2020 LFA season
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| 2020 LFA season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 February 2020 – 8 March 2020 |
| Date | Not held |
| Venue | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
The 2020 LFA season was the fifth season of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), the top American football league in Mexico. The regular season began on February 8 and was to conclude on April 26, with the playoffs beginning on May 1 and ending with the Tazón México V on May 17. Nevertheless, after week 5, on March 16, the LFA announced the suspension of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1][2] and on 29 March 2020 the league confirmed that the season was cancelled.[3]
Expansion and stadium changes
One new team joined the league: Pioneros, based in Querétaro City.[4] Due to Pioneros joining the LFA and the league failing to secure a tenth expansion team, thus raising the number of teams to nine, the LFA took the decision that the Mayas would not participate in the season, returning in 2021. This decision was also made taking in consideration the change of ownership in the team.[5]
Four teams switched stadiums:
- Artilleros, previously playing at Estadio Templo del Dolor (with capacity of 4,500 spectators), moved to the Estadio Universitario BUAP, that can accommodate 19,283 spectators. The stadium, originally built from 1997 to 1999, was renovated in 2012 and used to host Lobos BUAP, Liga MX matches until 2019, when the club was dissolved.[6]
- Fundidores moved to Estadio Borregos, with a capacity of 10,057 spectators. The stadium is owned by the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and it is used by college football team Borregos Salvajes Monterrey. Before, Fundidores played at the Estadio Nuevo León Unido, that could only accommodate 1,500 people.[7][8]
- Mexicas, formerly playing at Casco de Santo Tomás Field (with capacity of 2,000 spectators), moved to the Estadio Perros Negros in Naucalpan. The stadium can accommodate 2,500 spectators.[9]
- Raptors, previously playing at FES Acatlán (with capacity of 2,500 spectators), moved to the Estadio José Ortega Martínez, with a capacity of 3,700 seated spectators. The team already played at the stadium during the 2018 season.[10]
Coaching changes
- Fundidores: Carlos Strevel replaced Israel González as head coach of the team. González previously coached the team for two seasons (2018 and 2019) reaching playoffs once.[11]
- Mexicas: Héctor Toxqui was chosen to replace Enrique Zárate as head coach of the team. As of the 2020 season, Mexicas is the only team in the league to have had a different coach for each one of its five seasons.[12]
Draft
The 2020 draft was the largest so far, declaring more than 70 senior players from ONEFA, CONADEIP and FADEMAC for the first time. The draft was held on January 11 at the FES Acatlán facilities.[13]
| Draft 2020 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rd | Sel. | LFA Team | Player | Pos. | University | Conf. |
| SP | 1 | Pioneros | José Pablo Morales | DB | Borregos ITESM Querétaro | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | Condors | César Pérez Durán | DL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 1 | 1 | Pioneros | Edgar Padilla | LB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | Mexicas | Jerónimo Arzate | CB | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 3 | Osos | Daniel Rubio | RB | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 4 | Dinos | Carlos Mercado | OL | Borregos Salvajes Monterrey | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 5 | Artilleros | Diego Bedolla | OL | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 6 | Fundidores | Martín Maldonado | DL | Borregos Salvajes Monterrey | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 7 | Raptors | Ricardo Sainz | WR/DB | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 8 | Condors | Luis Adán Ochoa | DL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 2 | 9 | Pioneros | Saúl Aguilar | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 10 | Mexicas | Daniel Concepción | OL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 11 | Osos | Carlos Garza | LB | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 12 | Fundidores vía Dinos | Josué Antonio López | OL | Águilas Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 13 | Artilleros | Osvaldo Zumalacarregui | DB | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 14 | Fundidores | Cosme Lozano | DB | Borregos Salvajes Monterrey | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 15 | Raptors | Alfonso Trejos | DL | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 16 | Condors | Luis Canela | LB | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 3 | 17 | Pioneros | Ricardo Servín | RB | Pumas UNAM Acatlán | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 18 | Mexicas | Gerardo Rarmírez | CB | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 19 | Osos | Hanscel López | QB | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 20 | Fundidores vía Dinos | Edgar Cortez | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 21 | Artilleros | Diego Torres | LB | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 22 | Fundidores | Enrique Zepeda | LB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 23 | Raptors | Marco Camacho | WR | Borregos Salvajes México | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 24 | Condors | Daniel Murillo | DL | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 4 | 25 | Mexicas vía Pioneros | Brandon López | QB | Toros Salvajes Chapingo | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 26 | Mexicas | Ricardo Razo | SS | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 27 | Raptors vía Osos | Gustavo Orostico | DB | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 28 | Fundidores vía Dinos | Patricio Garza | WR | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 29 | Artilleros | Jorge Eduardo Retana | WR | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 30 | Fundidores | Itan Salas | LB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 31 | Raptors | Rodrigo Aquino | WR | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 32 | Condors | Jorge Sámano | LB | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 5 | 33 | Mexicas vía Pioneros | Mario Ortiz | WR | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 34 | Mexicas | Eduardo Jiménez | WR | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 35 | Osos | Alejandro Sánchez | OL | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 36 | Fundidores vía Dinos | Marco Santana | QB | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 37 | Artilleros | Marco Covarrubias | OL | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 38 | Fundidores | Pick declined | ||||
| 39 | Raptors | Julio Villarreal | DL | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 40 | Condors | Alberto González | K | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 6 | 41 | Pioneros | Jorge Contreras | OL | Pumas UNAM Acatlán | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 42 | Mexicas | Fernando Hernández | Toros Salvajes Chapingo | Liga Mayor ONEFA | ||
| 43 | Raptors vía Osos | Luis González | OL | Pumas UNAM Acatlán | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 44 | Dinos | Ángel Martínez | DL | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 45 | Artilleros | Jorge Bravo | WR | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 46 | Raptors | Sean Muzquiz | DL | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 47 | Condors | Mario Alberto Hernández | WR | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 7 | 49 | Pioneros | Pick declined | |||
| 50 | Mexicas | Emmanuel Vargas | DL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 51 | Raptors vía Osos | Jorge Guzmán | DE | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 52 | Dinos | Andrés Castro | DB | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 53 | Artilleros | Diego Vásquez | WR | Lobos BUAP | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 54 | Raptors | Eric Remigio | WR | Búhos IPN | Liga Mayor FADEMAC | |
| 55 | Condors | Yannic Hernández | DB | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 8 | 57 | Mexicas | Raymundo Mora | OL | Frailes UT | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 58 | Osos | Pick declined | ||||
| 59 | Dinos | Fernando Gómez | WR | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 60 | Artilleros | Geovanni Gómez | CB | Lobos BUAP | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 61 | Raptors | Miguel Ríos | DL | Leones Anáhuac Norte | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 62 | Condors | Yair Alejandro Márquez | QB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 9 | 63 | Mexicas | Sergio Soriano | OL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 64 | Artilleros | Brandon Barrios | DB | Lobos BUAP | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 65 | Raptors | Ozdi Nimrod Barona | QB | Pumas UNAM Acatlán | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 66 | Condors | Gustavo Aguilar | RB | Pumas UNAM Acatlán | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 10 | 67 | Mexicas | Carlos Climaco | RB | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 68 | Artilleros | Diego Ruíz | QB | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 69 | Raptors | César Iván Alanís | OL | Frailes UT | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 70 | Condors | Javier Arceo | RB | Linces UVM | Liga Mayor ONEFA | |
| 11 | 71 | Artilleros | Kevin Brian Correa | RB | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP |
| 72 | Artilleros | Diego Huerta | LB | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
| 73 | Artilleros | Alberto Adduci Bellizi | OL | Aztecas UDLAP | Liga Premier CONADEIP | |
*In exchange for draft selection in the Mayan draft, Dinos gave Fundidores selections in the second, third, fourth, and fifth round of the 2020 draft. ** In exchange for WR Aldo Narvaes and Josep Acosta, Pioneers gave Mexica selections in the fourth and fifth round of the 2020 draft. *** In exchange for Mayan draft picks, Osos gave Raptors selections in the fourth, sixth, and seventh round of the 2020 draft.
Mayas draft
For the 2020 season, the 8 teams of the LFA made a draft of the Mayas' players who declared themselves eligible to play the 2020 season with some other team in the league, with the intention to continue playing and not lose the pace of competition. Artilleros declined participation by arguing not to be interested in any Mayas' players.
| Mayas draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rd | Sel. | LFA Team | Player | Pos. | ||
| 1 | 1 | Mexicas | Isaac Medina | DL | ||
| 2 | Fundidores | *Marco García | QB | |||
| 3 | Dinos | Omar Cojolum | RB | |||
| 4 | Osos | Leonel Ramírez | OL | |||
| 5 | Raptors | Edgar White | LB | |||
| 6 | Pioneros | Ramiro Pruneda | OL | |||
| 7 | Condors | Josué Martínez | WR | |||
| 2 | 8 | Mexicas | Diego Magaña | DL | ||
| 9 | Dinos vía Fundidores | Mariano Vargas | OL | |||
| 10 | Dinos | Lennin Ortiz | RB | |||
| 11 | Osos | Jonathan Segura | OL | |||
| 12 | Raptors | Jesús Sosa Piña | RB | |||
| 13 | Pioneros | Álvaro Camacho | QB | |||
| 14 | Condors | Luis David Martínez | WR | |||
| 3 | 15 | Mexicas | Uriel Ávalos | DE | ||
| 16 | Osos | Juan Vázquez | DB | |||
| 17 | Raptors | Adan Hernández | SS | |||
| 18 | Pioneros | **Jordi Saldaña | FS | |||
| 19 | Condors | Ricardo Espinoza | CB | |||
| 4 | 20 | Mexicas | Uriel López | LB | ||
| 21 | Osos | José Falcón | CB | |||
| 22 | Raptors | Christian Gómez | WR | |||
| 24 | Condors | Luis Zárate | LB | |||
| 5 | 20 | Mexicas | Carlos Díaz | TE | ||
| 21 | Osos | Sebastián Baig | LB | |||
| 22 | Raptors | Edgar Arroyo | RB | |||
| 24 | Condors | Marco Morales | WR | |||
| 6 | 25 | Mexicas | Jonathan García | LB | ||
| 26 | Osos | Gustavo Ramos | WR | |||
| 27 | Raptors | José Garatachea | SS | |||
| 28 | Condors | Fernando Aguirre | DL | |||
| 7 | 29 | Raptors | Arturo Callejos | QB | ||
*He declined his hiring for labor reasons | **Hired by the Raptors
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | |||||
| Dinos | Saltillo, Coahuila | Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero | 8,000 | ||
| Fundidores | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Estadio Borregos | 10,057 | ||
| Pioneros | Querétaro City, Querétaro | Unidad Deportiva El Pueblito | 4,000 | ||
| Raptors | Naucalpan, State of Mexico | Estadio José Ortega Martínez | 3,700 | ||
| Central Division | |||||
| Artilleros | Puebla City, Puebla | Estadio Universitario BUAP | 19,283 | ||
| Condors | Mexico City | Estadio ITESM Santa Fe | 2,500 | ||
| Mexicas | Mexico City | Estadio Perros Negros | 2,500 | ||
| Osos | Toluca, State of Mexico | Estadio Fortaleza Siglo XXI | 4,000 | ||