Liga MXA Independiente is a Mexican semi-professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
league. Established in 2013, it began as a local league in
Fresnillo,
Zacatecas, before growing into a nationwide competition with multiple divisions. It is not affiliated with the
Mexican Football Federation, but rather the Mexican Semiprofessional Football Federation.
Liga MX Independiente has served both as a hotbed for developing young talent and as a destination for retired professional footballers. It also runs a women's league and an under-19 league.
History
The Liga de Fútbol MXA Independiente was created in 2013 in
Fresnillo,
Zacatecas, and originally operated at the municipal level.
It then grew to the state level; at one point, there were teams based in 54 out of the 58
municipalities of Zacatecas.
[ The league started adding teams from neighboring states soon thereafter until eventually becoming a national competition.][ As of 2018, there were teams in 32 states.][
In 2021, Liga MXA Independiente created a new first-tier league called the Liga Élite, which was aimed more towards professionalism.][ The teams were Carranzos, Estudiantes de Morelia, Fundición Santa Rosa, Jaguares de Saltillo, Metropolitan Monterrey, Nicolás Romero, Obson Dynamo, and Ostioneros de Guaymas.
In January 2022, Gregorio Cruz Martínez, the ]municipal president
A ''presidente municipal'' (English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines under the Spanish and American colonization; it is comparable to a mayor of the town or city ...
of Axtla de Terrazas
Axtla de Terrazas is one of the 58 municipalities in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico. The municipality was founded 1826, its name comes from Nahuatl (astlan) and is interpreted as: "Place of white herons", it was added de Terrazas in honor of ...
, made an appearance as one of three designated overage players on the CPTIF GP Axtla under-21 squad.
Competition format
As of 2018, 40-minute halves are played and five substitutions were allowed. A liguilla (Spanish for "little league") playoff tournament is played at the end of the season.
Notable players
* Everaldo Barbosa
Everaldo Vergne de Assis Barbosa (born September 12, 1975) is a former Brazilian football midfielder who currently serves as a technical director for Club Necaxa.
Everaldo has played for Guarani and Santa Cruz in the Campeonato Brasileiro, b ...
[
* Jaime Correa][
* ]Daniel Ludueña
Daniel Emmanuel Ludueña (born 27 July 1982) is an Argentine former professional footballer. Nicknamed El Hachita, he spent most of his career in Mexico.
He is the older brother of footballer Gonzalo Ludueña and the son of former Talleres de C ...
[
* Alberto Medina][
* José de Jesús Mosqueda][
* José Arturo Rivas][
* ]Sergio Santana
Sergio Alejandro Santana Piedra (born 10 August 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer and assistant manager of Liga de Expansión MX club Oaxaca. He formerly played as a forward.
Club career
Santana first match in the Primera Divisi ...
[
]
References
{{Football in Mexico
Association football leagues in Mexico
Sports leagues established in 2013
2013 establishments in Mexico
Professional sports leagues in Mexico