LIGA MX
Eduardo Salvio: “We hate playing at midday”
The Argentine forward is not a fan of the early, noon kick-off slot - which Pumas have been handed this weekend as Puebla visit in matchday 6..
Pumas and the midday kickoff slot have gone hand in hand for many years in the Liga MX. In Mexican soccer, there has been a long-standing tradition of games played on Sunday at 12 noon in University City, however, it seems that this trend is about to end. Yet again, a Pumas player has vented annoyance at having to play the early kickoff game and argues that the university team does not have any advantage playing at such an ungodly hour.
Due to this weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII game between the Kansas City Chief and San Francisco 49ers, the Liga MX did not schedule any games for Sunday afternoon. It means that Pumas had no choice but to play Sunday’s game against Puebla at noon. In the days leading up to that match, Eduardo Salvio confessed that both and his teammates hate playing at that time.
Pumas moves away from playing at noon in Clausura 2023
The Argentine winger told reporters in today’s press conference, “I have wanted to talk about this for a long time. Personally for me, it’s the worst thing to play at midday. I hope that whoever sets the schedule for us comes to play with us one day... I’ve already got used to it a little, but every time we play at 12 noon, it’s never cloudy. There is always fierce sun - it’s not good at all, for me or my teammates, we all hate playing at that time”.
He also denied that playing earlier than the rest of the teams gives Pumas an advantage: “I honestly don’t know why they do it or they believe that the team gets any advantage, it doesn’t,” he said. “The only advantage we can might get is down to altitude. We don’t like it because the pitch usually ends up being dry, and we can’t play the kind of game that we have spent the whole week practicing for”.
For the current tournament, only three Pumas home games have been scheduled for noon. The first was the opening day meeting with Juárez, which they won by the minimum (1-0); the second will be this Sunday’s clash with Puebla and the next will be on 10 March when they are at home to Tijuana in a match corresponding to Week 11 of the competition.