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Top 3 takeaways from Liga MX week 1

By Nestor Esquivel

PACHUCA, MEXICO - JULY 27: Press photographer works with protective mask during the first round match between Pachuca and America as part of the Torneo Guard1anes 2020 Liga MX at Hidalgo Stadium on July 27, 2020 in Pachuca, Mexico. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images)
PACHUCA, MEXICO - JULY 27: Press photographer works with protective mask during the first round match between Pachuca and America as part of the Torneo Guard1anes 2020 Liga MX at Hidalgo Stadium on July 27, 2020 in Pachuca, Mexico. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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Liga MX  finally finished week 1 Tuesday the 28th of August after a Monterrey win against Toluca 3-1. After a long and stretched out week of play.

With the first week of Liga MX in the books, these are our top 3 takeaways from week 1.

ZAPOPAN, MEXICO – JULY 25: A member of the cleaning staff sanitizes the stands during the 1st round match between Chivas and Leon as part of the Torneo Guard1anes 2020 Liga MX at Akron Stadium on July 25, 2020, in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Alfredo Moya/Jam Media/Getty Images)
ZAPOPAN, MEXICO – JULY 25: A member of the cleaning staff sanitizes the stands during the 1st round match between Chivas and Leon as part of the Torneo Guard1anes 2020 Liga MX at Akron Stadium on July 25, 2020, in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Alfredo Moya/Jam Media/Getty Images) /

1.) Chivas decimated by COVID-19: The whole situation from the main coach Fernando Tena having it, Alexis Vega, superstar midfielder Fernando Beltran having it, and up and coming forward Uriel Antuna, to Ronaldo Cisneros and now Oribe Peralta having it, Chivas might be the first example of what is to come for most Liga MX teams. The more these teams play each other and even if they don’t have a positive testing result but have symptoms similar to Oribe Peralta before he tested positive there may be trouble looming for many clubs.

With 10 clubs with a positive case being monitored and more probably coming in the coming weeks. We have to ask ourselves if the NBA and MLS’s “bubble” situation is where players stay in an enclosed area for the duration of a tournament, get tested regularly, and don’t travel outside the bubble being utilized by MLS in the “MLS is back tournament” and in the NBA restart is a valid option. In both leagues, more than 700 athletes in MLS and more than 300 in the NBA have tested negative for COVID-19. Liga MX may want to look north to see examples of an organized structure to follow to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Liga MX.

2.) This Schedule of games wasn’t bad: This week’s play was a mess from so many games being pushed to Monday, and Toluca vs. Monterrey being pushed back due to Hurricane Hanna, but it wasn’t a bad week, and this format should be used more going forward. The league’s games are set and scheduled and it won’t change for this season, but moving forward a more spread out slate of games would be easier for us as viewers to watch every game, even the ones we might not have seen.

Liga MX has a way of playing games at the same time at times and it makes us choose which team or games are more important than others, and if they don’t play at the same time they cut into one another every now and then, especially on weekends. It’s understandable that with other competitions as Copa MX and all it would be tough as Copa MX games are played within a week and give youngsters on teams more of an opportunity, but most of these first division teams have the structure and resources to manage these players with a schedule set up with Liga games being played throughout the week. I’m aware Liga MX plays games some weeks earlier than others and starting on Wednesday and Thursday. It would be nice to see this every week though, and especially on Monday’s.

3.) It’s good to be back: Even with some negatives, it’s nice to have some live sports. Especially quality soccer. Trying to sit through some of these MLS games at times is a drag and doesn’t have what makes Liga MX the best soccer league in CONCACAF.

The defending hasn’t been the best, but not every player is in the form at the moment. The counter-attacking and high octane play is back. Gignac scoring goals and setting more records is back, Cruz Azul with a chip on their shoulder is back, Pumas look like a different team with Alfredo Talavera at goalkeeper, Xolos loo like the early favorite to win it all, and Chivas will hopefully qualify for Liguilla again. No matter what happens, we as fans win watching these amazing players play the beautiful game and months without it, helped us realize how much we took this amazing league for granted.