The president of the Mexican Football Federation, Ivar Sisniega, has pointed to Guadalajara Chivas' youth development model as the benchmark the rest of Liga MX should follow. Sisniega specifically highlighted the importance of their scouting network and the structure of their reserve team, Tapatío, in preparing young talent for the top flight and the national team.
Sisniega explained that Chivas' work in talent identification, both in Mexico and the United States, is comparable to that of the national team itself. "Chivas does it very well; that is, if all clubs were at Chivas' model, I think we would have better football, why?" the official stated.
Tapatío, which has played in Liga de Expansión MX since 2020, serves as the final formative step. Sisniega stressed that this team allows players to finish their sporting maturation before making the leap. "And that last step they have with Tapatío really allows the footballer, and we are seeing it today both in Chivas and in the National Team, you have very young players who have had that space in Tapatío to finish forming," he added. Since its foundation, 22 players have debuted in Mexican football through this project, with twelve of them achieving continuity by playing over a thousand minutes per tournament.
This approach is directly reflected in the first team, where Chivas is the only Liga MX club that fields seven homegrown players in its starting eleven. The club's tradition, which only allows it to field Mexican players, contrasts with the rule permitting other teams to register up to nine players not formed in Mexico. The FMF aims to expand the presence of reserve teams in Liga de Expansión, following the example of Chivas and Cruz Azul, to strengthen the youth development structure across the country.
The model's success is backed by the team's current performance in Liga MX. Guadalajara Chivas sit third with 18 points, just two behind leaders Toluca, after a start of five wins, three draws, and two losses. Their latest outing was a commanding 2-0 victory over Club America on October 5th, a result that is part of a positive run of three wins in their last five matches. Fans can check the full schedule and squad progression on our fixtures and squad pages. The next challenge is a demanding local derby against sixth-placed Atlas on October 11th.
This story first appeared at Record MX
