The top two clubs in Mexican soccer will meet for the first leg in the final of the Liga MX 2018 Apertura when Club America and Cruz Azul battle at Estadio Azteca on Thursday.
In the United States, the match is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Univision. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone or streaming device via FuboTV, a cable-free streaming service that has 75-plus total channels, including Univision.
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the match on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a handy “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the match on-demand up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
Club America vs Cruz Azul Preview
Each leg of the final will be played at Estadio Azteca, as both Mexico City rivals call El Coloso de Santa Ursula home. They’ll meet for the second leg on Sunday, December 16.
Cruz Azul finished the 17-game season atop the Liga MX standings with 36 points (11-3-3). They surrendered the fewest goals in the league, at 13. Their 26 goals in the regular season tied for sixth out of 18 sides.
They drew with Monterrey on aggregate in the semifinal, 1-1, but advanced as the higher seed. The team hasn’t won a league title since 1997.
“As I have said from day one at this club, it’s nothing to do with me — it’s all to do with the players,” manager Pedro Caixinha said after the second leg, according to The Scottish Sun. “I am satisfied to reach the final, but the most important step remains. We will play in the Final with great humility, with great respect for whichever opponent we play. But this is all down to the players. They have been fantastic for me.”
Caixinha, in his first season at the helm of Cruz Azul, also guided the team to victory in the 2018 Copa MX.
“We have a long way to go before we can think about becoming champions, but the professionalism of this group of players has been incredible,” the manager said before the semifinals, per The Scottish Sun. “These players have been fantastic this season and I think they have a chance of making history. When I came here I said I would never stop working hard and I believe we are seeing the rewards now. But we must keep fighting.”
While Cruz Azul sports the best defense in the league, America possesses the best offense, netting 33 regular season goals. They also gave up the second-fewest goals, with 17, and finished the season with the second-most points, at 33 (9-6-2).
Their colossal offense reared its head in the second leg of America’s semifinal matchup, as the side blasted Pumas UNAM by a score of 6-1 for a 7-2 victory on aggregate.
The teams haven’t met in a final since the thrilling 2013 Liga MX Clausura.
Down 2-0 on aggregate 20 minutes into the second leg, America defenseman Aquivaldo Mosquera found the back of the net in the 88th minute to cut Cruz Azul’s lead to 2-1.
In stoppage time, America goalkeeper Moises Munoz came forward and headed in a goal off a corner kick to knot things up on aggregate.
Munoz then saved Cruz Azul’s first penalty kick in the shootout en route to victory.
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Liga MX Final Live Stream: How to Watch America vs Cruz Azul in USA