This week, we look at seven clubs: Atlas Guadalajara, Atletico San Luis, Club America, 2024 Apertura Champions CF Monterrey, CF Pachuca, Leon and Necaxa.
Liga MX Femenil 2024-25 Apertura Review
Monterrey Rayadas won their second consecutive championship (including the 2023-24 Clausura or Closing) title and fourth overall since the league started for the Apertura 2017. Monterrey defeated town rivals UANL Tigres 4-3 on penalties after a 3-3 deadlock after the two legs of the championship final—this was the third time that they have defeated Tigres in the title series. Regarding the eight playoff teams, the only difference from the teams that made the 2023-24 Clausura playoffs teams was Toluca making the playoffs in the 2024-25 Apertura, with Leon missing out this past campaign.
During the Apertura 2024 season, the Golden Boot was won by Charlyn Corral of Pachuca (18), with Guatemalan international Aisha Solorzano of Tijuana second with 16 goals. Next were Mexican internationals Lizbeth Ovalle of UANL with 15 goals, Kiana Palacios of Club America with 13 goals and Alicia Cervantes of Guadalajara with 11 goals, tied with Portuguese international Stephanie Ribeiro of UNAM, who also had 11 goals. American native Sarah Luebbert of Club America had 10 goals, while American-born Mexican international Christina Burkenroad of Monterrey, Nigerian international Chinwendu Ihezuo of Pachuca and Costa Rican international Maria Salas of Atlas Guadalajara all had nine tallies. See more about these top scorers in the individual team details below and in the coming weeks.
Looking at individual team attendances, the 2024 Apertura average per game was 1,875. There were seven teams above the league average, led by the two Monterrey teams of Rayadas (7,370) and UANL Tigres (5,643), then Guadalajara (2,868), Toluca (2,469), Juarez (2,169), and the Mexico City sides Club America (2,060) and UNAM Pumas (2,028). Four teams averaged less than 600 fans: Leon (577), Mazatlan (439), Santos Laguna (375) and Mexico City side Cruz Azul (202).
Playoffs
In early November, in the quarterfinal two-leg ties, Monterrey advanced over Toluca after a 1-1 aggregate deadlock due to their higher regular season seeding. After a 0-0 aggregate first leg tie, Tigres blasted UNAM Pumas 7-1 on aggregate, winning the second tie at home by the same score. Club America also won by a wide margin (7-3 on aggregate) over traditional rivals Chivas of Guadalajara. Pachuca also advanced due to their higher seeding over Juarez after a 2-2 aggregate tie following the two legs. The first game attracted 8,010 to Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in Ciudad Juarez, while only 3,171 attended the second leg at Estadio Hildago in Pachuca.
In the semifinals in mid-November, Monterrey overwhelmed Pachuca 7-1 on aggregate, with 3-0 and 4-1 wins. UANL Tigres had 1-1 ties (in Mexico City) and 2-2 (in the second leg in Monterrey) and thus advanced due to the higher seed.
In the finals, with the first leg played on November 22 and the second leg on November 25, Greta Espinoza (29)—who was born in Tijuana, Mexico, played at Arizona Western Community College and Oregon State University and is closing in on 50 caps with Mexico’s WNT—scored in the 79th minute in the first leg Tigres 1-0 win. In the second leg, Mexican international Katty Martinez (26) scored in the 97th minute after Monterrey fought back from a 2-0 deficit to win the game 3-2, which deadlocked the aggregate scores at 3-3.
Monterrey won the title on penalties 4-3 as Tigres’ Jimena Lopez (25)—a full international who was born in Mexico City, played at Texas A&M and in Spain, Iceland and with OL Reign in the NWSL—and Mexican youth international Natalia Villarreal (26) failed to score, as did Monterrey’s Myra Delgadillo (29) and Mexican international goalkeeper Pamela Tajonar (40), who has now won league titles in Mexico, Sweden (with Malmo) and Spain (with Barcelona). Netherlands international Merel van Dongen scored the winning penalty in the sixth round. Monterrey’s home second leg at Estadio BBVA drew 50,008 to see the thrilling match.
Atlas Guadalajara
Returning imports from last season included:
Goalkeeper Daniela Solera (27); she is a full Costa Rican international and has played club football at home, in Colombia, Finland and Spain. She was with the Ticas at last summer’s WWC Finals. She joined the club for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 33 matches to date for Atlas
Defender Daniela Cruz (33) of Costa Rica; Cruz is approaching 40 caps with the Tica women and played professionally in Serbia, Spain and collegiately at the University of West Florida in Pensacola earlier in her career. She joined Atlas for the 2022-23 Clausura and to date has played in 38 regular season and playoff games for Atlas.
Midfielder Kayla Fernandez (23) of the U.S.; she played at the University of Tulsa, scoring six goals and 11 assists in five seasons, and is a Mexican youth international. She joined Atlas for the 2023-24 Clausura, and has played in 30 matches, with 2 goals during the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Ashley Lopez (20) of the U.S.; she grew up in Illinois but qualifies to play internationally for both the U.S. and Mexico. She first joined the side for the 2021-22 Clausura, playing in only one match. She has played a few matches since with the U-19 side but in the 2023-24 Clausura and 2024-25 Apertura has played in 10 matches during each senior league campaign.
Forward Maria Salas (22) of Costa Rica; she came from Monterrey, who she joined for the 2022-23 Apertura and played in 14 regular season and playoff games (with one goal) during one full season. She then moved to Atlas for the 2023-24 Apertura and has scored 16 goals in 36 regular season matches. She previously played with Chievo Verona in Serie B in Italy.
Forward Brenda Ceren (25) of El Salvador; a youth and full international who played with Alianza at home for five years and joined Atlas of Guadalajara for the 2022-23 Clausura. She has 12 goals in 67 regular season and playoff games thus far with Atlas.
New import signings for 2024-25 were:
Goalkeeper Yaren Yanez-couto (19) of the U.S.; she played in three games in the 2024 Apertura and is a U-19 Mexican international. She went to high school in Soquel, California—in Northern California near Monterrey Bay.
Atletico San Luis
Returning imports from last season included:
Forward Farlyn Caicedo (26) of Colombia; she joined San Luis for the 2024 Clausura from Club Universitario de Deportes in Peru, scoring three goals in 32 regular season matches in Mexico. She also played in Turkey with ALG Spor and Pozoalbense in Spain. She won a league title in Colombia with Deportivo Cali in 2021 and finished as a runner-up for the league title in 2022.
New imports this season include:
Defender Gabrielle Gayle (24) of Jamaica; she played at the University of South Alabama and grew up in Spanish Town, Jamaica. She is a youth and full international for Jamaica. She played in nine 2024-25 Apertura matches for San Luis.
Defender Elaily Hernandez-Represa (24) of the U.S. She played at Washington State University after growing up in California. She is a youth international for El Salvador. She played in 17 matches in her first Liga MX Femenil campaign during the 2024 Apertura.
Defender Ghislane Lopez (18) of the U.S. has been a trainee for Atlético de San Luis, starting in the U-17 category and then moving up to the U-18’s and currently is with the U-19’s, where she is a starter. In the Apertura 2024, she played in two Liga MX Femenil matches and 18 for the U-19 team in the regular season and playoffs and 46 U-19 matches since joining the side for the 2023-24 Apertura. She grew up in Texas.
Forward Enyer Higuera (23) of Venezuela; she won a league title with Santa Fe in Colombia in 2023 and also played at UD Tenerife in Spain and Yaracuyanos FC in San Felipe, Venezuela. She played in two matches for San Luis during the 2024 Apertura.
Forward Isidora Olave (22) of Chile. She is a full international and moved to Atletico San Luis last summer form Colo-Colo at home. She won a 2023 Pan-American Games Silver Medal, which was held at home in Chile, and won two league titles at home. In the 2024-25 Apertura, she scored two goals in 17 matches in her debut campaign in the Mexican league.
Club America
This club has been the largest importer into the league over the past few seasons, with a few from Europe but many drawing from Mexico’s vast States-based diaspora.
Returning imports included:
Defender Jocelyn Orejel (28) of the U.S., who is a full Mexican international. She played at the University of Colorado and then briefly in France. She started playing in Mexico with Tijuana in the 2019-20 campaign. After one season in the border city, she moved to Club America for the 2020-21 Apertura and has nine goals in 169 Liga MX regular season and playoff matches to date. She played in 14 regular season and playoff matches in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Defender Karina Rodriguez (25) of the U.S.; she is another U.S.-born Mexican international who joined America for the 2022-23 Clausura. Rodriguez has played in 75 regular season and playoff matches through the 2024-25 Apertura season. She was a youth international at multiple levels for the U.S. before switching to Mexico at the senior level.
Defender Kimberly Rodriguez (25) of the U.S.; she grew up in the States and played at the University of Oklahoma. She played in the NWSL in 2022 with the Washington Spirit. She joined America for the 2022-23 Clausura and has played in 75 league and playoff matches for Aguilas. She played with Mexico at youth and the senior level.
Defender Sabrina Enciso (25) of the U.S.; the California native played at the University of Arizona and FC Tucson in the WPSL and joined the Aguilas for the 2022-23 Apertura and is in her third season with the club, playing to date in 78 games in all competitions.
Midfielder Nicolette Hernandez (25) of the U.S.; born in Illinois, she played at the University of Michigan and has been with Club America for three seasons (since the 2021-22 Clausura), totaling 99 league games with eight goals. She is a full international for Mexico.
Midfielder Alexa Soto (17) of U.S.; she played for Mexico’s U-17 WNT this summer at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic. She scored once in four matches in the 2024-25 Apertura. She joined the club for the 2023-24 Apertura and played largely with CA’s U-19 side, totaling 26 regular season and playoff matches with 12 goals scored.
Midfield Sarah Luebbert (27) of the U.S.; she first came to CA on loan from Chicago Red Stars in 2021-22 and was a revelation with her scoring, with 9 goals in 27 matches. She joined Club America permanently for the 2022-23 Clausura and has scored 40 goals in 98 league and playoff matches in total. She played collegiately at the University of Missouri.
Forward Kiana Palacios (28) of the U.S.; she was born in the U.S. but is registered in Mexico as a domestic player and is a full-international for El Tri Femenil, scoring 12 goals in 48 games. She played for US-Irvine and then with Real Sociedad in Spain before joining Club America for the 2021-22 Apertura and has 122 regular season and playoff appearances with 64 goals—69 goals in 130 games overall—and won the 2023 Clausura league title. She played for Mexico at the U-20 WWC in 2016 in Papua New Guinea and won the Gold Medal in the 2023 Pan American Games in Italy. She was drafted by Sky Blue FC in the 2018 college draft (fourth round) but was never signed by the team.
Manager Angel Villacampa (48) of Spain has coached Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club Bilbao and Levante women’s sides in Spain as well as China’s U-17 WNT in 2018-19. He joined America in Mexico City for the 2022-23 season.
One notable departure from last season was:
Midfielder Kheira Hamraoui (33), the former France and ex-Paris St. Germain star; she played in 11 games in the Apertura 2023-24. Hamraoui, who spent time at Barcelona in Spain, was trying to rebuild her career even though she felt she was a victim of a vicious attack allegedly arranged by France and PSG teammate Aminata Diallo (28), who is trying to rebuild her own career in Saudi Arabia. Hamraoui was released by Club America after going goalless in five regular season matches and six Apertura 2023 playoff matches, and ironically, moved to Saudi Arabia and Al-Shabab for the 2024-25 season.
New imports this season include:
Goalkeeper Sandra Panos (31) of Spain, who joined Club America over the summer from Barcelona and Spain’s WNT. Panos was one of 15 players who boycotted the national team after the 2022 EUROs and was not brought in to the 2023 WWC Finals side by now dismissed head coach Jorge Vilda. She won five Liga F titles and three WCL crowns at Barcelona. She played in 16 league matches and four playoff matches at CA in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Defender Chidinma Okeke (24) of Nigeria; she played last season with Mynavi Sendai in Japan and has played in Israel with Hapeil Be’er Sheva and in Spain with Madrid CFF. She started her career with FC Robo Queens at home in the Nigerian Women Football League (NWFL). She played on the 2016 U-17 WWC Finals team in Jordan, the 2018 U-20 WWC side in France, and then was on Nigeria’s roster at the 2019 WWC Finals in France. She played in 13 regular season and playoff games during her debut season for the 2024-25 Apertura, scoring once in four playoff matches.
Midfielder Scarlett Camberos (24) of the U.S. She is a Mexican international who first played with Club America in 2022-23, scoring once in 19 games, but then made a sudden move to Angel City in March of 2023 driven by fears for her safety after repeated incidents of harassment and stalking by fans. She then played this season for NWSL expansion side Bay FC, scoring once in 10 games, before returning to Club America, where she had been team captain. In her return to the Mexico City powerhouse, she scored five goals in 10 matches during the 2024 Apertura and once in four playoff matches during the most recent campaign.
Midfielder Irene Guerrero (28) of Spain; she was a substitute in three matches as Spain won the 2023 WWC—she played at home with Real Betis, Levante and Atletico Madrid before moving to Manchester United for the 2023-24 season. She moved to America for the 2024 Apertura, scoring six goals in 20 regular season and playoff matches.
Midfielder Rebekah Valdez (23) of the U.S. joined CA for the 2024 Apertura from the Portland Thorns, who she joined in July of 2024 as a National Team Replacement Player. In three matches with Club America, she scored once in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match. Valdez recently graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where she recorded 12 goals and 13 assists in 40 matches, across two years. Before GCU, Valdez spent three years at the University of San Diego where she scored three goals in 33 appearances.
Forward Priscila (20) of Brazil has played for both the U-20 and full national team and joined CA from Internacional of Puerto Alegre this season. In Mexico she scored three goals in six regular season matches and two goals in four 2024 Apertura playoff matches. She won a Silver Medal with Brazil at the Paris Olympics this past summer
Monterrey
The 2024-25 Apertura champions had seven imports returning imports from last season, when they also won the league title during the 2023-24 Clausura, including:
Defender Valeria Del Campo (24) of Costa Rica; she is a full international and has been with the Rayadas club since the 2020-21 Apertura and has appeared in 89 regular season and playoff matches in total for the club.
Defender Merel van Dongen (31) of the Netherlands moved to Monterrey on loan from Atletico Madrid in January of 2024. She played two seasons at the University of Alabama and then in the Netherlands (including at Ajax in Amsterdam) and in Spain since 2018-19, first for two seasons with Real Betis and then with Atletico since 2020-21. She was with the Dutch national team at the 2015 and 2023 WWC Finals and has over 60 caps in total. In her first season with Rayadas in the 2023-24 Clausura, she scored six times in 12 regular season games, but none in playoff or regular season matches (21) since then.
Midfielder Juana Plata (24) of the U.S.; she plays internationally for El Salvador. She played at Texas State University and Lamar University in Texas. She joined Monterrey for the 2023-24 Clausura and played in seven regular season games in the two campaigns since. Plata became only the second Texas State Bobcat ever to compete professionally, joining Kayle Davis who played for ZFK Spartak of Serbia in 2020. Plata has been capped over 15 times for El Salvador and helped lead the team to a third-place finish in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, behind winners Mexico and runners-up Venezuela.
Forward Ana Martinez (34) of Guatemala; she joined Monterrey for the 2023-24 Clausura and scored nine goals in 38 Liga MX Femenil regular season and playoff matches. She played with the Houston Dash in their inaugural season of 2014, in Spain with Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Huelva and Madrid CFF and then in Italy, with Napoli, Roma, Sampdoria and Pomigliano. She has 30 caps for Guatemala’s WNT.
Forward Jermaine Seoposenwe (31) of South Africa; she first played in Mexico with Juarez CF for the 2022-23 season, scoring seven goals in 24 regular season and playoff matches in the Apertura and Clausura. She joined Monterrey for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 55 games with Rayadas (with 18 goals). She played collegiately at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She is nearing a century of caps for South Africa and played club ball at home, in Lithuania with Gintra, in Spain with Betis and in Portugal—scoring 10 goals in 30 games across two seasons—with Braga.
Forward Myra Delgadillo (29) of the U.S.; she played at Fresno State University and in Serbia for Spartak Subotica, Braga of Portugal and Juarez for the 2022-23 Apertura and Clausura campaigns, scoring five goals in 26 regular season and playoff matches. She joined Monterrey for the 2023-24 Apertura and has scored 15 goals in 65 regular season and playoff matches with Rayadas.
Forward Christina Burkenroad (31) of the U.S. is a full international for Mexico and played collegiately in the States at Cal-State Fullerton. She played two years for the Orlando Pride then in Norway, in the Czech Republic with Sparta Prague. She joined Monterrey for the 2019-20 Apertura and has scored 91 goals in 192 regular season and playoff games in Liga MX Femenil. In the 2024 Apertura, she scored nine goals in 13 regular season matches and one goal in six playoff matches for the league champions.
Manager Amelia Valverde (37) of Costa Rica joined the club for the Clausura 2024. She took Costa Rica to two Women’s World Cup Finals during the last three cycles—2015 in Canada and 2023 in Australia/New Zealand. She was a well-respected coach at the national team level and added to her impressive reputation with a 2024 Apertura title with Rayadas in her first club coaching job.
New import signings for 2024-25 were:
Midfielder Marcela Restepo (29) of Colombia is a full international. She has played in Spain with Sporting de Gijon and Logrono. She had one goal in six matches during her first campaign with the club for the 2024-25 Apertura and scored twice in two CONCACAF Champions Cup matches.
Forward Lucia Garcia (26) of Spain; she has over 50 caps with Spain’s senior WNT and joined Monterrey this summer after two seasons with Manchester United of the WSL, scoring 11 goals in 41 regular season matches. She scored five times in 11 regular season and three goals in six playoff matches during the 2024 Apertura matches for the champions. She was also a frequent scorer for years at home with Athletic Bilbao and Oviedo. She played for Spain at the 2022 EUROs in England but was one of 15 players who sought a change from head coach Jorge Vilda and was not considered for the 2023 WWC squad that won the title.
One American import who has left the club is midfielder Carlee Giammona (23) of the U.S.; she played one year at the University of Alabama and then finished her career with Pepperdine University in suburban Los Angeles. She was a youth international for the U.S. She moved to the Tampa Bay Sun of the USL Super League, where she has five goals in 13 games this season, after scoring eight goals in 11 games for Glasgow City in Scotland in the first half of 2024 after finishing a season with Monterrey during the 2023 Apertura. She has played for the U.S. at the U-16 and U-18 WNT levels.
Note: Mexican international forward Katty Martinez (26) is a Mexican international who joined Monterrey for the 2024 Apertura and scored three goals in 19 regular season and playoff matches. She was born in Monterrey and first played in the league with UANL Tigres during the 2018-19 Apertura. She joined Club America for the 2021-22 Clausura. In total to date, she has 151 goals in 253 regular season and playoff matches in Liga MX Femenil. She has won six league titles across the three clubs. She scored her 150th league goal in October and is the league’s all-time leading scorer.
Martínez scored 95 goals in 133 matches with Tigres, then 53 goals in 101 games with Las Águilas. Martínez became the second player to reach 100 goals in Liga MX Femenil, following in the footsteps of the legendary Desiree Monsivais (now with Juarez).
Pachuca
Returning imports from last season included:
Goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras (28) of the U.S.; she grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, played at Phoenix (Community) College but finished her schooling at the University of West Florida. She played for Mexico at the U-17 WWC in 2012, at the 2016 U-20 WWC and was capped once at the senior level in 2016. She has played 142 matches for Pachuca since joining for the 2020-21 Clausura season.
Goalkeeper Christina Holguin (28) of the U.S.; she grew up in Los Angeles with Mexican parents. She played at Rio Hondo Communication College and San Francisco State University. She has played with the Puerto Rico Sol and since 2021-22 with Juarez, then Cruz Azul and joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura. She has played in 26 league matches in total across the three teams, but only five games for Pachuca in the league and playoffs, behind Barreras in the goalkeeping frame.
Defender Osinachi Ohale (32) is a Nigerian international who was player of the match at their 2023 WWC’s surprising Group B win against Australia (3-1) in Brisbane, as a member of her fourth WWC Final side. She played professionally at home, in Sweden, Spain, Italy and with the Houston Dash in the 2014 campaign. She joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura after the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup and has scored twice in 48 league games in the regular season and in the playoffs (with Pachuca qualifying in all of her three seasons in the league).
Defender Yirleidys Quejada (22) of Colombia; she is a U-20 international and played in the 2022 U-20 WWC in Costa Rica. She joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura, scoring twice in 33 regular season and playoff matches to date for the Gophers after lining up with Atletico Nacional of Medellin in Colombia. She played in 2022 with Alianza Lima in Peru.
Midfielder Nina Nicosia (21) of Argentina. Her father played professional football in Argentina and she qualifies to play for the U.S., Argentina and Mexico. She grew up in Illinois and played at the University of Louisville for one season. She joined the Gophers for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 38 regular season and playoff matches—with two goals—in one and one-half full seasons.
Midfielder Ella Sanchez (19) of the U.S. is a U-17 international for the Americans since August of 2022. She played for Racing Louisville’s USL W League club in the summer of 2023. She was also named the 2021-22 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year after tallying 64 goals and 14 assists for Ballard High School, taking her high school career totals to 144 goals and 60 assists over three years. Her father, Mario Sanchez, ran Louisville City/Racing Louisville academy. She joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played in 15 senior matches (with one goal) and two goals in 30 matches for their U-19 side. She also is a Mexican situation and thus could play in the future for El Tri Femenil.
Forward Chinwendu Ihezuo (27) of Nigeria; she played at home with Pelican Stars and Delta Queens, with BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan, Henan Jianye in China, and with Meizhou Hakka in China for the last two years before moving to Mexico with Monterrey for the 2022-23 Clausura, scoring ten goals in 33 regular season matches. She joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura season and has scored 24 goals in 38 regular season and playoff matches, with nine coming in 13 2024 Apertura regular season matches in the fall.
Forward Nayeli Diaz (23) was born in Mexico City and raised in California. She joined Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura and has played in 16 games to date. She played at St. Mary’s College in Moraga in Northern California and scored six goals in 10 matches in 2023 with the Oakland Soul of the USL W League. She has played internationally for Mexico at multiple youth levels—including at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay—and for the senior WNT.
One departure from last season at Pachuca was forward Priscila Chinchilla (22) of Costa Rica, who played in Scotland with Glasgow City (see more on Chinchilla in: The Week in Women's Football: Kaylan Williams exclusive - a USA star playing for Dinamo Moscow - Tribal Football). She is now with FC Zenit in St. Petersburg, Russia and has scored five goals in 18 matches for the Russian side (see more in: The Week in Women's Football: Examining Paris Olympics squads; our tip for the top four - TribalFootball.com).
Note: Still with the club are Mexican youth international Alice Soto (18), who became the youngest signee ever in the league when she was 12 years old and 2 months in 2018 as a youth. She made her debut at age 13 in 2020 and became the youngest scorer in the league just two days after her 14th birthday in March 2021. She already has 18 goals in 114 games since joining Pachuca for the 2019-20 Clausura season.
Also still at Pachuca is forward Veronica Charlyn Corral (33), a full Mexican international with over 70 appearances, and has 110 goals in 138 matches since joining the side for the 2021-22 Apertura. She has also played in Spain, Finland and in the U.S. She played collegiately with the University of Louisville and won the 2023 Pan American Games Gold Medal in 2023 in Chile.
New imports for 2024-25 include:
Defender Andrea Pereira (31) of Spain; she joined Club America for the 2022-23 Apertura after four seasons with Barcelona of Spain and then joined Pachuca for the 2024-25 Apertura, appearing in 20 games with the Gophers in the regular season and playoffs, scoring once. In total she has scored 23 goals in 97 regular season and playoff matches in Mexico.
Midfielder Amanda Perez (30) of the U.S.; the Mexican international grew up in California, played at the University of Washington and then in Iceland, Sweden and Portugal. She played two seasons with Club America, starting in the 2021-22 Apertura and moved to Pachuca for the 2023-24 Clausura, scoring one goal in 28 games—totaling 85 regular season and playoff matches (with two goals) in Liga MX Femenil. She has played for Mexico at the U-17, U-20 and at the senior level since 2013.
Shanice van de Sanden (32) of the Netherlands; she was a major signing for Pachuca and the league this summer. She has 97 caps for the Netherlands, winning the 2017 EURO at home when she was a huge influence for her side. She moved to Mexico after two seasons in the WSL with Liverpool. She has also played with top sides Lyon in France and Wolfsburg in Germany. She scored once in 15 regular season and playoff matches in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Club Leon
Leon has of late been a destination for South American internationals and this year is no different. Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Fernanda Pinilla (31) of Chile; she is a full Chilean international who won the Silver Medal at the 2023 Pan-American Games in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar in Chile. She played in Spain in the second tier in Badajoz, Estremadura in 2019-20. Mexico is her second professional club stint outside of Chile. She joined Leon for the 2023-24 Clausura and has played in 31 Liga MX Femenil regular season and playoff matches, with one goal.
Defender Lixy Rodriguez (34) of Costa Rica; she has a half century of caps for Costa Rica and played professionally in Spain. She is in her third season with Leon, coming for the 2022-23 Apertura, and has appeared in 77 regular season and playoff matches with the Central Mexican club.
Defender Dominique Estrada (24) of the U.S.; a native of Utah, she played at Salt Lake (City) Community College and Westminster College in the state. She joined Leon for the 2023-24 Clausura. Estrada only played in two matches in the 2024 Apertura and seven games in her two campaigns in the league, including a 2023-24 Clausura playoff match.
Midfielder Linda Bravo (32) of Argentina; a full international who has played professionally at home, in Spain and came to Mexico with Pachuca for a year beginning with the 2021-22 Apertura in Mexico before moving to Leon. For the 2022-23 Apertura, she has scored four times in 105 regular season and playoff matches in Liga MX Femenil.
Forward Mayalu Rausch (23) of Germany; she moved from Hoffenheim of the German second division to Liga MX Femenil for the 2022-23 Apertura with Leon and has six goals in 79 regular season and playoff matches.
Forward Vianney Aleman (19) of the U.S. grew up with her twin sister Itzell in Lakeland, Florida, but stopped playing high school soccer after their freshman year to play only at the club level, which is encouraged for many top teenagers in the U.S. to better manage their play and development, though they miss the team comradery and support with their school. She joined the club for the 2023-24 Apertura and has played 37 games (with 8 goals) for the U-19 side while playing in eight Liga MX Femenil games in the 2024-25 Apertura. Her sister Itzell (19)—registered as a Mexican domestic player—also joined the team for the 2023-24 Apertura and played in 15 Apertura games this past campaign and had played in 23 senior matches in total.
Forward Ysaura Viso (31) of Venezuela. She is a full international for Venezuela and played in the 2010 U-17 WWC in Trinidad and Tobago. She has played primarily in Colombia, but joined Leon for the 2023-24 Clausura from Colo-Colo of Chile, where she won two league titles. She also played in 2016-17 with FFC Vorderland in Austria. With Leon, she has two goals in 24 regular season and playoff matches.
New imports for 2024/25 were:
Forward Isadora Freitas (34) of Brazil; she moved to Mexico for the 2024-25 Apertura—appearing in 12 matches for Leon—from Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro. She previously played abroad with FC Gintra in Lithuania, and in Spain with Logrono and Rayo Vallecano.
Forward Elliana Ramirez (17) of the U.S.; she grew up in Texas and her sister who plays with Chivas of Guadalajara. She played a full season with Pachuca, beginning with the 2023-24 Apertura, appearing in one Liga MX Femenil match in the 2024 Clausura and playing in 15 U-19 matches for Pachcua in her season with the club. She moved to Leon for the 2024-25 Apertura and scored twice in five games.
Club Necaxa
Returning imports from last season included:
Defender Jemery Myvett (20) of Guatemala; she played in 16 matches in the 2024-25 Apertura. We profiled her when she came to the club ahead of the 2023-24 Apertura. She has played in 45 games to date for Necaxa.
Midfielder Isabelle Hernandez (21) of the U.S.; she was born in the States; grew up in Northern California and played one year at Cal-State University-Northridge. Hernandez then moved to Mexico for the 2023-24 Apertura, scoring once in 17 matches for Necaxa during her time in the league through the 2024-25 Apertura.
Forward Karen Reyes (26) of the U.S.; she grew up in Virginia and played at Marymount University in the D.C. area, then professionally for Aland United in Finland before joining Necaxa. She has played 44 games for Necaxa since the 2022-23 Clausura, with three goals. Reyes plays internationally for El Salvador.
New imports for the 2024-25 season included:
Goalkeeper Ithaisa Vinoly (23) of Spain; she grew up in the Canary Islands and played collegiately at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and Florida International University. She played seven matches in the 2024-25 Apertura.
Midfielder Samaria Gomez (22) of El Salvador; she is a full international who has played for clubs in Nicaragua, France, Greece and Israel, before joining Necaxa for the 2024 Apertura, where she played in ten matches for the club in the city and state of Aguascalientes.
Forward Allison Veloz (23) of the U.S.; she grew up in California and played at Long Beach City College and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, scoring 11 goals in 38 games. She scored the winner in Necaxa’s 1-0 victory of Santos Laguna in July and totaled four goals in 16 regular season matches (with 13 starts) in the 2024-25 Apertura, in a very impactful first campaign with the club.
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