020-21 Clausura, appearing in 23 matches.
Defender Alyssa Oviedo (24) of the U.S.; she played collegiately at the University of Vermont and has played for the Dominican Republic’s U-20 and full national teams. She also qualified to play for Peru and the U.S.; she played in eight matches for Puebla during the 2024 Apertura.
Midfielder Sebelle Rojas (24) of the U.S.; she grew up in California, played collegiately at Seattle University and tried out for the Mexican youth national team program as a 16-year old. She scored twice in 17 matches during the 2024 Apertura.
Forward Venicia Juarez (24) of the U.S.; she played for Princeton University and Mexico at the U-17 and U-20 levels, including at the 2018 U-20 WWC in France. She has played a year each at UNAM Pumas, Mazatlán and joined Puebla for the 2024 Apertura, scoring once in four matches. She scored five goals in 26 appearances with the Pumas in her first season in Mexico. She has scored 10 goals in 49 Liga MX Femenil matches to date.
Forward Alycia Morin (25) of Canada; the Montreal native played three seasons at Bishop’s University in Quebec and then at Boston College and the University of Missouri. She appeared in eight matches in the 2024 Apertura in her first campaign with the club.
Note: Coach Carolos Morales (45) of Mexico is the head coach and previously was the head coach at Atletico Morelia in the Primera Division (second tier) in 2023.
Pumas UNAM
Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Deneisha Blackwood of Jamaica (26); she played at Navarro Community College in Texas and then at the University of West Florida. She then had brief stints in the NWSL with Orlando Pride (2020) and Houston Dash (2021), as well as at Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic; she also spent time with GPSO 92 Issy in France. She has been on Jamaica’s WWC Finals side in 2019 and 2023. She joined Pumas for the 2023-24 Apertura and has scored 11 times in the Mexican league, with four goals coming in 16 regular season matches in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Defender Yaneisy Rodriguez (22) of the U.S.; she grew up in Eastern Washington of Mexican parents, played at the University of Washington and started in Mexico with Necaxa for the 2021-22 Clausura. Rodriguez is in her third full year with UNAM and has played in 76 regular season and playoff matches in the league.
Midfielder Michelle Gonzalez (24) of the U.S.; she played at North Texas University and Dallas Baptist University. She joined Pumas for the 2023-24 Clausura and has played in 27 league and playoff matches at the club, starting 17 of them.
Midfielder Aerial Chavarin (26) of the U.S.; she played at Yale University and spent time with the Chicago Red Stars and with Keflavik in Iceland. She has 33 goals in 81 regular season and playoff matches across three seasons with Pumas, first joining the club during the 2021-22 Clausura. She scored five goals in 15 2024 Apertura regular season matches.
Midfielder Cristina Torres (24) of Puerto Rico; she is a full international and played with the Puerto Rico Sol before moving to Mexico for the Clausura 2022-23 with Mazatlán, scoring four times in 46 matches. She then moved to Pumas for the 2024-25 Apertura, making 14 regular appearances in the fall and playing in her first playoff games (2) in the league.
Forward Sindia Arteaga (23) of the U.S.; she played at Cal State-Northridge. She joined UNAM for the 2023-24 Apertura, scoring four goals in 23 games, with three goals coming in 13 regular season matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
She recently discussed her preference for the style of play in Liga MX Femenil versus the NWSL with ESPN in September of 2024, saying: “I wouldn’t really fit into the NWSL. It is so direct, it’s fast, and I feel like here, we kind of take our time and we pass (the ball) around and—not that they (in the NWSL) don’t, but I feel like it’s just super direct. I felt like I fit here.”
Forward Stephanie Ribeiro (30) of the U.S.; she played professionally in Norway, Iceland—scoring 10 goals in 15 games with Throttur of Reykjavik in the summer of 2020—and in the 2020-21 season with Koge of Denmark, where she had five goals in 12 games and won the league title. She played collegiately at the University of Connecticut. She first came to Mexico for the Apertura 2021-2022 with Club America, scoring once in 11 games. She then crossed Mexico City to join Pumas for the Clausura 2022-23 season and has scored 45 goals in 76 regular season and playoffs matches for the University-affiliated Pumas. She could play internationally for the U.S., Brazil and Portugal and was first capped by the latter side in a Women’s EURO Qualifier in July against Malta, scoring a goal in Portugal’s 2-0 win.
New import signings for the 2024-25 campaign included:
Defender Carina Felipe (26) of Uruguay; she is a full international for Uruguay. At the club level, she has played at home for Nacional and joined Pumas from River Plate in Argentina, who she played for since 2020. She scored once in 19 regular season and playoff games during the 2024 Apertura with Pumas.
Manager Marcello “Tchelo” Frigerio (53) of Brazil was born in Italy and has been a long-time coach of various teams in Brazil, including Juventus, Sao Caetano, Foz Cataratas and Gremio and coached the women’s national teams for Paraguay in 2022-23 and Equatorial Guinea in 2011 at the Women’s World Cup in Germany. She joined UNAM Pumas in January of 2024.
Santos Laguna
New imports for 2024/25 included:
Defender Maria Peraza (30) of Venezuela; she played at home, in Ecuador and for three clubs in Colombia: Santa Fe, Millonarios and Atletico Nacional, before joining Cruz Azul for the 2022-23 season. She spent two seasons at Cruz Azul in central Mexico City before joining Santos Laguna for the 2024-25 Apertura campaign and appeared in 15 games. In her Liga MX Femenil career, she has played in 73 games with three goals.
Defender Alessandra Ramirez (24) of the U.S.; she signed with Chivas in July of 2023 after a two week training period. She was born in the U.S. but her father is of Mexican decent. She played at Cerritos (Community) College and Rio Honda College in Whittier, California and has been capped by Mexico at the U-17 level. She played only four games during the 2023-24 Clausura (one during the playoffs) with Chivas Guadalajara and moved to Santos this summer, appearing in nine matches during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Maria Del Verdun (26) of Uruguay; she came to Mexico for the 2021 Apertura with Mazatlán and then moved to Atlas Guadalajara for the 2022-23 seasons before returning to Mazatlán for the 2023-24 Apertura. She scored four goals in 48 matches for the two clubs before joining Santos for the 2024-25 Apertura, where she scored once in 13 matches.
Midfielder Domenica Rodriguez (24) of Ecuador; she joined Santos Laguna for the 2024-25 season, appearing in 17 games. She had previously played at home with Espuce FC.
Forward Sandra Nabweteme (28) of Uganda; she played at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and has a degree in Engineering Physics. She played in Iceland, Israel and Turkey and moved to Mexico for the 2024 Apertura, where she scored three goals in 5 games. In Turkey, she scored 10 goals in 30 games with Karadeniz Eregli Belediye Spor in Turkey
Forward Vivian Ikechukwu (27) of Nigeria; she is a full international who won two league titles at home with Rivers Angels, then an A Lyga title in Lithuania with FC Gintra. She joined Cruz Azul for the 2024 Apertura after one and one-half years with Besiktas of Turkey, playing in 30 matches and scoring nine times. She joined Santos Laguna for the 2025 Clausura season.
General Liga MX Femenil/WNT NotesLast year we reported that three clubs were pursuing Switzerland international forward Alisha Lehmann (25), who at the time was with Aston Villa of the WSL (see more in our column last summer: The Week in Women's Football: A-League check; Mexico for Lehmann; Liga MX review - TribalFootball.com). She currently has 16.8 million Instagram followers—the most of any female footballer—and 11.8 million followers on TikTok. Reports in England were that Club America, Querétaro and León were all trying to sign her. She ended up moving to current Serie A leaders Juventus in Italy instead, where she has scored two goals in 12 matches thus far this season.
In England, new head coach Robert Vilahamn has brought in former Mexico international Bri Campos (30) as women’s first-team coach, pending approval of her work permit. Vilahamn, a native of Sweden, coached with Campos in Sweden with BK Hacken, which finished second in the 2024 Damallsvenskan and were runners-up in the Swedish Cup final. She was born in the U.S., played at Baylor University in Texas and in Scandinavia with Aland United in Finland and Vittsjo and Umea in Sweden. She played a few games internationally for Mexico at the U-20 and senior levels.
Liga MX Femenil NWSL and CONCACAF tournaments
In the NWSL versus Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, as we discussed last month, (see: The Week in Women's Football: NWSL review - PI; Hines guides Orlando Pride to First - TribalFootball.com), no Liga MX Femenil teams made the semifinals. The first year of the tournament involved all 14 NWSL teams and six from Mexico—the top six point getters in the 2023 Opening and Closing tournaments: Tigres UANL, Club America, Guadalajara Chivas, Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana. Mexican teams combined won only three of 16 games against NWSL sides, with single wins by Tijuana (3-2 over Seattle Reign), Club America (2-0 against San Diego Wave), and Guadalajara (1-0 versus Chicago—after 90 minutes on penalties).
All the games were held in the U.S. and it was preseason for Liga MX Femenil teams ahead of the 2024-25 Apertura, plus the NWSL teams were on their Summer Olympic Games Finals break with a lot of their top Americans and imports away in France. The tournament thus had a decidedly friendly/pre-season tone to it.
The CONCACAF W Champions Final went much better for the Liga MX Femenil sides, with two of the three sides advancing to the semifinals: UANL Tigres and Club America, with two-time consecutive league champions Monterrey being eliminated in the Group Stage.
In Group A, Tigres (10 points) and NJ/NY Gotham FC (8 points) advanced to the semifinals, ahead of Monterrey (7 points), Alajelense of Costa Rica (3 points) and Frazsiers Whip of Jamaica (0 points), who scored only one goal and surrendered 30 in four games.
In Group B, Club America topped their group with Portland Thorns—both on 9 points but Aguilas had a better goal difference (+11 vs. +8), while San Diego was eliminated despite also having 9 points, but had a goal difference of +4, with Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite in fourth on 3 points and Santa Fe of Panama with 0 points, scoring twice with 11 goals allowed.
Over the holidays, CONCACAF announced that UANL Tigres will host the W Champions Cup finals in May in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, at Estadio Universitario. In the semifinals on May 21, Tigres will face the Portland Thorns of the NWSL, while in the second game Club America will face Gotham FC of the NWSL. On May 24, the winners will play for the regional club championship while the semifinal’s defeated teams will play off for third.
The tournament is the only way for CONCACAF clubs (including NWSL) to qualify for the new FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which will begin in January 2026 with 16 clubs. As of press time, we have no further details on the new FIFA tournament, other than it will be held every four years. We would expect CONCACAF to have two teams at least in the tournament, given their historic strong women’s leagues in the U.S. and Mexico.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey