ESPN FC's Liga MX 2016 end-of-year Awards: Best player, team, goal, more

ESPN FC's Liga MX 2016 end-of-year Awards: Best player, team, goal, more The Liga MX Apertura has come to a close, and what better way to round up another exciting year of Mexican football action than with our awards? ESPN FC asked our experts Tom Marshall, Nayib Moran, Cesar Hernandez and Eric Gomez for their picks for best player, breakout player and more! 

Andre-Pierre Gignac, FW, Tigres

It speaks well of Liga MX that one of its stars participated in the Euro 2016 final. France international Gignac's ability to single-handedly take over games makes him stand out among the rest. -- Nayib Moran (@nayibmoran)

Gignac finished as the leading goalscorer in the Clausura and was vital for Tigres in the Apertura with his six goals in the Liguilla. -- Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol)

The Frenchman is still the key figure on a team loaded with talent. Consistently dominating headlines, he's a bona fide star in a league mostly devoid of individual figures. -- Eric Gomez (@EricGomez86)

Guido Pizarro, MF, Tigres

The heartbeat of Tigres' championship winning team. Able to mix it physically, he plays cleanly out from his defensive midfield role and provides the bedrock from which attacking talents on the team can shine. Pizarro's call-up to the Argentina national team was fully deserved for a player who could comfortably play at a high level in Europe. -- Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup)

Pachuca

The Clausura 2016 champion and, right now, the most progressive club in Mexico. Los Tuzos mix young domestic talent with quality foreigners and, in Diego Alonso, have one of the very best managers in the league. -- Marshall

Although Pachuca suffered an early Liguilla exit to Necaxa, Los Tuzos' year can be considered a success. There are a lot of positives going for Diego Alonso's side that make you believe it will soon be fighting for another title. -- Moran

A team known in the past for building squads around expensive foreign talent, Pachuca reinvented with a fantastic base of young, Mexican players and won the Clausura 2016 title. -- Gomez

Tigres

Following a quarterfinal appearance in the the Clausura playoffs, Tigres bounced back with an Apertura title just months afterward. Liga MX's best team of 2016. -- Hernandez

Alfonso "Poncho" Sosa, Necaxa

Not blessed with the most talented squad in Liga MX, Sosa nonetheless established a mentality and playing identity at Necaxa and took the recently promoted club to the semifinals of the Apertura. The team punched above its weight due to his tactical shrewdness. -- Marshall

In his first year as Necaxa's boss, Sosa worked wonders. Necaxa went from second-division success to first-division fairy tale in light-year speed. -- Moran

Miguel Herrera, Club Tijuana

Although Xolos finished without a championship this year, Herrera helped the team avoid relegation problems and constructed one of the most dynamic attacks in the league. A first place regular-season finish in the Apertura shouldn't be ignored either. -- Hernandez

Diego Alonso, Pachuca

A young, talented coach for a young, talented team, Alonso's Clausura win is more impressive than Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti's Apertura title. -- Gomez

Jesus Duenas' goal vs. America

In stoppage time of extra-time, Duenas' header not only saved his side's title hopes but it was also an epic and historic moment for Tigres fans and a reminder of the benefits of the playoff system. -- Marshall

Cuauhtemoc Blanco's farewell game

Estadio Azteca had a heartbeat that was rare to the common spectator on this day in March. Only someone like Blanco could have provoked the feeling, and to think he almost sealed his America chapter with a brilliant goal. -- Moran

Victor Guzman's title-winning goal for Pachuca

After dominating the Clausura season and stomping past Tigres and Club America in the playoffs, Monterrey's championship hopes were eliminated when Guzman struck for Pachuca. -- Hernandez

Chivas winning 3-0 at America

This Apertura regular season result was a clear foreshadowing of the bitterness that America's centennial would eventually bring their fans; nothing stings more than losing at home against their biggest rivals. -- Gomez

Edson Puch, FW, Necaxa

Puch didn't show up in Liga MX until the Apertura, but he has made a massive impression over the past few months. The Chilean finished with nine goals and three assists for Necaxa and helped the side gain a spot in the playoffs. -- Hernandez

The Chilean playmaker only needed six months in Mexico to make his mark on Liga MX after a fantastic Copa America. -- Gomez

Edson Alvarez, DF, America

The absence of 19-year-old Alvarez's name in the starting XI of the second leg of the final against Tigres raised some eyebrows and highlighted just how quickly he has risen to prominence. Alvarez, who came on and scored against Tigres, is a class act on the ball, reads the game both in and out of possession and should have a bright future. -- Marshall

Leonel Lopez, MF, Leon

No one saw Lopez's apparition coming, but he became a fan favorite in Leon in a matter of weeks. His admiration for Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets is clear every time he gets on the ball. -- Moran

Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Pachuca vs. Chivas

Pachuca was down to 10 players and holding on to a 1-1 draw when Urretaviscaya picked up possession at the edge of his own penalty area in the 87th minute. There appeared to be nothing on but the Uruguayan decided to run and run, dribbling past five Chivas players and then finishing clinically. -- Marshall

It will be forever known as the Urretagolazo and is a strike that you can watch on repeat for days. -- Moran

Urretaviscaya ran nearly the entire length of the pitch, past countless Chivas players, before chipping goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota. Incredible. -- Hernandez

A complete work of art. Some of us can't replicate that goal while playing FIFA. -- Gomez

Ismael Sosa, MF, Tigres

He may not have garnered the headlines like in his last season with Pumas, but the way Tigres plucked one of the league's best players from one of its biggest clubs made a statement ahead of the Apertura and Sosa, who played every game for his new side, improved what was already a stacked squad. -- Marshall

Abraham Gonzalez, MF, Pumas

It was impressive to see how quickly Gonzalez adapted to the Mexican game and how smoothly he won over the Pumas dressing room. Next season, his form will be a huge determining factor in Paco Palencia's team's success. -- Moran

Raul Ruidiaz, FW, Morelia

Only Tijuana's Dayro Moreno was able to reach Ruidiaz's 11-goal tally in the Apertura regular season. An exceptional addition for Morelia that seamlessly transitioned into the league. -- Hernandez

Expected to be a facilitator on offense, the Necaxa playmaker scored nine goals in his first season in Mexico, cementing his status as one of the best players in the country. -- Gomez