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Liga MX announced Dec. 19 its calendar for the upcoming Clausura 2019 season, which will kick-off on Jan. 4, just a little over two weeks after the Apertura tournament final.
Important Dates on CL19 schedule:
Clásico Tapatío | Chivas vs. Atlas | Jornada 7 | Feb. 16, 2019 | 7 p.m PT/9 p.m. CT/10 p.m. ET
Clásico Capitalino | Pumas vs. America | Jornada 7 | Feb. 17, 2019 | 10 a.m. PT/12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET
Clásico Regiomontano | Monterrey vs. Tigres | Jornada 10 | March 9, 2019 | 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET
Clásico Nacional | Chivas vs. America | Jornada 11 | March 16, 2019 | 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET
Clásico Poblano | Lobos vs. Puebla | Jornada 12 | March 31, 2019 | 2 p.m. PT/4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET
Clásico Joven | America vs. Cruz Azul | Jornada 14 | April 14, 2019 | 4:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET
Quarter Finals | First Leg: May 8-9 Second Leg: May 11-12
Semifinals | First Leg: May 15-16 Second Leg: May 18-19
Final: May 23 & May 26
Check out the full schedule here.
In the official schedule, it was revealed the league will be testing having games on Monday nights. During Jornada 5, Chivas and Veracruz will go head to head in the new matchday on Feb. 4. That game will kick-off at 8 p.m. CT from Estadio Akron in Jalisco.
It’s an interesting decision from the league’s part to extend the Jornadas. It’s nothing new anywhere else in the world, as Monday games are customary in European powerhouse leagues such as the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc. Liga MX Femenil matches are also mostly played on Mondays.
Games on Monday nights could give the league more data for its dominance in American television ratings than it has already. Most recently, the league and Univision Deportes experienced a record number of viewers during the Liga MX Apertura semifinals, beating out Premier League games, the MLS Cup final, the Copa Libertadores final and an NBA double-header on TNT.
Should the league adopt Monday games in the next Apertura, its toughest competitor for ratings in the U.S., at least during the fall seasons, would be NFL’s Monday Night Football, which averaged 10.76 million viewers in 2017. It’s highly unlikely the league will come anywhere close to those numbers, but it should be interesting to see where it does land in the ratings.
Chivas and Veracruz won’t have to deal with the other type of football for its game next season, as their game will be played one day after the Super Bowl, but they will be competing during NBATV’s Bucks-Nets and Spurs-Kings double-header.
Another modification to the Clausura schedule involves Chivas’ arch-rivals and Liga MX defending champions Club America, which will not play its Jornada 1 game with Necaxa in order to give its players more rest time. Las Aguilas and Los Rayos’ game was reprogrammed to be played on Tuesday, March 5 in the Estadio Azteca. Kick-off time is yet to be determined.
Do you like the idea of Monday Night Liga MX? What game are you most looking forward to in the Clausura 2019? Do you think America was right in refusing to play its Jornada 1 game?Let us know in the comments below!
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