As the Liga MX playoffs unfold, it is important to highlight the young Mexican players exhibiting their talent at the highest level of Mexican Club Soccer. A survey of some of the best Mexican prospects in the latter phases of Liga MX highlights the significant role they play in the most competitive part of the tournament. Prospects like Pachuca’s nineteen-year-old midfielder Elias Montiel, Pumas’s goalkeeper Alex Padilla, and many more have taken the Mexican league by storm with displays of quality.
Over the regular season of the Liga MX 2025 Clausura, the average number of Mexican U23 players that saw game time was sixty-four players per match week, or an average of seventeen percent. Mexican U23 players make up one-fifth of the total player pool of Liga MX, with many of these young players cementing themselves as stalwarts for their clubs not just in the regular season, but the playoffs as well.
Alex Padilla
Twenty-one-year-old Pumas goalkeeper Alex Padilla stopped three penalties in the shootout against Juarez to give his team the victory in the play-in elimination round of Liguilla. The Spanish born goalkeeper, on loan from Athletic Bilbao, showcased his quality shot stopping ability on this occasion by correctly guessing where the penalties would land and committing to that belief. For a young goalkeeper like Padilla to start for a historic team like Pumas is in itself impressive, but for him to come out on top in such a high stakes moment is a testament to the quality player he is now, as well as an indicator of his high ceiling for the future.
Elias Montiel
Pachuca midfield starlet Elias Montiel is possibly the most prolific Mexican prospect at the moment. At only nineteen years old, Montiel is a pillar at Pachuca, and in a short amount of time he has garnered plenty of praise by winning accolades like last year’s Intercontinental Cup’s third best player of the tournament, where Pachuca lost to Real Madrid in the Final. Montiel has since followed last year’s success by continuing to churn out consistent performances. According to Footystats.org, Montiel has a total of 2309 minutes in the 2024/25 Liga MX season, averaging “82 minutes per appearance.” These numbers demonstrate just how important Montiel is for his team at just nineteen. After having dispatched Monterrey in the first round of the play in 2:1, the Tuzos will look to continue their run in the Liguilla by vanquishing current Liga MX champions Club America in the Quarterfinals next week. The sky is the limit for this Pachuca academy graduate and there are plenty of rumors of European clubs interested in his services.
Ralph Orquin
At only twenty-two years old, Juarez left back Ralph Orquin has been making waves for Los Bravos. Orquin is owned by Club America and is currently on loan to the frontier club, where he has been making a name for himself by being one of their most consistent players. Footystats.org states that Orquin has appeared in thirty-five matches, garnering 2861 minutes in the 2024/25 Liga MX season, averaging “82 minutes per appearance.” The numbers show that Orquin has demonstrated himself in the last year as a reliable starter for a team that finished ninth in the standings of the 2025 Clausura, which is very good considering they finished twelfth in the previous tournament. It is unfortunate that Juarez was eliminated from the Liguilla on penalties by Pumas but the future looks bright for Orquin, who will surely look to find consistent game time, whether that is at Club America or elsewhere.
There are many young Mexican players who have yet to feature in the Liguilla and will look to make history as the playoffs unfold. Players like Padilla and Montiel will try to continue their good run of form, but young players like Cruz Azul’s nineteen-year-old midfielder Amaury Morales or Toluca’s twenty-one-year-old winger Isais Violante will be looking to make history for their own clubs. Regardless of who lifts the Liga MX title, it is evident that the Mexican league is focusing on the cultivation of young Mexican talent and many of these prospects are thriving.
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