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Game: Atlético San Luis vs. Tigres UANL
Date: Tuesday, July 24th
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 5:00 PM Pacific, 12:00 AM UTC
Venue: Estadio Alfonso Lastras (San Luis Potosí)
Television: United States - Univision Deportes Network; Mexico - Afizzionados
Streaming: Fanatiz, fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Sling (Free trial + monthly subscription), Univision NOW
On paper, Tuesday night’s matchup between Ascenso MX side Atlético San Luis and Liga MX powerhouse Tigres UANL isn't much of a matchup at all. The visitors from Monterrey boast a squad that outclasses the hosts at every single position on the pitch. To make matters worse for Atlético San Luis, they are going to be facing an in form Tigres side who will come into the game following back to back relatively easy victories over quality Liga MX opposition in the form of Santos Laguna and León. However, things haven't always been very straightforward for Tigres in the Copa MX.
You don’t need to look back very far to recall the struggles of Tigres in the Copa MX. In the 2017 Apertura edition of the tournament, los felinos came dead last in a group featuring Cruz Azul and Ascenso MX side C.A. Zacatepec. As if coming in dead last wasn't embarrassing enough, Ascenso MX side C.A. Zacatepec defeated Tigres twice in the group stages. It also wasn’t as if Tigres played with a heavily rotated squad either. Zacatepec just wanted it more in both of the games in which they defeated Tigres.
The year’s edition of the Copa MX will be the first time that Tigres have participated in the tournament since their embarrassing last place group finish during the 2017 Apertura edition of the tournament. Tigres will likely be looking for a bit of redemption this year as they find themselves in a group with two other Ascenso MX sides. Failure to advance out of the group in first place would be disastrous for a team like Tigres trying to cement themselves as “el quints grande” in Mexican fútbol.
In their first match of the Ascenso MX season, Atlético San Luis were unable to break down Miners de Zacatecas in one of the worst games of Jornada 1. The goalless draw featured a combined 25 fouls, plenty of errant passes, and very few scoring opportunities. Something drastic will have to change if they hope to have even the slightest hope of defeating Tigres.
For Atlético San Luis this match will be a test of strength. If the Ascenso MX squad wants to have any chance of surprising one of Liga MX’s best teams they will have to play the best fútbol of their lives on Tuesday night or hope and pray that Tigres forgets their shooting boots back in la Sultana del Norte. However, sometimes it’s a game like this where the lower division side shines. If there was any piece of advice that could be given to the Ascenso MX side it would be to just go out there and give it your all. At the end of the day, the Copa MX is nothing more than an over-glorified friendly and Tigres have far more to lose than you do.