Liga MX Apertura 2024 Final: How to Watch, Schedule, Monterrey vs. Club America

After a 17 game regular season and the madness that ensued in the playoffs, arguably the two best squads in Liga MX remain standing. Monterrey and Club América will meet in the Apertura 2024 final in a battle between the two most expensive rosters in the country.

In the semifinals, Monterrey fell in the first leg against Atlético San Luis but in the second game, at home, the team played one of its best games of the season, with it's star players overpowering the visitors and a five goal second half sealed its place in the final. On the other hand, América took part in an instant classic against its city rivals Cruz Azul. In a wild game, Las Águilas emerged victorious against the league leaders, cementing its playoff dominance over La Máquina and getting within 180 minutes of a third consecutive Liga MX title.

América defeated Tigres in the Apertura 2023 final to begin its reign over Mexican soccer. One year later, and it can defeat the other Monterrey city team to become the first back-to-back-to-back champion of the century. Rayados will hope for a repeat of the Apertura 2019 final, where it beat América to raise the last league title in club history.

The stage is set for a great championship battle, here's all you need to know about the Liga MX Apertura 2024 final

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What Time Does the Liga MX Final Kick-Off

First Leg

Location: Puebla, Mexico
Stadium: Estadio Cuauhtémoc
Date: Thursday, Dec. 12
Kick-Off Time: 9:00 p.m. ET

Second Leg

Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Stadium: Estadio BBVA
Date: Sunday, Dec. 15
Kick-Off Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Monterrey vs. América H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Monterrey: 1 win
América: 3 wins
Draws: 1

Current Form (All Competitions)

How to Watch the Liga MX Apertura 2024 Final on TV and Live Stream

Monterrey Team News

Monterrey's inconsistency remains an issue. In the second leg against San Luis, it showcased what the team can be when it's firing on all cylinders.

Martín Demichelis fielded a very aggressive starting lineup and his side's attacking firepower was on full display. Sergio Canales was outstanding, Lucas Ocampos proved why he's arguably the best player in Mexican soccer and Oliver Torres scored a stunning brace to catapult Rayados into the final. The former La Liga players are capable of dismantling any defense in Liga MX, we'll see if Demichelis sticks to the blueprint that gave him the ticket to the final.

Monterrey will be without Estebán Andrada and Jordi Cortizo as they have for all of the playoffs. When healthy, these are two notable pieces to Demichelis's puzzle; however, the team has managed the absences well and have more than enough variants to fill those gaps.

Anything short of a title would've been seen as a failure for Monterrey prior to the start of the season. Demichelis arrived after the team fired former coach Fernando Ortiz five games into the Apertura 2024. The team bounced back and are now 180 minutes away from lifting a much needed championship given the investment in recent years.

America Team News

Guess who's back? Yup, the reigning, defending, back-to-back champions. The most hated and most loved team in Mexican soccer is on the verge of history. Many doubted América would return to the final given it's mediocre regular season, but since the start of the playoffs, no team has been better.

André Jardine's pragmatic management style is perfectly suited for knockout instances. His team defeated Toluca with ease in the quarterfinals and then, against one of the greatest teams in Liga MX history in Martín Anselmi's Cruz Azul, proved its championship pedigree by emerging victorious.

Las Águilas will hope that the injury scares of goalkeeper Luis Malagón and center back Sebastián Cáceres stay as just scares. Striker, Rodrigo Aguirre will serve his suspension after he was sent-off in the dying minutes of the semifinals. Other than him, Jardine will have all of his players at his disposal after an injury ridden season. The return of players like Kevin Álvarez and Alejandro Zendejas have been instrumental for the team's success. Diego Valdés, one of the best players in Mexican soccer over the past year returned but went as an unused substitute in the semifinals, that's the extent of América's squad quality.

América has more than enough experience and quality to win a third straight Liga MX title. If it manages to do so, then Jardine and this core group of players will undoubtedly be remembered as a dynasty, cementing one of, if not the greatest era of the historic club.